January 23, 2009
Sister Mary Aquin Verkamp, former bishop’s secretary dies
Benedictine Sister Mary Aquin Verkamp, 76, of Monas-tery Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand, died Jan. 15 in the monastery’s Hildegard Health Center.
As secretary to the late Bish-op Francis R. Shea, she was “always there, ready to help, quiet, very competent and efficient,” said Msgr. Charles Koch, who was the head of the diocesan Tribunal. Msgr. Koch retired in 2004; he had served under all four bishops of the diocese, including all the years of Bishop Shea.
The Tribunal, now located in offices on the first floor of the Catholic Center, was formerly located in several small rooms adjacent to the bishop’s office.
Sister Mary Aquin, Msgr. Koch recalled, had the talent of “be-ing helpful while maintaining confidentiality.”
Sister Mary Aquin was a very dedicated person, extremely loyal,” said Msgr. Kenneth R. Knapp, who was Vicar General, Chancellor and Moderator of the Curia for several years in the 1980s.
“She was kind to everybody,” he added, “good to the priests who came” to the bishop’s office for any reason. “She truly was a person who gave service.”
Msgr. Knapp, now Vicar General and Dean of the East Evansville Deanery, recalled Sister Mary Aquin as someone who was “good to Bishop Shea, good to me, good to all of us.”
Sister Mary Aquin was born Aug. 6, 1932, in Huntingburg, the oldest of seven children of John and Wilhelmina (Schipp) Verkamp. She entered the Sis-ters of St. Benedict of Ferdi-nand in 1950 and made her first profession of vows in 1952 and her final profession in 1955.
She is survived by her brothers Robert and Gilbert Ver-kamp of Jasper and Bernard Verkamp of Vincennes, her sisters Virlee Kreilein of Jasper and Sister Mary Ann Verkamp of Monastery Immaculate Con-ception in Ferdinand, nieces and nephews, and members of her religious community. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother Francis Verkamp.
Sister Mary Aquin taught for 20 years at St. Benedict School and Mater Dei High School in Evansville and at the former St. Ferdinand High School in Fer-dinand.
She worked as a missionary for two years in Coban, Guate-mala, at Monasterio Reina de Paz, the monastery established by the Ferdinand Benedictines, and was stateside coordinator for the Guatemala mission for over 20 years.
She served as secretary for the Most Rev. Francis R. Shea, bishop of the Diocese of Evansville, for 12 years.
She was secretary and bookkeeper at Kordes Center in Fer-dinand and administrative as-sistant in the monastery Busi-ness Office. For the past 10 years, she served in the ministry of prayer.
A funeral Mass was celebrated Jan. 17 at Monastery Immac-ulate Conception, with burial in the monastery cemetery.
Contributions in memory of Sister Mary Aquin may be made to the Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand.