Sister Kathleen's Services
Visitation: 4:00 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at Sacred Heart Convent Chapel, 1237 W. Monroe St., Springfield, IL 62704.
Visitation begins with a prayer service.
Funeral Mass: 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, at Sacred Heart Convent Chapel, Dominican Father Michael DeTemple, celebrant.
Wake and Mass will be livestreamed.
Livestream Links
Springfield Dominican Sister Kathleen Cour died May 26, 2023, in Boston, Mass. She was born in 1948 in Springfield, Ill., to Donald and Dorothy (Nee Best) Cour and baptized Kathleen Ann at the Church of the Little Flower. She made her profession of vows in 1968 at Sacred Heart Convent.
Sister Kathleen will be remembered locally for the 12 years she was the director of the office for worship in the Springfield diocese, and for 11 years of ministry at Benincasa Spiritual Renewal Center, Riverton, Ill., and Jubilee Farm, New Berlin. Less well known outside the congregation are the ten years she served in elected leadership for the Dominicans, 2009-2019. Early in her religious life she taught first grade and school music and doubled as parish liturgist at Holy Angels, Aurora, Ill. For one year she was liturgist at Our Lady of Lourdes, Decatur, Ill.
Sister Kathleen was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her brother Steve (Kathy) and her sister Denise (Frank) Fuchs, both of Springfield, Ill.; her brother Mike of Wellington, Fla., her three nieces and four nephews and their families, and her Dominican Sisters.
Visitors are welcome; Visitation: 4:00 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at Sacred Heart Convent Chapel, 1237 W. Monroe St., Springfield, IL 62704. Visitation will begin with a prayer service.
Funeral Mass: 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, at Sacred Heart Convent Chapel, Dominican Father Michael DeTemple, celebrant.
Burial 10:00 a.m. Thursday, June 8, Calvary Cemetery. Livestreamed on Facebook at @springfieldop.
Memorials to honor the memory of Sister Kathleen may be made to the Dominican Sisters Retirement Fund, 1237 W. Monroe St., Springfield, IL, 62704.
The Dominican Sisters and family of Sister Kathleen are served by Butler Funeral Home, 900 S. 6th St., Springfield. Please leave your condolences in the comments below or visit butlerfuneralhomes.com.
My prayers and sympathy are with you all. Kathleen will be missed and remembered with love. Sister Connie Schoen, OP
She was an intelligent, independent and compassionate lady. I feel honored to have known her. I am so sorry for your loss. No words. ❤️🙏
I was in the4 Holy Angels choir with Sr. Kathleen. We had an amazing Folk Choir. She made it so fun for all. I enjoyed knowing her and working with her. A beautiful woman. All my prayers and thoughts to her family and the Springfield Dominican Community. May she Rest now in the loving arms of the Lord. Mary “LOU” Scanlon.
Sister Kathleen and I became fast friends at Holy Angels and remained so all these years. She was a loving, caring, compassionate person. All who knew her couldn’t help but love her. She will be missed by all. Sleep well Kathleen and rest in the Lord.
I was so saddened to learn of the death of Sr. Kathleen, she was a brave woman, kind and a fine leader. My sincerest sympathies to all her Dominican Sisters. All of us in the Dominican Order have lost a bright light— my prayers for all of you in the days ahead.
As my younger Sister, Kathleen will forever be my Hero and shoulder to cry on. I am thankful to God for sparing her any more pain and discomfort. I am greatful to her Dominican Sister’s for loving her as much as we do. We have one more Angel in heaven and one more Family member to look forward to seeing when it’s time. Thank you Kathleen for all that you have done and I look forward to spending Eternity with you.
All my Love,
Mike
My husband and I received spiritual direction from Sr. Kathleen. She was an inspiration to both of us and we’ll remember her as a kind, nonjudgmental and courageous woman.
I am so saddened to hear of Sister Kathleen’s passing. I received spiritual direction from her some years back. Knowing her changed my life completely. She was an exceptional human being. Although I hadn’t seen her in some time it was just comforting knowing she was on this earth, as I thought about her often. Now it is comforting knowing she is at peace in heaven with the Lord. My sympathies to her family and her Dominican Sisters.
Though we were both born in 1948, I only made acquaintance with Sr. Kathleen a couple of years, while doing Best Family geneology. She treated me like we had been close Family forever! She also “opened the door” to my meeting her wonderful Mother, as well as her brothers and sisters, and seeing many Family photo’s that I had never seen before. Her Mom was a Best, being the daughter of one of my Grandfather’s 7 brothers. So, I believe that makes me and the Cour Family second cousins. I am so happy she and I got to know each other and I will miss her beautiful and uplifting FB post’s, along with her emails. Deepest condolences to the Dominican Sisters. I’m sure you will miss her greatly. She was a very special person and I’m sure god already had a special place in Heaven reserved for her!
My condolences to the Dominican Sisters and Sr. Kathleen’s family. She was such a special person. I had the privilege of knowing her when she was in the Office of Worship and I was in parish ministry. Then we reconnected when we were both in leadership. She will be missed.
My Buddy and Cubs Fan, Sr. Kathleen, Sr. Barbara Blesse and I went to a Cubs game a few years ago, it rained the entire day, and we had so much fun.
I will miss my many conversations and meals with her and the shared frustration with the management and pitching staff of the Cubs.
My life as a Dominican associate grew so much over the many years of our friendship. I too look forward to seeing my friend and forever Cubs fan soon. Possibly at a Cubs World Series.
Ralph Metz,
I so appreciated Sr Kathleen’s leadership on the diocesan level as she was head of the Office for Worship. Her role and ministry greatly affected the prayer and worship of our 129 parishes. She was an expert in her calling and did great formation for so many of our pastors and lay leaders. She preached well. Fr Chuck Edwards
I am so sad to read about the world’s loss of Kathleen. I was in leadership of the Sinsinawa congregation some of the same years as Kathleen was in leadership. It was always a pleasure being with her at many of those Alliance and LCWR meetings during those years. May she rest in peace.
Mary Howard Johnstone, OP
Kathleen and I became friends when we were both in summer school at Notre Dame in the early 1980’s working toward our degree in Liturgy. We rekindled our friendship several years ago, and I have prayed so much with her these last years of struggle with cancer. She remained so positive in the midst of horrific suffering. I’m grateful that’s over now, and she is enjoying what the rest of us can’t begin to fathom yet.
I have known Sr. Kathleen since I was in 8th grade. She was one of several “new nuns” sent to Holy Angels that year. She put up with my visiting her as I waited for my piano lessons with Sr. Constance. And I loved getting to know her. In all the years I was in the community we always caught up with each other and it was like we were still at Holy Angels, just sharing everything that was going on in our lives. I have so many wonderful memories of being with her. One that I love is when she was one of the directors of the retreat house in Riverton, she always made sure she knew when I was making retreat and saved for me “retreat readings” – the Cubs magazines that they used to publish!!! It just always made me smile! When I left community we did not stay as closely in touch. But when my mother died, she wrote me a beautiful letter expressing her condolences but also reminding me of the friendship we shared all these years. It did my heart so much good. I know the Springfield Dominicans will miss Sr. Kathleen so very much. I will too.