(1937-2020)

“She had the heart for hard conversations. Truth telling. Denise’s heart, her courage, showed through at every stage of her life.”

These words by Sister Mary Ann Dixon, in her homily for Sister Denise Devitt, drew upon the Gospel reading Sister Denise had chosen for her funeral: John 20:19-22, which includes Jesus’ exhortation “do not let your hearts be troubled.”

“The root of the word courage is cor – the Latin word for ‘heart,’” Sister Mary Ann said. “In one of its earliest forms, the word ‘courage’ meant ‘to speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.’ That [Sister Denise] did! She spoke her mind and it revealed her heart, her strong heart.”

Sister Denise was born Catherine Denice (but was always known as Denise) Devitt on June 17, 1937, in Chicago. Her parents were Thomas, a homicide detective with the Chicago Police Department, and Irene (Mackey) Devitt. She was the older of two children in the family; her sister Pat was born four years after her.