Mercy sister taught at Mount St. Mary

Sister Ann Hardcastle, RSM, a Sister of Mercy for 68 years, died Oct. 27

Published: December 13, 2023

By Arkansas Catholic Staff

Sister Ann Hardcastle, RSM, a Sister of Mercy for 68 years, died Oct. 27. She was 86.

Born March 3, 1937, in Doniphan, Mo., to Owen W. Hardcastle and Virginia N. Hume Hardcastle, Sister Ann entered the Religious Sisters of Mercy in Webster Groves, Mo., Sept. 8, 1955. She professed her first vows Aug. 8, 1958, and made her final vows Aug. 16, 1960, in Frontenac, Mo.

Sister Ann pursued her education initially in St. Louis, receiving her bachelor’s degree in philosophy and certification for secondary education from St. Louis University in 1960. She received her master’s degree in administration at Notre Dame University in 1968 and received her master’s degree in religious studies at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., in 1991.

Education with the Sisters of Mercy brought Sister Ann back to Little Rock at her alma mater, Mount St. Mary Academy, where she attended both elementary and secondary education and graduated in 1954.

Sister Ann retired to the Catherine McAuley Convent in Barling in 2019 until its closure in 2021. At that time, she transitioned to Catherine’s Residence in St. Louis until the time of her death.

She is survived by one brother, John “Jack” Hardcastle; and several nieces, nephews and extended family.