Dominican Sister of Peace Mary Otho Ballard died Jan. 22 at Sansbury Care Center in St. Catharine, Ky. She was 91 and in her 72nd year of religious life.
Sister Ballard, a native of Bardstown, Ky., ministered in Kentucky, Tennessee, Nebraska and Central America.
In the Archdiocese of Louisville, she taught at St. Stephen Martyr School and served as pastoral associate at St. Monica Church in Bardstown. In Tennessee, she served in pastoral ministry, including designing the catechetical program for Siena College in Memphis.
Sister Ballard also served in Belize as a missionary and pastoral administrator in more than 30 villages.
She later served her congregation in ministries relating to formation and Dominican life.
In 2010, she moved to the St. Catharine Motherhouse where she provided community service and offered centering prayer groups. In 2023, she moved to Sansbury Care Center where she began a ministry of prayer and presence.
She is survived by her brother, James Reuben Ballard of Silver Spring, Md., nieces and nephews.
She was buried in the St. Catharine Motherhouse Cemetery on Jan. 22. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Jan. 30 on the Motherhouse campus.
Memorial gifts may be sent to the Dominican Sisters of Peace, Office of Advancement, 2320 Airport Drive, Columbus, Ohio, 43219-2098. A secure donation may be made online by visiting www.oppeace.org.
