A funeral mass for Sister Mary Vincella Lake was celebrated Sept. 4 at Theresa Center Chapel at Sancta Maria in Ripa in St. Louis. Sister Vincella, a School Sister of Notre Dame, died Aug. 29 at Mary Queen and Mother Center in St. Louis. She was 82.
The only child of Marie (Bresnahan) and Harry Lake, she was born on Jan. 15, 1942, at St. Mary’s Hospital in St. Louis. She was baptized at Most Blessed Sacrament Church in St. Louis on Feb. 1, 1942, and named Marie Frances. Marie attended Blessed Sacrament Grade School, which was staffed by the Incarnate Word Sisters. She applied to Rosati-Kain High School, where she met the School Sisters of Notre Dame and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.
During the summer following her junior year, she began to seriously consider what she wanted to do with her life and realized that she wanted to be a religious sister. Marie received the candidate veil at Sancta Maria in Ripa on Aug. 25, 1960. She was received into the novitiate on July 29, 1961, and named Sister Mary Vincella. This pleased her father because Vincent was his middle name. She pronounced first vows on July 30, 1962, and final vows on July 30, 1967.
Sister Vincella earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the former Notre Dame College in St. Louis in 1964 and a master’s degree in history from Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri, in 1996.
Sister Vincella was a teacher for 32 years in elementary and secondary schools. She began her teaching career at St. Luke (1964-65) in Belleville, Illinois. In St. Louis, she taught at Immaculate Heart of Mary (1965-72), Our Lady of Sorrows (1972-73), Notre Dame High School (1973-76), St. Aloysius (1977-78), Rosati-Kain High School (1998-2003) and De LaSalle Middle School (2003-05). She also taught at Notre Dame High School (1973-76) in Quincy, Illinois, as well as Helias High School (1978-82) in Jefferson City. She taught at schools in California in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
Returning to the Midwest in 1992, Sister Vincella served as the director of the Newman Center at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, a position she held for five years. Once a week, she hosted a radio program entitled “Jazz Music with Sister Vi.” She also had a great love of opera music and appreciated the rap music of her students in California.
In 2005, while awaiting her next ministry, she served as a substitute teacher at St. John the Baptist High School in St. Louis for one year. Because of her love of pets, she also worked at PetSmart. This was followed by two years of serving as the site coordinator for the YMCA School Age Child Care program at Gateway Elementary School (2006-08) in St. Louis. She served as an assistant coordinator for Intercommunity Housing (2008-09) in St. Louis. In 2009, she became a staff member in the Advancement Office at Rosati-Kain High School. Four years later, she transitioned to volunteer status in the Advancement Office (2013-21) and also became a volunteer for the Magnificat Program for Marian Middle School (2013-21). She also was a member of the Shalom, Justice and Peace Committee for the SSND Central Pacific Province.
She moved to Mother of Perpetual Help Residence in St. Louis in February 2022. In June 2024, she was diagnosed with cancer and chose to receive hospice care. As her health needs increased, she moved to Mary Queen and Mother Center in July.
Sister Vincella was preceded in death by her parents, Marie and Harry Lake. She is survived by her relatives, friends, former students, School Sisters of Notre Dame and SSND associates. Burial was in the Sancta Maria in Ripa cemetery.
