Sister Patricia Kerz, BVM, dies at 93

Sister Patricia (St. Julianna) Kerz, BVM, died Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, at the age of 93. A member of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she lived at Mount Carmel Bluffs in Dubuque, Iowa.

Sister Patricia taught elementary school at several locations, including Sacred Heart in Davenport, Iowa; St. Joseph in Rock Island, Illinois; St. Anne in East Moline, Illinois; St. Peter in Antioch, Illinois; St. Gertrude and Holy Name in Chicago, Illinois; and St. Bridget in Omaha, Nebraska. She also served as the director of religious education at St. Peter in Antioch and St. Anne in Moline. Her ministry included volunteer work at parish and neighborhood sites in Chicago, such as Blessed Sacrament Parish.

Born in Chicago on May 21, 1933, to Arthur and Julia Kerz, she entered the BVM congregation on Sept. 8, 1951. She made her first vows on March 19, 1954, and her final vows on July 16, 1959. She is survived by two nieces, a nephew, and the Sisters of Charity, BVM. Following a visitation on Oct. 6, her funeral Mass and burial took place at Mount Carmel Cemetery.