Mary, daughter of James and Elizabeth Campion Chamberlain, was born March 19, 1885, the oldest of a family of six. Her early years were spent at Stanley, Ky. The family had moved to Browns Valley just before she started to school. Mary attended the public school. From her parents she learned a love of the Catholic faith and often spent time in St. Anthony Church praying, cleaning, and decorating the altar.
Responding to the call to religious life, Mary entered the novitiate at Mount Saint Joseph in April 1907. After a postulancy of one month, Mary received the Ursuline habit on May 31 and became known as Sister Lucilla. It is interesting to note that the day of investment was the 22nd anniversary of her baptism.
Sister Lucilla began her ministry of housekeeping at St. Romuald in Hardinsburg, Ky. For seven years she made a home for the Sisters and a few boarders who lived in the convent. St. James at Wynot, Neb., was her next mission where she served the Sisters and a few boarders for 13 years. Sister Lucilla came back to Louisville, Ky., to serve at St. Columba convent. A large number of Sisters taught in the school. This time, however, there were no boarders to add to her responsibilities. In her next assignment, she directed the kitchen at the Motherhouse for five years. The last 17 years of her active life were spent at St. Joseph convent in Owensboro. Sister Lucilla loved making a home for the Sisters and showed great interest in school activities. The sports teams especially appreciated her enthusiastic support.
The evening of January 31, 1955, Sister Lucilla fried bacon and made other preparations for breakfast the next morning. A little before midnight she had a heart attack and lived only a few hours. Her remains were brought to the mortuary at Mount Saint Joseph. Msgr. Gilbert Henninger, chaplain, celebrated the funeral Mass. The burial services followed in the convent cemetery. Among Sister Lucilla’s survivors was her Ursuline sister, Sister Pauline.