Sister Mary Roseria Helmkamp
February 5, 1934 – May 12, 2025
Professed August 17, 1954
Sister Mary Roseria was born Carole Norene Helmkamp on February 5, 1934, in Delphos, Ohio. She died May 12, 2025, in Hospice of NW Ohio Ebeid Hospice Center in Sylvania. More than encompassing her life of 91 years and 71 years of religious profession, these dates mark God’s plan for his faithful daughter.
The second child of Ralph Helmkamp and Lutgardis (Scharf) Helmkamp, Carole attended St. John the Evangelist School before joining the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1952. Her love of the rosary inspired her to take the name Roseria. Obtaining her BS in education, Sister Mary Roseria began 40 years in elementary education in towns of the Toledo Diocese.
During Sister’s last years of teaching in Fremont, Ohio, she visited a Migrant Farmworkers Camp which inspired her to devote the next two decades of her life in pastoral ministry with Hispanic people. Wanting to immerse herself in the culture of the people she served, she received certification from the Mexican American Cultural Center in San Antonio, Texas. Sister worked in parish ministry 1994-2003 and with En Camino 2003-2015. Intent upon meeting immediate needs, Sister kept busy distributing food, clothing, and baby supplies at Care and Share and teaching English as a second language.
When the Sisters of Notre Dame Center in Whitehouse opened in 2015, Sister Roseria was among the first to make the Center their home. Having found it difficult to leave such a life-giving ministry in Fremont, she resumed teaching ESL, stretching her skills to teach a young man from Korea. In the last decade of her life, her ever-attentive service gradually transformed into a life of prayer.
Throughout her life Sister Roseria was someone who could share another’s problems and give the assistance that would take away their fear. Her help went beyond meeting concrete needs; she walked with those in need.
Preceding her in death were her parents, Ralph Henry Helmkamp and Lutgardis (Scarf) Helmkamp, and her brother Donald Gene. She will be greatly missed by her Sisters in Notre Dame.
Sister’s body is being donated to science. Services will be at the Sisters of Notre Dame Center at 5900 Davis Road, Whitehouse, OH on Thursday, May 22. A Rosary will be recited at 4:00PM. The Eulogy will be at 4:20PM and the Memorial Mass at 4:30PM.
Funeral Mass: https://boxcast.tv/view/mass-of-christian-burial-sr-mary-roseria-helmkamp-snd-oz4pmrskpwgtlbdiostb
Arrangements are entrusted to the Urbanski Funeral Home, a Life Celebration Home, 5055 Secor Road, Toledo, OH.
Any tributes may be made to the Sisters of Notre Dame at 1656 Henthorne Drive, Suite 200, Maumee, OH 43537 or at link below.
