Warden, Sr. Mary Therese, O.P. (Sister Maria Goretti Warden)
07/06/1933 - 04/28/2021
Sr. Mary Therese Warden, O.P. (Maria Goretti) entered eternal life on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. Sr. Therese was born in Houston, TX, July 6, 1933, to the late William and Helen McNally Warden. She was predeceased by her siblings Rev. T. Patrick Warden, CSB, Margaret Omelchuck, and by her niece, Beth Omelchuck. She is survived by her brother, Rev. Daniel L. Warden, her brother-in-law, Al Omelchuck, and several nephews, nieces, great nieces, and cousins.
Sr. Therese felt great pride growing up in the historic Houston Heights and attending All Saints Catholic School, which provided a quality education and a foundation for her vocation to religious life. Following graduation from St. Agnes Academy in 1951, she entered the Dominican Sisters of Houston. She earned a B.A. in English and Spanish at Dominican College, Houston; an M.S. in Education and Mathematics at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, TX; an M.A. in Theology at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, MO; and Certification in Accelerated Spanish from the University of Houston.
Sr. Therese served in education ministry at St. Anthony Cathedral School in Beaumont, TX. She co-established St. Mary’s School in Whittier, CA. She taught at St. Francis De Sales School in Riverside, CA; St. Charles School in Nederland, TX; and St. Francis De Sales School in Houston. She was Principal of Corpus Christi School in Houston. She also taught at Msgr. Kelly High School in Beaumont, TX; O’Connell High School in Galveston, TX; and St. Pius X High School in Houston.
As part of her justice ministry during the Iraq War, she represented the Houston Dominicans through a visit to that war-torn country to provide solace and financial aid to the poor and dispossessed. She also served the congregation through her ministry as Director of Formation, Chairperson of the General Council Steering Committee, the Planning/Implementing Goals Committee, and numerous other committees throughout the years.
Sr. Therese was gifted with an analytic mind and rich spiritual insights. She loved reading and traveling to European countries. Some of her favorite pastimes were doing crosswords and watching “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy.” Her students remember her for challenging them to: “Say what you mean and mean what you say.” She had an impact on many lives and will be greatly missed.
The Houston Dominicans would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to the CCVI community and St. Placidus Convent and staff for their loving care and support of Sr.Therese during her final years. In lieu of the usual remembrances, donations may be made to Dominican Sisters of Houston, 6501 Almeda Road, Houston, TX, 77021.