We Say Goodbye to Sr. Ruth Droege, OP

Sister Ruth Droege, PhD, a Dominican Sister of San Rafael for 64 years, died peacefully on December 28, 2023, at the age of 94. A true intellectual, scholar, and student of life, Sr. Ruth touched the lives of countless students and colleagues. From the basics of physical education to the mystical nature of meta-physics, Sr. Ruth’s quest for knowledge and understanding of what makes humans tick propelled her pursuit of knowledge, fueled her reflections, and guided the discussions she offered freely. She greeted each new day with a warm smile and a deep sense of appreciation.

Ruth Droege was born February 4, 1929, in Cincinnati, Ohio, the third child of Fred and Rosina Droege. She attended St. Mary’s Grade School and High School in Cincinnati, where she was always top of her class. Ruth entered the University of Cincinnati in 1947 with no thought of religious life and no serious career goal. After a near failure in her freshman year because of social diversion, she changed her major from liberal arts to physical education, feeling at least grounded in the physical. Ruth graduated in 1951 with a BS in education and went on to teach physical education for two years while completing a master’s in education from Xavier University. A passion for theology developed during this time, leading to her obtain a doctorate in theology from St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame. Her attraction to Dominican life brought her to San Rafael in 1958.

After first profession, she taught a catechetics course at (then) Dominican College to non-Catholics. In addition, she taught logic and Latin to the novitiate and English composition, health, and a course in general psychology. Though she was later to teach theology and chair the department of Religious Studies, her interest remained in human development. She pursued doctoral studies in psychology and graduated from California School of Professional Psychology, in Berkeley in 1982. While she was completing a postdoctoral internship in Columbus, Georgia, she answered an advertisement for a position at Southdown Institute in Aurora, Ontario, Canada, an inpatient facility that provided treatment for religious, and was hired by Canice Connors, OFM to begin the assessment program. Ruth served sixteen years as director of the program and became a member of the American Board of Professional Psychology in 1998.

Sr. Ruth retired from Southdown in 2008 and settled in Stockton, California where she enjoyed volunteering as a psychologist at St. Joseph’s Behavioral Health. She also volunteered at O’Connor Woods. In her free time, she enjoyed running and competing in races as well as being in the company of her Sisters.

Eager to keep her mind sharp and continue her intellectual pursuits, she served as co-leader of a reading group on the writing of Teilhard de Chardin at Santa Sabina Center and led several Days of Prayer upon returning to San Rafael in 2016. She continued to be a prolific thinker and writer contributing articles and reflections for the Global Sisters Report at the National Catholic Reporter and for our congregational website which were shared broadly.

Sister Ruth’s legacy lives on in the many lives she touched throughout her various ministries and professional pursuits and in the many pages of scholarly writings and reflections she offered throughout her career. Sister Ruth, the last surviving member of her family, is survived by her Dominican Sisters.

Ruth Droege – Homily 2024 offered at Sr. Ruth’s Funeral Mass by Sr. Margaret Diener, OP

A Mass of the Resurrection will take place on Wednesday, January 10, 2024, at 11:00 am in the Dominican Sisters Gathering Space (1520 Grand Avenue, San Rafael, CA 94901). Following the Funeral Mass, Sister Ruth will be buried at St. Dominic’s Cemetery in Benicia around 12:45 pm. All are welcome.

Memorial gifts in honor of Sister Ruth Droege may be made to the Retirement Fund, Dominican Sisters of San Rafael, Advancement Office, 1520 Grand Avenue, San Rafael, CA 94901 and online.

Recent Reflections

Education Ministry

Dominican College, San Rafael; 1959-82 (Professor, Humanities; Religious Studies)
Columbus, Georgia; 1982-85 (Post-Doctoral Internship)
Southdown, Ontario, Canada; 1984-2007 (Clinical Psychologist)
St. Joseph’s Behavioral Health, Stockton; 2007-2016 (Volunteer)
Diocese of Stockton, Stockton; 2007-2016 (Volunteer)
O’Connor Woods, Stockton; 2007-2016 (Volunteer)
Santa Sabina Center, San Rafael; 2016-recent (Co-leader Teilhard de Chardin Reading Group)

Reimagination

“We must widen our vision to a christification of the galaxies, a new unity of all cosmic life.