Sister Helen (Rita Mary) Moore, ASC, celebrated 65 years as a vowed member of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ at Benedictine Living Community at the Shrine, Belleville, Illinois, on September 22, 2026. She made her first profession on July 1, 1961, and her final vows on July 1, 1966, both at the Ruma Center, Ruma, Illinois. She marked her anniversary with the Eucharist and a reception with the ASC community.
Sister Helen was born in East St. Louis, Illinois, to Aubrey and Thelma Moore. She received her bachelor’s degree in business education from Sacred Heart College, now Newman University, in Wichita, Kansas, in 1971, and her master’s in religious education from St. Thomas University in Houston, Texas, in 1982. She did graduate study at Fontbonne University in St. Louis, Missouri, and participated in the Institute of Religious Formation Program at St. Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri, in preparation for her position as Formation Director for the former Ruma Province, a ministry she held for eight years.
Sister Helen ministered in the field of education for over 20 years. She taught elementary school students at St. Mary in Taylorville, and St. Albert the Great in Fairview Heights, both in Illinois. After being both principal and teacher at Guardian Angel in Oran, Missouri, she served as principal at Holy Family in Cahokia, Illinois. For a few years she served at Maria Day Care in East St. Louis, Illinois, as a teacher of kindergarten, paired with Child Care. For several years, Sr. Helen served as the Director of Religious Education at St. Mary Parish in Mt. Vernon, Illinois.
Her most recent ministries have been in Community Service. She served as a Councilor for two consecutive ASC Leadership Teams for a total of eleven years. She was the Director of Community Life and Mission at the Columbia Center in Columbia, Pennsylvania, before serving as the Region’s National Coordinator of Associates for nine years.
Sister Helen currently resides at Benedictine Living Community at the Shrine in Belleville.