Sr. Rita Clare Yoches, TOR, returns to Calihan Hall — where she dominated on the court — with a new habit and a new name
DETROIT — When she was a student-athlete at the University of Detroit Mercy, Anne Yoches awoke at 5 a.m. in order to get to her three-hour basketball practices that started an hour later.
These days, she still gets up at the crack of dawn, but it’s for an entirely different purpose.
“I wake up at 5 a.m. now, pray for four hours a day, and then do ministry with either college kids, or those who are in need or sick or poor,” said Yoches, now known as Sr. Rita Clare, a member of the Franciscan Sisters, T.O.R. of Penance of the Sorrowful Mother. “I live in a community with 24 sisters, so it’s just like being on a basketball team — in a convent, not a dorm.”
Sr. Rita Clare had always been an athlete, playing not only basketball, but volleyball, soccer, softball and golf at Divine Child High School in Dearborn. On the court, she helped the Falcons win two state championships.
She accepted a full-ride scholarship to play basketball at Detroit Mercy. Over four seasons, she averaged 5.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game as the Titans won 60 games, finished among the top three in the Horizon League three times, and reached the league championship game in 1999.
“When I first got here, she was an inside player — we had her at forward — and then in her senior year we moved her to point guard, and she was just outstanding,” said her college coach, Anne Rexford. “She knew all the plays, knew where everyone was supposed to be, was able to get the ball into the post, and was a great leader, obviously.”
Did it ever cross Rexford’s mind that her player would eventually become a nun?
“Never,” Rexford said. “Well, maybe, because her goodness always shined through.”
More importantly, did it ever cross Sr. Rita Clare’s mind that she would eventually become a nun?
“I was taught by Franciscan sisters my whole life at Divine Child, and definitely had Sr. Beth here (at University of Detroit Mercy) as the campus minister and all the Jesuit priests, but I never thought I would be one,” Sr. Rita Clare said. “I always thought I would be in the world, maybe getting married, but definitely working in the world. God really broke in and did something I wasn’t expecting.”
After graduating in 2001 with a degree in Sports Medicine, Sr. Rita Clare worked as a strength and conditioning coach at Notre Dame. Two years after, she joined the Detroit Demolition women’s football team and was a punishing fullback from 2003-06 as the squad won four national titles.
She eventually left the team when she discovered her heart was elsewhere.
“I had a big reversion back to the faith when I was 23, through a homily, and then confession,” she said. “I went on a trip to Rome and Assisi, and I felt my call to religious life when I was in Assisi. The Lord kept calling me for three years, and finally, a guy I was dating brought me down to Franciscan University at Steubenville to a prayer session, and after that time when I got prayed over, I broke up with him and decided to become a nun.”
She remembers the experience vividly.
“The homily was 1 Corinthians, 11:27: ‘Anyone who eats and drinks the body and blood of Christ without first discerning himself eats and drinks condemnation on himself. That’s why many among you are sick and dying,’” she said. “I was like, ‘That’s me.’ I’ve got a great party life, a great job, I was playing women’s professional football in Detroit for the Detroit Demolition, and I had awesome family and friends, but I was dying on the inside because I wasn’t taking care of my soul.
“That convinced me to go back to confession and try to slowly change my life around, but also just to listen to God and let God back in.”
She made her temporary vows in 2012, and her final vows six years after that.
“Nobody expected it; it was really just God that said it to me, and I listened, and everybody else was really surprised,” Sr. Rita Clare said. “I had never talked about it before (with my friends and family).”
After professing her vows, Sr. Rita Clare became a campus minister at Florida State University, which is where she again crossed path with her college coach.
“My son, he died in Tallahassee in 2021,” Rexford said. “I didn’t know this at the time, but Sr. Rita was in charge of family ministry at Florida State University. The morning of Russell’s funeral, there was only our family down there, because he lived down there and we all lived up here. Sr. Rita’s dad saw Russell’s obituary in the paper and called and told her at like 8:30, and the funeral was at 9:30, but she made it over to the funeral home for the Mass before the priests started.
“That’s my only player who ended up becoming a nun, and she was in the town where my son died,” Rexford said. “What a miracle that she was there to be a comfort to all of us. She was very soothing for everyone.”
Sr. Rita Clare served at Florida State for seven years, and earlier in 2024, moved up to Ohio. She now resides in a convent in Steubenville.
She said the best thing about her present lifestyle is “the fact that I live with Jesus.”
“We have a tabernacle, a church — the presence of God in our house,” Sr. Rita Clare said. “I don’t feel I have to work around a 9-to-5 schedule and have to find time for God. I have God built into my schedule, which I love.”
And she said she draws upon skills she picked up as an athlete to aid her in living a spiritual life.
“Definitely just being competitive,” she said. “I want to be all or nothing for God — just like I was in sports — so it doesn’t matter what trial or temptation that I’m up against. Whatever suffering is coming at the world or me, I’m going to give everything for other people — for love, or for conversion, for prayer — just for others.”
Sr. Rita Clare said she hasn’t abandoned personal fitness after becoming a nun.
“I definitely walk or jog and lift weights, and whenever I can, play a little game of two-hand touch football or basketball,” she said. “A game of PIG, a game of HORSE, I’d definitely do it. But I have to be kind of nice about it.”
On Nov. 16, Sr. Rita Clare returned to University of Detroit-Mercy’s Calihan Hall to receive the school’s prestigious Fr. Norbert Huetter Award. The award, created in 2000, is presented by the school to live and serve in the mission of St. Ignatius Loyola as “men and women for others.” Only seven individuals have received the award.
The award is named for Fr. Norbert Huetter, SJ, who was a philosopher and teacher at the school who was known for the personal care he took in preparing student-athletes for a productive adult life. He passed away in 1984.
“He mentored the college kids for over 30 years, which is exactly what I’ve gotten to do for these past 15 years being a sister, so it’s very neat that I get to be connected to him, and I’ve definitely felt that from so many people in my life,” Sr. Rita Clare said. “I’m grateful that I get to do it now.”
She was presented with the award during halftime of the Detroit Mercy men’s basketball game against the University of Toledo. Although she had showed off the campus to Florida State students during spring break mission trips to Detroit in 2019 and 2022, this was her first time back on campus in a basketball setting.
“I’m grateful to be back, and I’m grateful for my experience here,” she said. “I definitely feel like the 10 lepers in the Scripture: one returned to say thank you to God for healing him, and I feel like this is my opportunity to return and say thank you.”
What advice does Sr. Rita Clare have for those who are considering a spiritual life?
“Definitely go and visit a religious order and talk to a nun, so you know what it’s like, but also make sure you spend time in quiet silence and prayer so you can hear what God’s saying,” she said. “Don’t worry about what other people are saying or the world is saying — do what God’s asking you to do.”
