On the twenty-second of October, Ruth Perl was born the youngest of six girls and three boys to Mary Ann and Leo Perl in the city of Massillon, Ohio.  She spent the early days of her childhood enjoying life in this small steel town with her twin sister, Rita, as well as her other sisters and brothers.  When she was five years old, she entered the first grade at the parish school of St. Mary in Massillon.  She loved her elementary days of education and loved the Sisters of Notre Dame who taught at the school.  In high school, she continued her education with them at Notre Dame Academy in Cleveland, Ohio.  In her senior year she joined their congregation as a Sister of Notre Dame. 

During her formation days with them, she attended St. John College in Cleveland, Ohio, in preparation to be a teacher.  She completed her BS in Education, and then taught in schools in Ohio, Virginia, Washington, D. C., and Florida.  During this time she also completed a master’s degree in Education from Case Western University in Cleveland.  She also received a certificate in religious studies in Middleburg, Virginia.  For the past fifteen years, she has been serving God’s people at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Raleigh, North Carolina.  She works as a receptionist in the parish elementary school.