The daughter of Alonzo and Frances Wight Pike, Anna was born on Dec. 5, 1880, in Waverly, Ky. With pioneer roots in Maryland, Anna’s parents were deeply religious and trained their children in love for God and the Catholic Church. On April 16, 1906, Anna entered the novitiate at Mount Saint Joseph. She received the Ursuline habit and the name Sister Mary Basil on June 3, 1906.
Sister Mary Basil’s first mission was St. Edward School in Jeffersontown, Ky. She was later assigned to the following schools in Kentucky: Louisville (St. Columba and St. Paul), Browns Valley, Flaherty (opened St. Martin of Tours parish school), Owensboro (St. Joseph), Fancy Farm (St. Denis). She only had two out-of-state assignments: Bow Valley, Neb., (St. Peter and Paul) and Plattsmouth, Neb., (St. John). She was elected treasurer of the community in 1928 for a six-year term. In 1934, she was elected secretary of the community for a six-year term. She was then appointed postmistress for the Maple Mount Post Office, a position she held until her death.
Having become uneasy about her physical condition in October 1947, Sister Mary Basil saw Dr. Henry in Louisville, who diagnosed cancer. According to the prognosis, she could live only a few months. She returned to Mount Saint Joseph and continued her work in the Post Office. As her condition continued to worsen, Sister Mary Basil was training another Sister in the duties of the postmistress. Treatments for the cancer, in Owensboro and in Evansville, Ind., significantly damaged her heart. She returned to the infirmary at Mount Saint Joseph. She died on March 21, 1948. Father Gilbert Henninger, chaplain, celebrated the funeral Mass. Sister Mary Basil’s remains are buried in the convent cemetery.