Sister Linda Bellemore, CSC

Friday, Dec. 16, 2022

Sister Linda Bellemore, CSC

October 6, 1938 ~ November 17, 2022

Sister Linda Bellemore died in Saint Mary’s Convent in Notre Dame, Indiana on November 17, 2022. She was born on October 6, 1938, in Alexandria, Indiana to Hervey and Mary Louise (Miller) Bellemore; she had five brothers and one sister. 

After being taught by Sisters of the Holy Cross at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School in Elkhart, Linda insisted on attending a Catholic high school. She loved going to St. Joseph High School in South Bend, where she was a steady and conscientious student. Following her graduation, she entered the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Notre Dame, Indiana, on August 1, 1956. Upon reception of the holy habit, she became Sister Mary Ellen Louise. 

She taught second through eighth grades at parochial schools in Illinois and Indiana for five years. In 1964, she became a nursing student at Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois, and returned to using her baptismal name. For 20 years, she was a nurse in various departments, including pediatrics, coronary care and intensive care. With her assignment to Saint Alphonsus Hospital, Boise, Idaho, in 1973, her ministry transitioned to pastoral care. After graduating with a master’s degree in pastoral studies from Saint Paul University, Ottawa, Canada, in 1976, she served as the director of pastoral care at Saint Alphonsus Hospital for seven years. Sister Linda was a member of the Corporate Renewal Team for the Congregation, which was formed to help sisters implement changes during a time of renewal following the Second Vatican Council. 

One notable ministry of Sister Linda’s was her outreach to persons diagnosed with HIV and AIDS through what later became the Continuity of Care Program. From 1987 to 1993, she facilitated various services to patients with HIV and AIDS at Holy Cross Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

Between 1994 and 2007, Sister Linda served as the Congregation’s candidate director in the United States, coordinator of ministry to the homebound at Saint Stanislaus Parish and pastoral companion to sisters residing at the motherhouse, Saint Mary’s. She served as coordinator for Saint Catherine by the Sea Convent in Ventura, California, for three years before moving to Saint Mary’s due to chronic health issues in 2010. 

Sister Linda Bellemore was laid to rest in a simple wooden coffin at the committal service in Our Lady of Peace Cemetery on November 18, 2022. A memorial Mass will be celebrated on a date to be decided, at the Church of Our Lady of Loretto.