Funeral Mass will be held July 13, 10 a.m., at St. Brendan Church in Los Angeles for Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet Lydia Sandoval, 73, who died suddenly on June 29.Born in New Mexico, the sixth of 12 children, she attended Catholic schools staffed by the Adrian Dominicans for elementary and the Sisters of St. Joseph for high school. At St. Joseph’s Academy in Prescott, Arizona, her vocation was ignited by the CSJs’ joy, generosity and concern for their students.She entered the CSJ congregation in 1958 and, after formation, began her primary ministry in education at St. Bernadette School, Los Angeles. She spent the next 16 years as a primary grade teacher at Catholic schools in Los Angeles, San Diego and Banning.In 1981, Sister Sandoval shifted her ministerial service to the CSJ House of Prayer, and then to parish ministry at St. John Vianney in Hacienda Heights. For the last seven years, she has been a primary classroom assistant at St. Brendan School.According to her fellow religious, Sister Sandoval was “a seasoned master teacher, a passionate advocate for children, a confidante, a lively jokester, a consummate professional and a true friend.” Family survivors include her sisters, Connie Serna and Delores Gonzales, and brothers, George and Sisto Sandoval. Burial will follow the funeral at Holy Cross Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, 11999 Chalon Road, Los Angeles, CA 90049.Sr. Denise O’Neill, RSHMFuneral Mass was held June 28 at Sacred Heart of Mary Chapel in Montebello for Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary Sister Denise O’Neill, 97, who died on June 24. She had been a sister for 79 years.Born and educated in Dublin, she entered the Congregation in Tarrytown, N.Y., and received a B.A. from Marymount College and an M.A. from Columbia University. Her teaching ministry brought her to a myriad of schools worldwide: Marymount schools in Los Angeles, New York, Spain, Colombia and Mexico. Sister O’Neill particularly loved Guacamayas Mission School and her time “in the bush” visiting many outlying mission areas on her donkey. She also taught at Minor Seminaries in Colombia and Zimbabwe.In 1986, she returned to Los Angeles and became involved in parish ministry to senior citizens at St. Finbar in Burbank and elsewhere, visiting the sick and bringing Communion to the homebound. She retired in 1998 and moved to Regina Residence in Orange in 2005.Her fellow religious described Sister O’Neill as “always a person ‘in motion,’ and most independent, with a unique sense of humor, and a love of music and animals, especially dogs.” Burial was in Holy Cross Cemetery.
