Sister Mary Clare Reineberg, ASCSister Mary Clare Reineberg, ASC, died on Friday, July 24, at St. Anne’s Retirement Community in Columbia. She was 99 years old.
She was born in York on February 21, 1927, the third child of Jacob and Salome Aulbach Reineberg. She remained a vowed member of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ for 73 years.
She had two older siblings: a sister, Mary R. Burchard, and a brother, Jacob Reineberg. They were a close-knit family and lived a very full and rich life.
As the youngest, she enjoyed the favor of her family, especially her father, and there was much laughter and comical things during gatherings with the extended family.
From a young age, she enjoyed the theatre and acting, and while at York Catholic High School, began acting in the York Little Theatre. In the summer of 1945, she joined the Mt. Gretna Summer Theatre. The following year, she traveled to New York and enrolled in the Harrison Lewis School of Drama and the Brooklyn Playhouse while working part time as a tour guide at Rockefeller Center. There, Donald Montgomery, a Hollywood agent, recognized her beauty and talent. He brought her to Hollywood and got her an audition. She played in “Mr. Belvedere Goes to College” with Clifton Webb and Shirley Temple. At that time, she changed her name to Elaine Ryan, because it sounded better and was short.
The Hollywood life didn’t hold her heart for long. Sister Mary Clare once recalled, “I kept searching and praying with all my heart to know just what God’s secret was for my life.” In the early 1950s, after spending some time with her sister and relatives in Colorado and Oklahoma, she returned to York. She was proud that her family owned and operated Reineberg’s Shoe and Repair in York.
After some time back home, she made a retreat at St Joseph’s Convent with women from the Diocese of Harrisburg. St Joseph’s Convent was the Motherhouse of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ in Columbia and where her cousin, Sister Cleta Marie, was a member. She was inspired with the joy and work of the Sisters.
This led her to enter the religious community, Adorers of the Blood of Christ (A.S.C.) on August 12, 1952. Sister Mary Clare made her final profession on August 12, 1959. Her ministries included elementary teaching, being the community’s first full-time Vocation Directress, and work as a certified Pastoral Care Chaplain for almost 20 years. She ministered to countless students, patients, families and Sisters with compassion, warmth and unwavering faith.
Known for her vibrant personality, infectious laughter and genuine love of people, Sister Mary Clare brought joy wherever she went. She especially treasured time with her extended family and her Sisters in community. And, as she would say, “My favorite meal is breakfast, it is the best meal of the day!”
Her parents and siblings are deceased. She is survived by loving nieces, nephews, cousins and their families, as well as her religious congregation.
Sister Mary Clare will be welcomed home to St. Anne’s Retirement Community Chapel on Saturday, August 15, at 10 a.m. Recitation of the Rosary will begin at 10:30 a.m. and the funeral Mass will begin at 11 a.m. Inurnment will be at the convent cemetery in Columbia. All services will be presided by Father J.D. Jaffe, a member of the extended family.
Memorial gifts may be made to the ASC Sisters Retirement Fund, 4233 Sulphur Ave. St. Louis, MO 63109 or at www.adorers.org or Day of Stay (St. Anne’s Retirement Community), https://stannesrc.org/sponsor-a-day-of-stay or 717-285-5443.
