Born January 4, 1906, in Tuck, Ky., Mary Lucy was the second child of Charles and Lucy (Hayden) Hayden. She began her formal education at Sutherland School, a one‑room public school. She transferred to St. Anthony School in Browns Valley which was opened by the Ursuline Sisters from Mount Saint Joseph in 1912. Lucy had the distinction of being the first and only graduate of St. Anthony High School. When Mount Saint Joseph Junior College opened in 1925, she enrolled and was one of the first graduates. The following September, she entered the novitiate at Mount Saint Joseph. On March 19, 1928, Lucy received the Ursuline habit and the name Sister Mary Wilfrid.
Sister Mary Wilfrid taught Latin and biology at Mount Saint Joseph Academy during her novitiate years. In 1930, she was assigned to St. Catherine School in New Haven, Ky., where she served as principal and teacher for 15 years. Following two shorter assignments, at St Francis and St. Charles, Sister Mary Wilfrid was elected mother zelatrice for two consecutive terms, 1948-1954. She spent the following year at St. Paul in Leitchfield, Ky. In 1955 to 1957, she was appointed director of novices. She served as mother superior from 1957 to 1963. Great changes were happening in religious communities during these years. Under Sister Mary Wilfrid’s leadership, the community began embracing the many challenges confronting women religious: the influx of lay teachers in the parochial schools; the impact of the national Sister Formation Conference on the spirituality of religious life and the professional training of members, and the convening of the Second Vatican Council. Sister Mary Wilfrid served as director of the juniorate from 1963 to 1966. During these three years, she began her system of beautification of the Mount campus. In 1966, she was assigned to Brescia College in Owensboro where she remained nine years assisting the academic dean.
In 1976, Sister Mary Wilfrid returned to Mount Saint Joseph and spent two years keeping records in the medical insurance office. She retired from active duty in 1979 but continued her interest and work in beautifying the campus. She was confined to the infirmary for several months before her death on June 8, 1990. Father Paul Wethington celebrated her funeral Mass in the convent chapel on June 11. Among the concelebrants were a nephew, Father Leonard Reisz, and Father Charles Fischer. Sister Mary Wilfrid’s remains are buried in the convent cemetery. Among her survivors was her Ursuline sister, Sister Charles Irene.