Sr. Mary Paule Vardigan, DC, died on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019, at The Sarah Community in Bridgeton, Mo. She was 101 years of age and 83 years of vocation as a Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Nov. 18, 2019, at The Sarah Community Marian Chapel in Bridgeton, Mo.; burial followed at Marillac Cemetery, Normandy, Mo. 

Born April 1, 1918, in Wells, Mich., Sister Mary Paule (baptized Mary) was one of six girls and two boys born to Paul and Helen (Crnich) Vardigan. Sister Mary Paule was a 1935 graduate of St. Joseph High School, Escanaba, Mich. In 1946, Sister received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing Education from Louisiana State University in New Orleans.

Sister Mary Paule entered the Daughters of Charity in St. Louis from St. Joseph Church, Escanaba, Mich., in April of 1936, and was missioned to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chicago, Ill., to receive her nurse’s training (1937 to 1942). Following completion of her studies, Sister Mary Paule was missioned to Charity Hospital, New Orleans, La., where she served as a Medical-Surgical Nursing Supervisor and Pediatrics Nursing Instructor (1942 to 1953). 

Sister Mary Paule continued to serve as a Medical-Surgical Nursing Supervisor at several hospitals for the next 17 years: St. Joseph Hospital in Chicago, Ill., (1953 to 1954), St. Joseph Hospital in Alton, Ill., (1954 to 1960), and St. Paul Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, (1960 to 1970). In 1970, Sister Mary Paule served as a Patient Visitor at Charity Hospital, New Orleans, La., (1970 to 1973); then, in 1973, she returned to St. Louis to pursue studies at Marillac College (1973 to 1974). Sister Mary Paule was then missioned to Kansas City, Mo., where she served in Pastoral Care at St. Mary Hospital and was a CPE student (1974 to 1975); then, she was missioned to El Paso, Texas, where she served as a Pastoral Associate at Hotel Dieu (1975 to 1981). 

In 1981, Sister Mary Paule spent several months in study at St. Joseph Hospital in Omaha, Neb.; then, she went on to serve as Pastoral Associate at DePaul Health Center in Bridgeton, Mo., (1981 to 1986) and at Providence Hospital in Waco, Texas, (1986 to 1988). Sister Mary Paule was then missioned to New Orleans, La., where she served as a Chaplain at Hotel Dieu Hospital (1988 to 1993) and University Hospital (1993 to 1994). 

Sister Mary Paule then served as a Clinical Chaplain at the Medical Center of Louisiana–Charity Campus at Calhoun Residence (1994 to 1998) and at Malta House (1998 to 2000). 

In 2000, Sister Mary Paule entered the Ministry of Prayer at the following residences: Malta Square (2000 to 2006) and Our Lady of Wisdom Healthcare Center in New Orleans (2006 to 2008, and 2011 to 2013); The Sarah Community in Bridgeton, Mo., (2008 to 2011); Seton Residence in Evansville, Ind., (2011); Chateau de Notre Dame in New Orleans, (2013 to 2019); and The Sarah Community in Bridgeton (2019), where she served until her death.

Sister Mary Paule was preceded in death by her parents; her sisters, Mildred (Nick) Joran, Caroline, “Dolly” (Frank) Smokovitch, Anne (Paul) Carter, and Antonia Vardigan; and her brothers, Paul and Thomas Vardigan. She is survived by her sister, Frances “Patsy” (Stanley) Johns; her niece, Kathleen Burak of Bullhead, Ariz.; longtime friend, Rev. Msg. Kenneth J. Hedrick of Metairie, La.; nieces and nephews; and her Sisters in Community.