Remembrance of the Life of Ruth McDonough Fitzpatrick CoL

Loretto Co-member Ruth McDonough Fitzpatrick died June 15, 2023. She had been a Loretto co-member since Oct. 22, 1994, and celebrated the 25th jubilee of her co-membership in 2019. Ruth was a good friend of Loretto and shared in many of Loretto’s causes and concerns. Among her accomplishments, she was known for having made a signal contribution through her leadership of the Women’s Ordination Conference (WOC) and participation in the Women-Church Convergence. Ruth represented WOC in the 1980s and early 1990s. 

In mourning Ruth’s death, longtime Loretto friend Mary Hunt of WATER offered the following statement: “Let us rejoice in the wonderful life and contributions to the world of this beloved and respected friend and colleague. Her work for justice in El Salvador, her tireless efforts on Catholic women’s ordination, her commitment to the Loretto Community and to Sisters Against Sexism, her Irish humor and artistic abilities only begin to describe a central figure in American Catholic feminism. Long may her spirit soar and inspire similar good work.”

Obituaries on Ruth were published in the New York Times and the Washington Post. Expressions of sympathy to the Fitzpatrick Family can be sent to Ruth’s son John.

Please keep Ruth, her family and all her loved ones in your prayers. May she rest in peace.