Funeral held for Benedictine Sister

BRISTOW, Va. -- Family, friends and Benedictine sisters gathered Friday morning to celebrate the life of Sister Denise Mosier.

Cars filled the parking lots of Linton Hall School and the Benedictine Monastery in Bristow as mourners gathered to remember Mosier, 66, at a funeral Mass.

The monastery’s small chapel, where Mosier’s casket sat, and two overflow rooms equipped with video screens were filled to capacity during the service, the Arlington Catholic Herald reported.
The funeral was closed to the public and the media.

Sister Glenna Smith, the order’s spokeswoman, said the sisters appreciate the support they have received from the local area, but felt their chapel was too small to accommodate many people.
Mosier died Sunday in a car crash on Bristow Road.

Two other Benedictine Sisters, Sister Charlotte Lange,75, and Sister Connie Ruth Lupton, 70, were seriously injured in the crash. They were flown to Fairfax Inova Hospital, where they remained in critical condition Friday.

Earlier in the week, the Benedictine Sisters remembered Mosier as a compassionate woman who had a gift for dance, which she sometimes incorporated into liturgical services.

Mosier, born Jeannette Marie Mosier, is a native of Kane, Pa., and became a Benedictine Sister in 1961, when she was 18.

During her nearly 50 years of service, Mosier taught elementary and high school grades and served as a missionary Africa.

A picture on the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia’s website shows a smiling Mosier, teaching in South Africa in 2006. Written on a chalkboard behind her are the words “spirituality,” “forgiveness” and “the most loving person I can be.”

Most recently, Mosier served as a spiritual director for people in Northern Virginia and Richmond, Smith said.

“Sister Denise will be most remembered for her deep faith, her love of life, her interest in people, her passion for justice and peace, and her extraordinary sense of compassion,” Mosier’s obituary said.

Police say 23-year-old Carlos A. Martinelly Montano, of 12760 Merrymont Lane in Bristow, was driving drunk when his 1997 Subaru Outback hit a guard rail on Bristow Road, crossed into the northbound lane, and crashed head on into a 2003 Toyota Corolla carrying the sisters at around 8:20 a.m. Sunday morning.

The sisters were on their way to the monastery for their annual retreat at the time.

Friday, orange spray paint still marked the path the vehicles took on Bristow Road.

Montano was treated at an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries and charged with involuntary manslaughter, a third driving under the influence offense in three years and driving on a revoked license.

He is being held at the Prince William-Manassas Regional jail without bond, pending an Oct. 13 court date.

Police say he is an illegal alien who was in the deportation process when the crash occurred.

Prince William County Commonwealth Attorney Paul B. Ebert said he will seek a felony murder indictment against Montano.

Earlier in the week, the Benedictine Sisters asked for prayers for all involved in the accident, including Montano.

“We are deeply saddened because of our own loss and because of our two sisters who are still in critical condition and are working valiantly to heal,” Smith said Monday. “We are also very sad for the young man involved. He is very young, only 23 years old, and his life has certainly changed.”

Friday, Mosier was buried in a small cemetery on the grounds of the Benedictine monastery.

Shortly after noon Friday, bells rang out from the monastery. According to the sisters’ tradition, during a funeral service, the bell rings once for each year the woman has been a Benedictine Sister.

Mosier is survived by her mother, Edith Mosier, 95, two brothers, John and Bob, and a sister, Mary Ann.

In lieu of flowers, donations were requested for the Benedictine Sisters’ ministries and may be sent to Saint Benedict Monastery, 9535 Linton Hall Road, Bristow, VA 20136.

Staff writer Amanda Stewart can be reached at 703-530-3908.