Aston, PA—Sister Kathleen Mary Winkelman, OSF, 86, died in Riddle Hospital on April 18, 2022. She had been a professed member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia for 66 years. Sister Kathleen was born in Baltimore, Maryland, where she was a member of St. Anthony of Padua Parish. She entered the congregation in 1954 and professed her first vows in 1956. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Mount St. Mary’s College and her master’s degree in religious studies from Saint Michael’s College. Sister Kathleen ministered primarily in elementary education and in religious education for children and adults.

In the Diocese of Trenton, Sister Kathleen taught at St. Michael’s Orphanage in Hopewell. In the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, she taught at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in Doylestown, St. Bartholomew School in Brockton, and Our Lady of Consolation Parish School in Philadelphia. Sister Kathleen taught at Nativity School in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., and then served the Archdiocese of Baltimore for 15 years as a teacher at St. Elizabeth School and Shrine of Little Flower School and as director of religious education for St. Ursula Parish in Parkville.

For 10 years beginning in 1978, Sister Kathleen served the Diocese of Venice, Florida, as the director of religious education for St. Ann Parish in Naples. Then for almost 20 years, she ministered in the Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware, as a director of religious education on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, serving the congregations of St. Mary Refuge of Sinners in Cambridge, St. Mary Star of the Sea in Church Creek, and St. Dennis in Galena.

Returning to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Sister Kathleen volunteered at Our Lady of Angels Convent. Since 2019, she served in prayer and hospitality ministry in Assisi House, where she lived at the time of her death.

All services will be held in Assisi House, 600 Red Hill Road, Aston, Pennsylvania, on Monday, April 25, and will be livestreamed. A Christian Wake Service will be held at 9:30 A.M. followed by viewing. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 A.M. Burial will be in Our Lady of Angels Cemetery in Aston. Sister Kathleen is survived by her sister-in-law Dolores Winkelman, several nieces and nephews and their families, and her Franciscan family. Donations in her name can be made to the Sisters of St. Francis Foundation, 609 S. Convent Road, Aston, PA 19014.

For a more personal write-up on Sister Kathleen, click here.


The livestream will begin at 9:30 A.M. To access the livestream, click here: https://livestream.com/accounts/18363082/SrKathleenWinkelman