Adrian Dominican Sister Elizabeth Ann (Marie Berge) Demirgian, 91, died May 2 in Adrian, Michigan.

Born in New York, she was in the 64th year of her religious profession.

Sister Elizabeth Ann ministered in education and as a physician’s assistant in Michigan, Florida, Illinois and Tennessee.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at Regina Dominican High School.

Adrian Dominican Sister Kathryn “Kate” (Michael Ellen) Hartnett, 88, died May 11 in Adrian, Michigan.

Born in Chicago, she was in the 70th year of her religious life.

Sister Kate ministered in elementary education, as a development director and hospital volunteer in Michigan and Illinois.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at Queen of Apostles, Riverdale (1957-1960); St. Rita (1960-1965); St. Columbanus (1965-1968); and St. Mary Star of the Sea (1968-1972). She was principal (1972-2004) and director of development (2004-2006) at St. Ailbe, and a volunteer at Trinity Advocate Hospital (2007-2013).

School Sister of St. Francis Patricia (Antonildis) Bates, 92, died at Sacred Heart Convent in Milwaukee on May 18.

Born in Aurora, Sister Patricia was received into the School Sisters of St. Francis in 1948, made her first profession of vows in 1949 and made her final vows in 1956.

Beginning in 1950, Sister Patricia ministered in Illinois, Wisconsin and New York. In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Patricia taught at St. Mary, Buffalo Grove (1950-1958); Sts. Cyril and Methodius (1962-1963); St. Matthias (1963-1966); St. Nicholas (1966-1967) and Corpus Christi (1971-1973). She also served as director of personnel for her congregation’s Holy Name Province (1973-1975) and was a pastoral associate at Columbus Hospital in Chicago (1979-1982).

In her retirement, sister served as a volunteer at St. Joseph Convent Motherhouse in Milwaukee (2006-2015) and served in the ministry of prayer and presence at Sacred Heart in Milwaukee from 2015 until the time of her death. 

Dominican Father Benedict T. (Thomas Michael) Viviano, 83, died May 25 at Resurrection Life Center. Father Viviano was internationally renowned as a scholar of sacred Scripture, particularly of the Gospel of St. Matthew.

Born in St. Louis, he entered the Dominican novitiate in 1959 and made his first vows the following year, when he began his studies in River Forest. He made his final vows in 1963 and was ordained a priest in 1966.

After his ordination, Father Viviano studied at the Pontifical Institute of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.; and the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome; and Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, earning several advanced degrees in Scripture.

He taught at the university and post-graduate levels at the Aquinas Institute of Theology in Dubuque, Iowa, and in St. Louis and the Dominican Ecole Biblique in Jerusalem, while serving as editor of the Revue Biblique. Following his time at the Ecole, he moved to become professor of New Testament at the Dominican University of Fribourg, Switzerland.

He wrote and edited several books and commentaries on Scripture, and contributed to almost every major biblical journal.

Following his retirement from the University of Fribourg in 2011, Father Viviano divided his year between the Dominican community in Vienna and St. Dominic Priory in St. Louis. In 2019, he moved to St. Pius V Priory because of his health.

He is survived by his sister, Patricia Viviano Tecu.

Dominican Father Peter F. (Francis Leon) Witchousky, 83, died May 27.

Born in Aurora, he entered the Dominican Province of St. Albert the Great in 1962. He made his first profession of vows in 1963 and began his studies in River Forest. He made his final vows in 1966 and was ordained a priest in 1969.

He taught at Fenwick High School in Oak Park from 1969 to 1976 and directed the school’s theater program. He served as a pastor in Madison, Wisconsin, for several years before serving on the pastoral staff at St. Vincent Ferrer, River Forest (1983-1984). He then served as promoter of vocations for the province until 1991.

He served as a high school chaplain in Springfield and then as chaplain at the Dominican Sisters of Springfield motherhouse until his health made it in necessary for him to retire. He moved to the St. Pius V Priory assisted living center 12 days before he died.