Mary Louise Knott was born to Proctor and Mary Florence (Thompson) Knott on September 22, 1929, in Browns Valley, Ky. Mary Louise was the fourth child of 12 children but the first girl of the family. Supposedly the Knott family practically lived in the church and school at St. Anthony, Browns Valley. It was in her high school years that Mary Louise became hooked on sewing, something she loved to do all of her life. After graduating from high school, Mary Louise entered the novitiate at Mount Saint Joseph on September 8, 1947. On August 15, 1950, Sister Mary Louise made her temporary vows and began her teaching apostolate at St. James, Louisville. She taught in various schools in the Archdiocese of Louisville and the Diocese of Owensboro in Kentucky, the Lincoln Diocese in Nebraska, and the Saint Louis and Springfield-Cape Girardeau Dioceses in Missouri. In those 21 years of teaching she taught primarily the intermediate grades. In 1970, Sister Mary Louise left the teaching field and worked in the MSJ infirmary. She attended nursing school at Spalding for about two years, but due to an automobile accident she did not return to school.
In 1979, Sister Mary Louise was dispensed of her vows and left the community after 32 years of membership and later married Jack Alvey. Mary Louise and Jack were among the very first to join the Ursuline Associate program, just coming into life in 1984. Mary Louise found the Associate program to be the satisfying link with the community she left. She had been closely connected with the Ursulines all of her life and so wanted to be connected. After Jack’s death in 1984, Mary Louise searched deeply into her own heart and with friends to discern God’s will for her. She found a parish position at Blessed Mother in Owensboro in 1985 where in addition to cooking and housekeeping for Father Fisher, she became involved in parish ministry. Father Fisher was transferred to St. Paul, Leitchfield, in 1988 and Mary Louise transferred with him and remained until Ascension Day, May 28, 1992, when she re-entered the Ursuline community. During her temporary profession she worked in the craft room and in the MSJ Retreat Center.
Sister Mary Louise had two experiences in pastoral ministry at Central City and Greenville and also at Marion, Ky. She loved pastoral ministry, working with RCIA and leading groups whether in a craft project or a spiritual project. When she moved back to the Motherhouse, Sister volunteered to be director of the craft room and became much involved with peace and justice issues. She worked for a few short months helping with the Dorothy Day House in Memphis, Tenn., and did a special project for the retreat house in Gallup, N.M. She went to Jamaica to teach sewing and to help Associate Mary Danhauer in the health clinic.
Sister Mary Louise moved to Saint Joseph Villa in 2012 when her health began to decline, and passed away to her eternal reward on May 3, 2014. She is buried in the Mount Saint Joseph Cemetery.