Sister Mary Rachel Lawler, ASC, of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, died peacefully at 10:09 p.m. on December 24, 2025, at Benedictine Living Community at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, Belleville, Illinois. She was 95 years old and had been professed for 76 years. One of eight children, she was born on September 9, 1930, to the late Joseph and Teresa (Drone) Lawler of Ponds/Ridgeway, IL. where her family attended St. Patrick Church. Sister Rachel made her first profession on July 1, 1949, and her final vows on July 1, 1954, both in Ruma, IL.
Sister Rachel received her Certification from the School of Social Work at St. Louis University in 1956, and an additional Certificate from the University of Louisville, Kentucky School of Social Work in 1966. She was also certified in Residential Child Care through the program at Washington University in St. Louis in 1971.
Sister Rachel’s ministry was one of caring service. At the Catholic Children’s Home in Alton, IL, she began as housemother for 15 third and fourth grade girls. For 21 years she was housemother in the kindergarten department. She recalls that “the number of children changed from year to year and sometimes we had the nursery tots as well, so the number ranged from 12-36 boys and girls, ages two to five.” She also assisted in the laundry and the dining room, including supervising children during their meals.
While she maintains that her ministry at the Children’s Home included some of the happiest years of her life, she had a missionary spirit and also greatly enjoyed working in Liberia, serving in Gardnersville, then in Grand Cess, for a total of 11 years. Living with young people, as she had for 25 years in the Catholic Children’s Home, she was always teaching in some way. When she met with girls and women in Liberia, she taught them to sew, crochet, knit and embroider. She also helped them with cooking skills and taking care of the house. For a few years, when the sisters were unable to get propane gas, Sr. Rachel built a mud stove on which to cook and boil water. Even bread, cakes and pies were made, using this creative alternative.
Sister Rachel’s education in Social Services was valuable as Administrator of Hope House in Springfield, MO, a residence for women and children. Her culinary knowledge and creativity were also helpful during her years at Nazareth Living Center in St. Louis where she served in the Food Service department.
When she returned to the Ruma Center in 1999, she was named the Coordinator of Transportation for the sisters, a job she held for 20 years. She also combined being a chauffeur herself with this administrative position. In her spare time, she continued one of her favorite hobbies, sewing.
Her move to Benedictine Living Community in 2022 gave her more time to pray and to continue her hobbies of reading good books, knitting, crocheting, and sewing. She crocheted hats and baby blankets for those who needed them. Her focus was especially on the poor. One of her favorite projects, however, was sewing dresses for little girls in Liberia, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the local St. Vincent de Paul Society. Girls in these countries are proud of their ‘Sister Rachel originals.”
Of the seven girls in the Lawler family, four joined a religious community. Sister Rachel was preceded in death by Sr. Mary Alma, OSM, Sr. Mary Lorita, OSF, her parents, her brother William (Allie Lee) Lawler, Elizabeth Louise (Jack) Cook, and brother-in-law Robert Frederickson.
She is survived by Sr. Mary Gabriel Lawler, OSM, Theresa Ann (Cletus) Drone, Margaret Frederickson, nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews, and the ASC community.
Visitation for Sr. Rachel will be at Benedictine Living Community Chapel on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, at 12:15 p.m. for the family, and at 12:30 for the public. The funeral Mass of Resurrection will be at 1:30 with Fr. Carl Scherrer as the celebrant. After Mass, the Funeral Procession will travel to the ASC Cemetery in Ruma for burial.
Donations in Sr. Rachel’s memory may be sent to the Adorers at 4233 Sulphur Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63109, or made online at www.adorers.org.
Adorers of the Blood of Christ, United States Region