Please join us for the following Liturgical Services for Sr. Helen:
Funeral Mass
- Tuesday, September 29th at 11:00 AM
- Chapel at St. Joseph Residence, 4800 37th Ave SW, Seattle, WA
- Livestream Link: https://psjhealth.zoom.us/j/4700453324?omn=93349448175
Sister Helen Mason, a Sister of Providence for 61 years, died on August 28, 2026, at Swedish First Hell Medical Center in Seattle.
The devoted and gentle Sr. Helen, renowned for her regal smile, was born on November 6, 1945 – the only child to Agnes Mary (Ruzicka) and Roland Richard Mason. She was proud to be a self-proclaimed “farm girl,” and was raised on her maternal grandparents’ farm southwest of Walla Walla, Washington.
Her first inspiration toward religious life came as a fifth-grade student, when her teacher Sister Mary Aquinata informed the class about the new program of Sister formation in Issaquah, Washington. Throughout her childhood, the Sisters of Providence were prevalent in Sr. Helen’s life.
“Several sisters liked to come out to our farm, so I also knew them as friends. They all had very different personalities and gifts but seemed to be happy in their vocation.”
Sr. Helen graduated from DeSales High School in Walla Walla as co-valedictorian in 1964, and decided to enter the community later that year. She became a Novice in 1965 and professed her Final Vows in 1973.
During those formative years, Sr. Helen also pursued her lifelong dream of becoming a teacher – inspired by the Sister teachers she had as a girl, and by the example of one of her aunts. She earned two degrees from Seattle University: a bachelor’s in social science in 1969, and a master’s in religious education in 1974. Her first ministry as a Sister of Providence came in the classroom, as a sixth-grade teacher at St. Francis Xavier School in Missoula, MT (1969-71).
The next step in her journey presented a great opportunity, as the bishop of Idaho (within the Diocese of Boise) requested for two Sisters to form a religious education program in northern Idaho. She volunteered, and began directing this challenging yet very rewarding nine-year ministry in 1971 – the last seven years of which Sr. Helen operated on her own. Based out of Coeur D’Alene, she drove thousands of miles on an annual basis, interacting and inspiring inactive Catholics.
In 1980, Sr. Helen moved west to minister in parish ministry at St. Mary’s Parish in the Spokane Valley, which included coordinating RCIA programs and frequent home visits.
Sr. Helen was a passionate lifelong learner, especially into the history of her religious community, and was appointed provincial secretary of the former St. Ignatius Province of the Sisters of Providence in 1988. She served in the role right up to the merger of the two western U.S. provinces, which occurred twelve years later. As part of this ministry, Sr. Helen computerized the files of 800 Sisters who had served in the province, and also served on the boards of four Providence hospitals.
In March of 2000, Sr. Helen returned to her family farm near Walla Walla to live with and assist her mother, until her passing in 2015. During these years, she also served at Assumption Parish (including eucharistic ministry to homebound parishioners) and wrote the Providence Services chronicles for 15 facilities spanning eastern Washington and Montana.
Despite living much of her religious life devoted to ministries that kept her geographically separated from her religious Sisters, Sr. Helen was adept at maintaining meaningful bonds with them.
“I didn’t have the exchange, sharing, and common activities that build community. But for me, the relationship with other sisters is solid enough to sustain community identity and unity during periods of absence.”
At the age of 76, Sr. Helen did come to Seattle in 2022 to live her final years alongside her fellow Sisters at St. Joseph Residence. She had impeccable organizational skills and was beloved by her Sisters as a gifted mentor. She will be remembered for her tireless devotion to making the world a better place and will be greatly missed.
She was preceded in death by her parents, and is survived by extended family and the Sisters in her community.
Memorial contributions may be made in Sr. Helen’s honor to the Sisters of Providence Retirement Fund, 1801 Lind Avenue SW, M1-C, Renton, WA 98057-9016.