Born September 10, 1894, in St. Lawrence, Ky., Mary Louise was the daughter of Peter and Mary Quinn Wathen. Her parents were descendants of the staunch Catholic Coomes families of Lord Baltimore’s time through the settlement in Nelson County at Fairfield. Mary Louise was always very proud of this holy ancestry. Her love of service to the Church inspired her to be involved in cleaning and decorating the parish church and attending devotions.
Mary Louise left her home in July 1919 to enter the novitiate at Mount Saint Joseph. During her postulancy, she, too, experienced the pain suffered by the Sisters that year from the death of Father Paul Joseph Volk, their founder; Father Louis Spalding, their chaplain; and three Sisters of the Motherhouse community. Mary Louise received the Ursuline habit on March 19, 1920, and was given the name Sister Lucian.
In September of that same year, Sister Lucian began her apostolate of teaching at St. James School in Louisville. After 15 years there, she was missioned at various times to other parochial schools in Kentucky: St. Joseph, Owensboro; St. Denis, Fancy Farm and St. Catherine, New Haven.
Sister Lucian suffered a stroke after her school day, March 4, 1958, and was hospitalized at St. Joseph Infirmary in Louisville. In a few weeks she recovered sufficiently to be brought to Mount Saint Joseph. In the infirmary she continued receiving therapy until she was able to participate in a few of the daily activities. After 14 years in the infirmary, death came suddenly on February 4, 1972. Following the funeral Mass celebrated by Father Bernard Powers, chaplain, on Sunday afternoon, February 6, Sister Lucian’s remains were buried in the convent cemetery.