April 4, 1925 – October 9, 2018
Sister Patricia Marie Mulpeters, PBVM, entered eternal life on October 9 at the Presentation Motherhouse in San Francisco, CA. She was a Sister of the Presentation for seventy-three years.
Born to William and Dorothy Kentzel Mulpeters on April 4, 1925 in San Francisco, she was named Elizabeth Patricia. She was predeceased by her loving parents and her brother, James Mulpeters. She now leaves her loving Presentation Sisters and Associates, her cousin Sister Anne Hennessy, CSJ, and many she has ministered to and with over the past seven plus decades.
After graduating from High School in San Francisco, she went on to the University of California in Berkeley where in the day of World War II, she majored in Political Science and minored in economics, planning to apply to the Law School. However, upon graduating from UC, she entered the Sisters of the Presentation and began teaching at Presentation High School, San Francisco. During the summers, she went to Catholic University in Washington, DC to work on curriculum, which assisted her in the development of the Christian Family Living Series in order to implement a Christian philosophy of life and family living for secondary female students in the United States. She also received a Master in Sociology from Duchesne University. These degrees and credentials would continue to assist her in the education and formation of young high school women and new members of the Presentation Sisters.
Just when life might have leveled off, a new challenge appeared and she was appointed to various levels of responsibility, including that of Superior General in the 1970’s, now termed President of the Congregation.
Her talents and leadership were readily recognized and she was elected the Leader of the LCWR Region XIV and served on key national committees.
In 1981, and for eighteen years when the Diocese of San Jose was established, Bishop Pierre DuMaine asked her to head several administrative departments successively as Assistant Chancellor, Chancellor, Vicar for Pastoral Ministries as well as Vicar for Religious.
In 1998 she again was called to Congregational Leadership as Councilor. This was followed by her appointment as Director of Presentation Center, Los Gatos until 2006. At this site, she was instrumental in planning and seeing to completion the construction of a Welcome Center containing a commercial kitchen, large dining room, gift shop and meeting rooms. It is classified as a Leed Gold certified building–one of the first in the area.
She once said that two of the greatest honors she had received are the papal Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Award and an Honorary Doctorate from Santa Clara University and added, “However, looking back as a Presentation Sister, I am profoundly grateful to God for the ongoing opportunity to grow in closeness to Jesus, to serve God’s people with whatever gifts I have, to be in a community of faith-filled zealous women, and to have fun doing it.”
In 2011, Sister Patricia Marie moved to the Presentation Motherhouse and since that time had been engaged in the Ministry of Prayer and visiting the sick there.
Memorial contributions to the Sisters of the Presentation are preferred and can be sent to Sisters of the Presentation, Development Office, 281 Masonic Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94118.