Sister Mary Peter Caito graced students, Servants of Mary community

Sister Mary Peter Caito of the Servants of Mary loved teaching “the little ones,” her religious community said.

The Detroit native and longtime educator and religious sister died Feb. 11. She was 89.

A funeral Mass was offered Feb. 16 at Our Lady of Sorrows Convent in Omaha. Burial was at the Servants of Mary Cemetery, also in Omaha.

Sister Mary Peter was a teacher for decades. She served in Omaha during the 1960s and ’70s at the then-St. Pius School and the former St. Rose of Lima and Holy Ghost schools in Omaha. She also taught in Massena, New York; Detroit, Flint and Gross Pointe Park in Michigan; and Bound Brook and Carteret in New Jersey.

Sister Mary Peter entered the Servants of Mary in 1955 and “graced the Community for seventy years with her love, faith and commitment to social justice,” the Servants of Mary wrote in a memorial.

“It was clear to all who knew Sister that she was clearly a woman of the Gospel who embraced the teachings of Jesus, living with the conviction that her choices would impact others. Sister kept abreast of the issues of the day and found ways to share with others the kind of impact we are called to make to bring about a more just society,” the Servants of Mary said.

Sister Mary Peter loved nature and animals and “will be remembered for her wit, convictions, and deep compassion for those in need,” the memorial said. “Truly, we have been blessed by her life.”

She was preceded in death by her parents and three brothers. Survivors include her sister, Josephine Caito; numerous nieces and nephews; and the Servants of Mary.

Memorials to The Servants of Mary Retirement Fund were suggested.