In Memoriam: Mary Philip Berger
Sister Mary Philip Berger of Monastery Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand, Indiana, died at 1:30 am. on Friday, July 31, 2026, at Scenic Hills at the Monastery in Ferdinand.
Sister Mary Philip was born Mary Arlene Berger on January 14, 1942, in South Bend, Indiana, third of nine children of Alvin Joseph Berger and Mary Elizabeth (Bickwermert) Berger. She entered the Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand in 1961 from Saint Matthew’s Cathedral in South Bend, and made her monastic vows in 1963.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her brother Thomas Berger and sister-in-law Hattie Berger; her brother Alvin Berger and sister-in-law Judith Berger; her brother Kenneth Berger; her brother Richard Berger; her brother Stephen Berger and her sister Caroline (Berger) Grzesk. She is survived by her brother George Berger and sister-in-law Judith Berger; her brother Philip Berger and sister-in-law Cindy Berger; her sister-in-law Sue Berger; her sister-in-law Linda Berger, her brother-in-law Greg Grzesk; her nieces and nephews and her religious family.
Sister Mary Philip studied at many universities including Saint Benedict College in Ferdinand, Indiana and University of Evansville in Evansville, Indiana. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in French from Mount Saint Scholastica College in Atchison, Kansas, and a Master of Arts in French from University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.
Sister Mary Philip served for decades as a teacher in Indiana: at Saint Mary Elementary School in Washington; at Saint Ferdinand High School in Ferdinand; at ACE Academy (Academic Creative Excellence for Every Learner) in Dale; and Academy Immaculate Conception / Marian Heights Academy in Ferdinand. She also served as Department and Program Director for ESL (English as a Second Language) at Brescia University in Owensboro, Kentucky. She volunteered at the Guadalupe Center in Huntingburg, Indiana. She served the Sisters of Saint Benedict in Ferdinand, Indiana in the Archives, as Academy Alumnae Director, Director of Volunteers, and in Supportive Services.
During her long career in education, she was beloved by class after class of students, and was known as the one Marian Heights Academy teacher with a long-standing nickname: Sister Mary Flip. In her own words, she shared how she earned that nickname during an interview in 1988. “That was back when we wore the long habits and for some strange reason, I never learned how to hold up the front of the habit—I always held up the back and for that reason was constantly falling down the stairs—especially the odd, steep ones by Sister Mary Dominic’s office. Anyway, as I walked into Sister Michelle’s senior homeroom, there was this teeny, tiny, ever-so-small threshold. I walked in and fell flat. The kids didn’t know me—all they saw was this young sister on the floor, clutching the bulletins. They didn’t know whether they should laugh or cry. That was my first day in the Academy!” This story even inspired a children’s book titled Sister Mary Flip, written by her niece.
Public visitation will be held in Marian Parlor at Monastery Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand, Indiana, on Tuesday, August 4 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. EDT, and on Wednesday, August 5 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. EDT in the monastery church. A Vigil Service will be held in the monastery church on Tuesday, August 4 at 7:00 p.m. EDT. Funeral Liturgy will be held on Wednesday, August 5 at 4:30 p.m. EDT with burial of the cremains at a later date. The public may view the Vigil Service and Funeral Mass at funeral.thedome.org. Rainey Funeral Home in Dale is in charge of the arrangements.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand.