Cardinal Roger Mahony will preside at a Memorial Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels Jan. 13 at 12:30 p.m. for Holy Names Sister Mary Faith (Elizabeth Anne) Clarke, 77, who died on Dec. 26 at St. John of God Care Center in Los Angeles following a stroke Dec. 9.

The beloved former archdiocesan Vicar for Women Religious was working as a pastoral associate at St. Michael Church in Los Angeles overseeing an inner city mission project at the time of her death.

A native of San Fernando, Sister Clarke graduated from St. Monica High School and College of the Holy Names in Oakland. She made her vows as a Sister of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary on Aug. 15, 1950, and began her 56-year religious ministry as an elementary teacher at St. Elizabeth School in Altadena. After teaching business classes at Holy Names High School, Oakland; Marin Catholic High School, Kentfield; and St. Bernard High School, Playa del Rey, she moved into administration as treasurer at Ramona Convent Secondary School, Alhambra, and College of the Holy Names, now known as Holy Names University, Oakland.

"She was a giant in our community, a faith-filled woman with a passion for mission," said Holy Names Sister Rosemary Everett, provincial vocations director. Recognized as a leader, Sister Clarke was elected provincial superior for the Holy Names Sisters' California Province in 1976. She served in this capacity until 1981, when she was elected as a general administration counselor requiring a move to Montreal, Canada.

In 1986, she returned to Southern California, where she worked with Inter-Community Consultants. She consulted with national and international congregations of religious, helping with leadership and congregational development, guiding the work of General Chapters, and supporting ministry efforts of a variety of groups.

Sister Clarke was appointed as the second archdiocesan Vicar for Women Religious by Cardinal Roger Mahony in Nov., 1993. In an interview with The Tidings following the announcement of her new position, she said she hoped to use her collaborative, organizational and developmental skills to facilitate and strengthen "relationships with God, self and others," while respecting the diversity of cultures, mentalities and expressions of religious life.

"Her greatest strength was personal relationships with individuals," said Holy Names Sister Dorothy Simpson. "She was very serene, peaceful, quiet and steady and a mentor to many --- a very pastoral person."

In her mid-70s, at a time when she could have taken well-deserved retirement following nearly a decade as vicar, Sister Clarke approached her community's leadership about beginning a new mission project recruiting young adult women volunteers for short or long-term ministry among the poor within an inner-city parish setting in Los Angeles.

With her religious community's blessing, she moved into a section of St. Michael's old rectory in her final months as vicar along with Sister Simpson in preparation for their new venture as an evangelization team beginning in June, 2004. Sister Simpson focused on sacramental preparation while Sister Clarke oversaw parish team visits to surrounding neighborhoods to assess community needs and concerns.

"She was especially anxious to help anyone who needed help," said Sister Simpson, who noted Sister Clarke participated in a Saturday morning neighborhood walk two weeks before her death despite treatment for cardiac fibrillations.

"She was a hard worker. She spent hours on the Internet locating young women volunteers. She had a vision that charity begins at home," added Sister Simpson.

Survivors include Sister Clarke's sisters, Rosemary Carr of Los Gatos and Eleanor Clarke Yukic of Berkeley; her cousin, Ada Watson; and many nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held Jan. 7, 2 p.m. in the Holy Names Sisters' Los Gatos convent chapel with a Rite of Committal service held at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Hayward Jan. 8 at 10:15 a.m. Memorial donations may be made to the Ministry Fund, Sisters of the Holy Names, P.O. Box 907, Los Gatos, CA 95031.