The daughter of Lawrence and Mary O’Hara Smith, Mary was born Oct. 9, 1875, in Cochiantown, Pa. Her parents were deeply religious and when the family moved to Louisville, Ky., they became staunch members of St. Louis Bertrand Parish. Through the influence of Dominican priests and brothers at Saint Louis Bertrand, they became involved in Dominican devotions. The Rosary became their favorite prayer and Mary practiced this piety all her life. On May 9, 1909, Mary entered the novitiate at Mount Saint Joseph. Two months later, she received the Ursuline habit and the name Sister Catherine.
Sister Catherine was missioned to St. Paul School in Louisville in 1910 to teach the lower grades. Later she was sent to Knottsville, Ky., and the lower grades. Sister Catherine was assigned to the Motherhouse in 1916 to assist Sister Agnes O’Flynn as mistress of novices. Sometime later, she was appointed mistress of novices. Her other duties included teaching religion in the Academy, looking after the young boarding girls, preparing first communicants, and helping with the sick and dying Sisters. In 1922, she was assigned to teach primary grades at Bardwell, Ky. In 1923, Sister Catherine was sent as superior to Sacred Heart Academy at Waterflow, N.M. In addition to her academy duties, she and a companion traveled 12 miles twice weekly to the Navajo Indian School at Shiprock to teach religion in the evenings. Sister Catherine became critically ill in early December 1927. A cardiac condition combined with pneumonia forced her to give up her work at Sacred Heart Academy. She returned to Mount Saint Joseph.
After a period of rest, she was assigned as principal and local superior at Sacred Heart School in Wilhelmina, Mo. On Jan. 22, 1931, Sister Catherine became seriously ill with pneumonia and lingered for eight days until her death on Jan. 30. The next day Father Lawrence Quigley, pastor at Wilhelmina, celebrated a Mass in the parish church. A day later, Sister Catherine’s remains arrived at Mount Saint Joseph accompanied by the Sisters from Wilhelmina and relatives from Louisville. Father James Whelan, Mount Saint Joseph chaplain, offered the funeral Mass on February 3, followed by the burial service in the convent cemetery.