The birth of Mary Colletta, the daughter of John Pius and Mary Lawson Drury of West Louisville, Ky., on Aug. 26, 1895, gladdened the hearts of her parents and older sister, Eula. Her formal education began at the Blandford Public School in West Louisville. When Mary Colletta was 12 years old, her mother died. She discontinued her schooling to help her father care for the five younger children. Housekeeping, in 1907, meant a lot of hard work for her –cooking meals, washing clothes, and cleaning a large eight‑room house. Mary Colletta wanted to be a nun, but as the younger children married and left home, she saw that her father needed someone, so she stayed on with him.
Her brother, John Pius, lost his wife in death leaving him with nine children. Mary Colletta helped care for the younger ones in this family. She taught in the Daviess County Public School system for a few years, helped raise two families and at 52, after her father died, Mary Colletta still wanted to be a nun. With the rest of her life to offer and a heart that longed to serve Jesus alone, she applied at Mount Saint Joseph. Because of her age, the Council hesitated, but not for long. They accepted Mary Colletta into the novitiate. On August 14, 1948, she received the Ursuline habit and the name Sister Colletta.
Beginning in 1950, Sister Colletta served as housekeeper at her first three missions: Paul, Neb., Fairfield and Louisville (St. Columba), Ky. She spent two years, 1954-1956, in pastoral care at Mount Saint Joseph. She furthered her education in preparation for teaching the primary grades at Sorgho, Bardwell, Cloverport, and Central City, Ky.
After 22 years of ministry as an Ursuline, Sister Colletta retired to Mount Saint Joseph in 1972. She continued her favorite pastimes: praying, mending for herself and others, and encouraging a few rosebushes to furnish bouquets for the sick Sisters in the infirmary. In her last days, she gave away all her personal possessions and begged God to take her home. That wish came true on April 2, 1989. Two days later, Father Anthony Shonis, chaplain, offered the funeral Mass. Many relatives and friends assisted at the Mass and formed the funeral procession to the convent cemetery for the burial of her remains.