On August 22, 1935, tiny Rita Germaine Greenwell joined the growing family of Paul Hogarty and Margaret Marie Greenwell in New Haven, Ky. On August 29, Rita began her faith journey as she was baptized at Saint Catherine Church. By the time she had just turned 3, she was joined by her dear sister, Helen (who would later become Sister Margaret Marie); and within two more years came her brother Homer, followed at last by Janice.
A faithful citizen of New Haven, Rita Germaine began her education at Saint Catherine School with the Ursuline Sisters as her guides and teachers. When she reached seven years old, she began her preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation and was confirmed then at Saint Catherine’s with all due ceremony on Sunday, May 16, 1943.
She was just 16 and finishing her sophomore year at Saint Catherine High School early in July of 1952 when Rita completed her formal application to become an Ursuline Sister. On September 7, 1952, Rita Germaine Greenwell became a postulant of the Ursuline Sisters, and began attending Mount Saint Joseph Academy. In less than a year, at not quite 18 years old, Rita entered the novitiate and adopted a new name in honor of her parents – Sister Paul Marie Greenwell.
Her first mission was as a teacher in Kentucky at St. Benedict School, Wax (1955-62). When the school closed, Sister Paul Marie moved to Saint Denis in Fancy Farm, Ky., to teach grades five through eight. When Saint Denis closed one year later, she moved to Saint Michael’s in Fairfield, Ky., and Saint Peter of Antioch in Waverly, Ky. By 1970, she had completed her Bachelor of Science degree at Brescia College, and went on to Seven Holy Founders in Affton, Mo., where she would teach eighth graders for the next 16 years.
By 1986, Sister Paul Marie’s teaching certificate in Kentucky had expired, so she decided to put her organizational skills to work. Over the next 20 years, she served as treasurer and administrative assistant first at the Mount Saint Joseph Conference and Retreat Center, then at Saint Mary Magdalene Parish in Sorgho, Ky., and for 15 years at Saint William and Saint Lawrence parishes in Knottsville, Ky. Countless families and spiritual seekers benefitted from her gift for acceptance, her sense of humor, and her organizational skills.
By 2006, Sister Paul Marie came home to Mount Saint Joseph where she served for a year or two as a driver then gave her organizational skills to the archives until she retired in 2016. In her last decade, Sister Paul Marie joined the Powerhouse of Prayer and devoted much of her time and attention to being present to her dear sister, Sister Margaret Marie.
Sister Paul Marie went to heaven on January 3, 2026, in her 73rd year as an Ursuline Sister. Her funeral was January 8 in the Motherhouse Chapel, with Father Ray Goetz presiding. Among her survivors was Sister Margaret Marie Greenwell, who followed her in death on April 7, 2026. Her remains are buried in the convent cemetery.