SISTER PATRICIA BEST, SC, age 79, died at Caritas Christi, the motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill in Greensburg, on August 1, 2014. Born in Upper Sandusky, OH, Sister Patricia entered the Sisters of Charity on September 8, 1953, from St. Peter Parish in Upper Sandusky. Preceded in death by her parents Robert and Gertrude (Chartener) Best, a maternal aunt, Sister Marie Cecily Chartener, SC, and a cousin, Sister Mary Carla Radermacher, SC, she is survived by her brother, Robert, and her sister, Mary Lou Best. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Seton Hill University and a master’s degree in theology from Saint Mary University, San Antonio, TX. Sister Patricia taught students in schools of the dioceses of Altoona-Johnstown, Greensburg, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Tucson, and the Archdioceses of Los Angeles and Washington. From 1982 until 1991, she ministered as a consultant for religious education in the Diocese of Greensburg. Following a year serving as director of religious education at Immaculate Conception Parish in Clarksburg, WV, she became principal of Holy Trinity School in Mount Pleasant. From 1994 until 2005, she was the director of religious education and of the pre-school at Saint Columbkille Parish in Imperial. While serving at Saint Columbkille, Sister Patricia was the recipient of the Manifesting the Kingdom Award given by the Diocese of Pittsburgh for her outstanding ministry to the parish. From 2006 until 2014, Sister Patricia coordinated transportation for sisters living at the Greensburg motherhouse. When asked about her life as a Sister of Charity, Sister Patricia reflected, “My vocation is God’s gift to me and I am simply God’s grateful recipient.”
