S. Norine Enright, CSJ                                                       

Norine was the eldest of eight children and grew up in the parish of Holy Name in Brooklyn.  Her father died when she was eighteen years old and the youngest ,Ann, was just three years old.  Such an event must have prompted her to assume a leadership role with her younger brothers and sisters, and this quality served her well in the many works she would undertake in the future. At the age of twenty-one, Norine entered the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Brentwood.

For the first thirteen years of her ministerial life, she taught in five different elementary schools in Brooklyn.  Then , in 1964, she was assigned to the Catholic University in Ponce, Puerto Rico as Registrar.  She remained in this position for six years.  This period of time marked a tremendous growth in the University and six extensions were established in different parts of the Island.  Norine had to organize, train and direct the office personnel in these new areas.

On returning to the States in 1970, she came to the Generalate Community and began sixteen years of service as the General Secretary of the Congregation serving with Sister Joan de Lourdes and Sister John Raymond.  In 1986, Norine became the Coordinator of Episcopal Functions working in the Chancery Office of the Diocese of Rockville Center.  She served in this capacity for the next sixteen years.

All of the above is just a grief outline of her work, her assignments, and her service to the community and the church.  But now, permit me to speak of the person of Norine. I wish to mention three qualities among many.

The importance she placed on prayer was very evident in her life.  No matter how busy and full her days were, Mass and her devotions came first.

She was a loyal and faithful member of the community.  As the General Secretary, she managed every detail with efficiency, diligence, confidentiality and untiring effort.  We used to joke with her that she knew every Sister so well that she knew what parish she came from, where she was living and working, where she had been, her social security number her convent address and phone number and even her zip code by heart. She took these talents with her when she worked in the Chancery and the Bishop and priests took full advantage of them! 

The third characteristic that must be mentioned about Norine is her love for her family.  Each one was very precious to her and was always in her mind and heart.

How can we remember Norine without mentioning her appearance? She was tall and slim- always with high heels and her suit, blouse, shoes, stockings and pocketbook were perfectly coordinated! She was a very stylish lady.

Then in 2002 a calling which we do not understand took place...so unexpected...so impossible to understand. We ask the eternal "why?" and there is no answer.  We don't know why.  We thank God that Norine had the love and care of our staff in Maria Regina Convent and that her days were peaceful.  We know now that her new life has begun.  Well done good and faithful servant.  Enter into the joys of the eternal kingdom.

Sister St, Jerome Gribbon, CSJ

On July 13, 1924, Mary Agnes was born to Michael and Helen Gribbon. She was the second of six children and grew up in Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish.  That had a profound influence on all their lives.  Two of the boys became Redemptorists and all had great devotion to Our Lady.  After graduating from elementary school with the General Excellence medal and a record of perfect attendance, she attended St. Joseph Commercial High School, maintained her perfect attendance record and graduated with honors.  However, the death of her beloved father marred her senior year in high school.

After graduating, Mary accepted the position of stenographer at Lenox Hill Hospital. The 
following year she entered the Sisters of Saint Joseph and received the name Sister 
St. Jerome.  

In 1944, she began teaching middle grades and CCD at Our Lady of Victory in Floral Park, Visitation and St. James.  It was during this time that she received her BBA in Business Education from St. John's University.  After graduating, she taught in the School of Religion at St. Martha in Uniondale. In 1965, she began studying at St. Bonaventure University and received her  MA in Sacred Science in 1970.

For twenty-four years she taught Religion in our Brooklyn High Schools- St. Angela Hall, St. Joseph HS, St. Brendan HS and Bishop Kearney HS.  She developed a passion for Sacred Scripture  and the desire to share it so that she and others would grow spiritually.  In the evenings, she taught Adult Classes and also gave four series of Scripture courses to the Sisters at Visitation Monastery.

During the summers of 1974 to 1988 she was a staff member at Trinity College Biblical Institute in Burlington, Vermont.  Another experience she never forgot was Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus in the Holy Land.

In 1991 she was asked to be superior of Mary Louis Convent.  Her kindness and thoughtfulness were appreciated by the Sisters who lived there.  During the summers from 1989 to 1996, she presented Scripture Guided Retreats at Brentwood.

She retired to Maria Regina in 1999 where she inspired us with her love and devotion to Scripture.   Her Bible was often at her side. I am reminded of Psalm 119:
                                                  Had your teaching not been my delight
                                                  I would have perished in my affliction.

Jerome all things are clear to you as you walk with Jesus.  Help us to love the Sacred Word and spread it by our word and example.

Sister Octavia Olvieri, CSJ

We come to celebrate the life of Sister Mary Octavia.  Ocy, as we fondly called her, left us with an example of what it is to be a Sister of Saint Joseph. Her love for life was simple.  She was simple in her speech, her dress, her actions.  Pilar, as she was baptized, was born and raised on a farm in Mayaguez. It was there among her family that she grew in her faith, a faith that deepened as time went on.  Her prayer was direct, sincere and generous.

Ocy was courageous.  First when she left the farm to go to school in the city of Mayaguez.  It was there in Academia Immaculata that she met the Sisters of Charity.  Their love and work with the poor impressed Ocy, a gift that never left her as a Sister of Saint Joseph.  Ocy showed her courage too when she left Mayaguez to enter the Sisters of Saint Joseph.

Ocy earned her degree from Catholic University in Ponce. She taught in San Conrado, Santa Monica and Santa Teresita.  She was the principal of Colegio San Jose in San German.  Her final ministry was in Immaculata in San Juan where she was again with the Hijas de Caridad.

Her compassion and charity was shown to us when we , as American Sisters, needed to adjust to Spanish.  She helped us..

She also helped us to adjust to Puerto Rican foods.  She taught us how to make tostones, impanadillas, pastilles and all the other Christmas goodies.  Christmas, for her, was her favorite feast.  She prepared the Christmas Crib in the convent and it was the envy of all of Ponce.  She prepared it with great dedication, interest and creativity.  

She had contact with the women in the neighborhood whom she loved and they believed she was their friend and guide.  
Ocy loved her family and took great pleasure in them.  For her, the earth was sacred.  The fruits of the trees were her delight and protection of nature was second nature to her. 

Life for her was so simple, courageous, and compassionate. She lived her life as the fruit of her prayer.

Today we must no longer mourn for our sister, our friend, our colleague, our
teacher, but rejoice in the caring, compassionate faith-filled life she has lived.  Let
us be grateful that we have been touched by her generosity, concern, gentleness
and dedication. 

Those of us who have lived with Ann, worked with her or have been in her company
 the last seven years, have witnessed a courageous woman dealing with her
cancer.  She accepted the pain, the suffering, the uncertainty of each day in the
same way she lived her life when perfectly healthy. She did the ordinary things of
life in an extraordinary manner.  
Ann was born in Philadelphia and weren’t we lucky that our Sister Joan de Lourdes was sent to study in
 Philadelphia and lived in St. Patrick’s Parish where Ann grew up.  Ann would never call that luck.  She
would say -- It was unquestionably the way God’s plan for her to be a Brentwood Sister of St. Joseph was
 fulfilled.  
Ann was very self-disciplined and orderly but the purpose of this was never self-serving – rather, so she
could be a better teacher or to be available to the needs of others.    
Ann entered the Sisters of St. Joseph in September 1953 and at reception was given the name “Joseph
Caritas.”  That was a great name for her.  She was like Joseph – strong in character, committed to the will
of God and never ostentatious.  Caritas or “of love” was an even better name -- she reached out to all and
our charism of love, unity, and reconciliation was very much alive in Ann at all times. 
Ann spent her 54 years of Religious life ministering to the students, families, and her sisters in community
at St. Angela Hall; St. Ambrose; Blessed Sacrament, Cypress Hills; Immaculate Heart of Mary; Visitation;
St. Teresa of Avila; The Mary Louis Academy; Immaculate Conception, Jamaica; Our Lady of Perpetual
Help High School; St. Francis Xavier; St. Joseph High School, and St. Francis De Sales Convent.  
After Christmas vacation Ann returned to school on January 2.  Her main thoughts of course were the
students she was preparing to take the January Regents. She told me she wanted to delay her upcoming
surgery until after the exams so she could continue to prepare them.  Only if you ever had the experience
of teaching with Ann could you understand her zeal and the uncompromising dedication she had for the
success of her students. My words could never accurately describe this master teacher and her passion
for educational excellence 
However, her true legacy to all of us is the manner in which she lived community life. Those of us who were fortunate to live with her will agree that her generosity was unparalleled --and if you were sick, sorrowful or
in need -- the person that was always there for you was Ann McLaughlin.  
In our Novitiate we tried to memorize 96 maxims of perfection.  I am not sure if Ann memorized all of them,
but she lived them.  

Love your neighbor as yourself

Always have a good opinion of others – always speak well of them - excuse all the wrong you might see in
them -- never be unkind to anyone. 

Forgive all injuries, seek out opportunities to serve others -- Do whatever you have to do for the neighbor
with the same devotion and charity as if you were serving Christ Jesus himself. 

When you do for others, have an unselfish love which expects no rewards. 

And lastly, our most famous maxim -- When there is a question of doing many things at the same time in
the community and the choice is left to you -- choose what is most humbling and difficult and leave to
others what is easiest and most honorable.  

This Eulogy must not end and Ann’s good works and zeal for our charism must continue.  The world we
live in desperately needs unity, love and reconciliation. To honor her memory, let us recommit ourselves to
being women and men of prayer.  Let us rekindle our desires to be of service to God’s people, and to
care for God’s universe.  And finally, let us return to our families, our work places, and our religious
communities with new energy for renewing the face of the earth.  

Thank you Ann, for your life and inspiration.

    SISTER BARBARA KAISER, CSJ

FIFTY FOUR YEARS AGO SISTER BARBARA AND I BECAME FRIENDS......BY THE PLAN OF
GOD....AND SHE HAS BEEN A CONTINUOUS LIGHT IN MY LIFE...AN INSPIRATION...A
SHARED HEART...ALL OF THESE YEARS.
THIS MORNING WE PAUSE TO PRAY...TO REMEMBER...TO  REFLECT ON SISTER
BARBARA'S LIFE AND THE GIFT SHE HAS BEEN TO ALL OF US...TO EACH OF US......
WE REMEMBER IN A SPECIAL WAY "OUR SISTER BARBARA "  AS A WOMAN OF GREAT
LOVE  AND  COMPASSION...WHOSE  JOY  AND  LAUGHTER...CARING AND  DEDICATION  HAS TOUCHED EACH  OF  US  DEEPLY..
BEING  HERE  WITH THE  TEACHERS,  CHILDREN,  PARENTS,  CO-DIRECTORS,  AND VOLUNTEERS IN THE  RELIGIOUS EDUCATION  PROGRAM WAS HER LIFE'S  WORK....AND SHE HAS RAISED US  UP.....

WE MOURN  HER  PASSING ,....WE  MISS  HER  PRESENCE  AMONG  US  ... THE  MANY  WAYS  SHE  HAS
LOVED US,  INSPIRED  US,...CHALLENGED US...   MADE  US LAUGH  AND LAUGHED  WITH  US .....AND HOW
SHE HELPED  US  CRY....WE  ARE  ALL HERE   TOGETHER......

WE  ARE HER  FAMILY...HER SISTERS  AND  BROTHERS, HER NIECES AND  NEPHEWS, THE "GRANDS"  AND
THE "GREATS" AND HER COUSINS WHO HAVE LOVED HER  AND LAUGHED  WITH  HER......ENCOURAGED HER 
AND  SUPPORTED  HER ALL OF HER LIFE.....
WE ARE HER RELIGIOUS FAMILY....THE SISTERS OF SAINT  JOSEPH  OF  BRENTWOOD...WE ARE HER PARISH
FAMILY HERE  AT  OUR  LADY  OF  VICTORY...........
WE ARE HER  RELIGIOUS EDUCATION FAMILY,  CO-WORKERS,  PRIESTS,  TEACHER, PARENTS AND  CHILDREN.

WE  ARE  HER  FRIENDS

KNOWING THAT  WE  HERE AT OUR  LADY  OF  VICTORY  DO NOT HAVE THE ULTIMATE CLAIM ON  SISTER
BARBARA'S  LIFE ....WE REMEMBER THAT SHE HAS SERVED GOD'S PEOPLE  IN  MANY  OTHER  PLACES...

SISTER BARBARA HAS  BEEN  GOD'S  PRESENCE AT:
ST. MATTHEWS PARISH IN EAST  NEW  YORK
SAINT ANTHONY,  WOODHAVEN    
ST CECILIA PARISH , GREENPOINT
ST JOACHIM, CEDARHURST
ST PHILIP NERI, NORTHPORT
HOLY FAMILY, FLUSHING
ST ROBERT BELLARMINE, BAYSIDE
ST VINCENT DE PAUL,  ELMONT
QUEEN OF THE HOLY ROSARY, ROOSEVELT
OUR LADY OF VICTORY , HERE IN FLORAL PARK...SINCE 1989  AS DIRECTOR OF THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
PROGRAM

ALONG WITH HER PARISH WORK ...SISTER BARBARA  WOULD TRAVEL  TO APPALACHIA, WEST  VIRGINIA  TO
WORK WITH SISTER NANCY AND MYSELF IN THE SUMMER BIBLE SCHOOLS WE HELD UP THE BACK ROADS OF
CLAY COUNTY. THE PEOPLE LOVED HER AND CONTINUE TO ASK ABOUT SISTER BARBARA

LAST THURSDAY  I WENT TO THE BANK FOR MY ELDERLY, 92 YR OLD AUNT...I SAT DOWN AT THE DESK OF THE
WOMAN WHO USUALLY WORKS WITH ME....SHE LOOKED AT ME  AND ASKED, "DID SOMETHING  HAPPEN?  I
LOOKED AT HER AND SHE SAID “YOU LOST YOUR SPARKLE”. MY EYES FILLED WITH TEARS AND I SAID
“YES, I LOST MY SPARKLE.”
 

Margaret Kelly, daughter of William and Ellen Kelly, entered the Sisters of St. Joseph
in 1934.  At Reception, she received the name Sister Mary Corinne.

After a year of intense study of the spirituality of our Congregation, Corinne taught in St. Patrick's School in the Brooklyn Diocese.  The following year, she was transferred to St.
Philip Neri School in Northport. Her skill in the formation of little children was soon recognized and for the next thirty years she taught kindergarten in St. Joseph's Flushing,
St. James in Brooklyn, and The Mary Louis Academy.  While she gave so much of herself
to little children, she felt it was nothing to what they gave her.  The parents of her children
discovered a  confident and an example worth following in their children's teacher. 

Corinne retired in 2001.  She came to Maria Regina in poor health but would always greet
people with a smile and a joke.  Life was not always a "Springtime" for our sister, but very few knew how
heavy were the crosses which often would lie in her heart.  Yet, through the darkest moments, Corinne
maintained a peaceful and joyful spirit. 

Sister Corinne dearly loved her community and appreciated visits from them.  Her family ,too, meant the world
to her.  We will always be grateful that her life was shared with us.

When we think of Sister Joan Ursula - we think of her in the role of Treasurer of the Congregation – the ministry she did most of the time, so much of her life.  Yet, she did not make her success in this role -  her identity.  Always, the essence of her life was her rootedness in God, her Joseph vocation, and her love for her family. 

Her intelligence, her wisdom, her creativity, her inner strength and her concerns were an expression of God’s Spirit moving in the core of her being.   What she did, she did out of love for our Congregation, its mission and our ministries – and at times, when she had to do things she didn’t love, she did them with dignity.

Scripture speaks to us of the Valiant Woman who provides for her household in season and out  Sister Joan Ursula was such a woman for the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph.  As treasurer of our community she built for us a firm financial structure. 

Sister was born and baptized in St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish in Brooklyn, attended St. Joseph Commercial High School and St. John’s University.  She entered the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1938 and enjoyed 68 years of Religious Life. In her early years she taught at Nativity School and St. Angela Hall in Brooklyn. 

In 1951 she began her long years of service in the treasurer’s office.  She worked diligently to finance the major projects of the 50s and 60s – the College Building, new Novitiate and the Maria Regina Residence.  Together with Sister Joan de Lourdes, she was instrumental in our going into Social Security and in the setting up of our Congregational Retirement Fund. 

In her later years Sister worked with our high schools guiding their finances and was a consultant to many of the Religious Congregations both in Brooklyn and in Rockville Centre. 

With all of these accomplishments Sister exemplified our charism of profound love of God and cordial charity to all.  Many are the recipients of her generous kindness. 

Over the last two weeks and particularly over the last two days, we have learned 
and recalled many wonderful things about S. Francis Solano Carmody whose death
we mourn and whose life we celebrate today.  Many of us discovered, perhaps for 
the first time, the extent of her scholarship and the breadth of her professional career.
Thinking about the events of the last few days, I realized what all of them had in
common: in public and in private, from her first mission where she taught ninety kindergarteners in the morning and ninety different ones in the afternoon, to her last
classes with her graduate students two weeks ago, Francis was a teacher.  So, I
asked myself why did Francis, who, as she lived with cancer and the thought of 
death, choose today's readings?  What does Francis want to teach us? And I tried 
to think like the teacher she was.

In choosing the first reading, Francis tells us that this is what she strove to be
her entire life: a valiant woman--faithful, good, empathetic, open to beauty,
selfless, joyful.  In so striving, she learned some things she wants to pass on to us today: that we are all
 wounded and in need of healing; that, and I am sure she did not like this lesson, we cannot do all things; 
that, many times in life, particularly in our final days, we must all bow before life's mystery.

In choosing the second reading, she wants to say a few things directly to us," I thank my God every time I think
of you...I hold all of you dear.  My prayer is that your love may abound more and more...It is my wish that you be
found rich in the harvest of justice...It is only right that I hold such expectations of you."

We come to the last reading the heart of the Gospel, the words spoken by Christ to his disciples and to Francis.
Words which Francis, whose beauty, talents, grace, intelligence, and achievements might have led her to
another path, chose to follow...the Beatitudes which lay out a way of life foreign to everything the rest of the
world teaches us; in fact, the Beatitudes turn our values upside down.  Francis chose the Beatitudes as her guide through life

Francis took joy in developing her gifts, but she always saw them as gifts to be given away to the glory and praise of God.  Do the same she says to us today, live that up side down life...choose the lowly, embrace the outsider, love abundantly...why...because like Francis, many times during life and certainly at the end, you will find joy. 

The Carmelite nun and poet, Jessica Powers, in her poem, "The Homecoming", wrote:                                      
                The spirit, newly freed from earth,
                is all amazed at the surprise
                of her belonging: suddenly 
                as native to eternity 
                to see herself, to realize
                the heritage that lets her be
                at home where all this glory lies. 
                By naught foretold could she have guessed
               such welcome home: the robe, the ring, 
               music and endless banqueting,
               these people hers; this place of rest
                                                      known, as of long remembering
                                                      herself a child of God and pressed
                                                      with warm endearments to His breast
Our friend Teresa had a special bond with Jessica Powers and resonated to her poetry, for in 1960 she wrote her Master's thesis, " A Comparative Study of the Poetry of Jessica Powers and Saint John of the Cross". This morning as we gather to celebrate Teresa's life and her homecoming, we also remember inspiring words of Juan de la Cruz, "A la tarde de la vida, te examinaran en el amor" - In the evening of life you will be judged on love. 
Teresa's life was one poured out in love.  Early on, inspired by the example of the Sisters of Saint Joseph at San Jorge High School and the Redemptorist Fathers in nearby Miramar, Teresa fell in love with God, and this all consuming love led her to Brentwood to become a Sister of Saint Joseph. She left her family and her beloved island of Puerto Rico for a time, but she never forgot her roots, and her bonds with her beloved extended family remained strong throughout her life. 
Being a Sister of Saint Joseph gave Teresa great joy.  Her devotion to Joseph was real and deep, and to die during his novena and to be buried on his feast must have delighted her.  As she would describe it - "un toque muy delicado" - a very delicate touch. She relished her life in ministry, her life in community and her freedom to seek union with God in prayer. She was fed and inspired by the spirituality of Ignatius of Loyola to be a discerning person, especially in her ministry with people, in her deep down desire to share her faith, to be an evangelizer. She wanted Jesus to be known and to be just as real for others as He had become for her. Teresa was also inspired by her Carmelite Patrons, Teresa of Avila  and Juan de la Cruz, to value and seek a life given to contemplation.  What a joy it was for her to go to Sacred Heart Retreat House in Colorado in the summer of 2005 to make the 30 day Ignatian Spiritual Exercises.  She considered it a life-enhancing spiritual event - a true epiphany experience. 
A passion for social justice was a hallmark of Teresa's ministry.  Wherever she worked, as teacher, administrator at Catholic University of Puerto Rico and Centro Isolina Ferre, missionary in Colombia, or pastoral minister in St. Luke's here in Brentwood, her aim was to bring people closer to God and to improve their human condition. Whether she was  teaching affluent students and getting them involved in social action projects like tutoring poor children, or instructing campesino women on their rights as women (and sometimes incurring the wrath of their very dominant husbands) or giving courses on the Social Doctrine of the Church in Puerto Rico, Long Island or wherever, Teresa was always a "doer" and not just an armchair philosopher.  She believed and acted on the Church's "preferential option for the poor".                    
 In Teresa's own words she described her life as having been good and happy, interesting and exciting, and it was!  Many people helped to enrich her life, a loving family, sisters in community, her students and people she met in her ministry, her friends, and the many brother priests with whom she worked.  She treasured all the love she received, responded with love, and was grateful. 
Teresa had a great love for beauty. Music was a big part of her family's heritage as was the appreciation of nature inherited from her Grandfather Hutchinson.  One of her last labors of love before her final illness was supervising the decorating of Saint Luke's Church for Christmas, and in Saint John of God Convent, the placing  and adorning of the Christmas Crib, a task she loved doing every Christmas in whatever Convent she found herself.  We pray that Teresa is enjoying the Vision  of Beauty that surpasses all beauty - the vision that is the reward of those who have lived a life of love of God and of God's beloved people for in the words of St. John of the Cross: " In the evening of life you will be examined on LOVE".  

   Sister Naomi Williams, CSJ

 Who was she?

 She was Mary Alicia the little girl who very proudly went to the grocery store for her
mother and, on the way home decided to sample her favorite treat “butter”. When her frantic mother called the doctor and explained that Mary had consumed the better part of a quarter of a pound of butter, the wise doctor said, “Don’t’ worry Mrs. Williams, it will all take care of itself.”  And so it did.

Who was she?

 She was the young lady, who after much thought and prayer, in 1937, took herself unaccompanied to
St. Joseph’s College to make application to the Sisters of St. Joseph. And what a wonderful day that was
 for our Community! Recently her friends in Cedarhurst were the proud readers of an article published
in the Nassau Herald. Above Sister Naomi’s picture was the headline 70 Years in the Service of Others.

 Those 70 years spanned her service as teacher in the elementary, high school and college level for over 15 years, in the Dioceses of Brooklyn and Rockville Centre. She was “math teacher par excellence” as so many
of her students will attest.

Later the Community appointed her Superior of Stella Maris Convent in Rockaway and again Superior of
Mary Louis Convent in Jamaica Estates. For more than ten years, she was Regional Superior of the
Josephite Convents in Nassau County and was eventually appointed Vicar and Superior of Maria Regina Convent in Brentwood. Her trips back and forth were legend as she ministered to the sick and retired Sisters.

Along with all of this, she was a loving sister to her brother Bud and his wife Olga, faithful minister to her sister Anita during her many illnesses, sister and traveler with Clara and cousin Margaret and communicando with her extended family all over the globe.

And she was Aunt Naomi to all of Beach. 4^th Street in Rockaway and in particular to her beloved Wagner
family. Aunt Naomi to her dear niece Susan and husband Dennis; Aunt Naomi to her shining stars Christopher and Lisa, Brendan, Rory and Alana.

She was the Aunt Naomi who was always there to cheer them on and tell everyone what wonderful children
they were and so accomplished – and in her days in the hospital, that same loving family recalled over and
over all the wonderful things Aunt Naomi had done for them from baby hood to adults.

On one of our visits to Naomi during her hospital stay, she mentioned, as she often did, her favorite song and then to our delight and surprise, she sat up in the bed and in a sweet, clear voice, she sang it.

It was very evident she had made this her prayer and meditation. In tribute to Naomi and to fulfill a promise I would like to repeat the words:

“Ah! sweet mystery of life, at last I’ve found thee!
 Ah, I know at last the secret of it all.
All the longing, seeking,
stressing, waiting, yearning.
The burning hopes, the joy
and idle tears that fall.
 For ‘tis love and love alone
the world is seeking.
And ‘tis love and love alone
that can repay.
‘Tis the answer,
‘tis the end and all of living,
For it is love alone
love alone that rules for aye.” 

Ah sweet mystery of life at last I’ve found you –Indeed Naomi, you have –and may you rest in peace in
 His loving arms. Amen                                                                          

Sister Mary St. John Kelly, CSJ

Anna Marie Kelly was born on March 4, 1915.  She attended St. Michael's Elementary School in Flushing and Flushing High School.  In 1935 she entered the Sisters of St. Joseph and received the name Sister Mary St. John.

Her first teaching ministry in 1937 was at Our Lady of Victory School in Brooklyn.  In 1941 she was assigned to Puerto Rico and discovered the island which was to become so much a part of her life.  She loved the people of this island and was loved in return. Her first ministry was at Academia San Jorge in Santurce  and then in 1948 at Academia San Luis in Lajas. After a brief return to the United States, she returned and became the Guidance Counselor in San Luis until her return to Brentwood in 1980 to minister as the Assistant Superior in Maria Regina.  She then served as a member of the Pastoral Care Team until 1997.

"Sainty" was a loving friend, a compassionate companion and a joyful, hospitable Sister who had a very special sense of life with love and respect for others and for nature.  She was easy to love and all her students did love her. She made them feel important and was always able to confront them when needed.

She lived out our charism in a humble but joyful way and was true to her mission even in difficult times. I praise and thank God for all she was to many of us in Puerto Rico and especially for being the nun who was not afraid to let us see and experience her as a normal and wonderful  human being.

Hasta Luego, Sainty!

Sister Alice Loretto Byrne, CSJ

From Psalm 92 we can describe Alice: 

            The just will flower like the palm tree; and grow like a cedar of Lebanon.
            They are planted in your holy hose.
            They flourish in your courts, O God.
            They still bring forth fruit in old age.
            They are ever full of sap and green to show that you are just.
            You are my rock, in you there is no injustice. 

Sister Alice Loretto Byrne had the gift of being quiet and retiring while exhibiting
strength and determination. Alice’s smile charmed everyone who appeared in her presence.  In her
own simple way she was ready and waiting for this moment when she would meet God face to face 

Born in Brooklyn, on September 24, 1914 to John and Mary Byrne, she was baptized Alice. She attended
St. Frances de Chantal Elementary School and Bishop McDonald Memorial High School  Two weeks
before her 17^th birthday, Alice entered the Sisters of St. Joseph, Brentwood thus beginning her life of
service fully committed to the Mission of Jesus which had been nurtured in a unique way. in her faith-filled
family and her baptismal call  

Alice studied at St. John’s School of Pharmacy and exerted great efforts as pharmacist at St. Joseph’s
Hospital from 1937 to 1950.  Having taught for about a year prior to this, in 1950 she returned to teaching
at St. Agnes Seminary and St. Benedict Joseph  She was also asked to assist on weekends at the
Convent Pharmacy in Brentwood.  This continued concurrently with her hospital and school assignments
for 30 years. .Her gracious manner and her modest, humble demeanor endeared  all to her as she spent
her years in the pharmacy and in the classroom and finally at Maria Regina. 

In 1961 she had obtained her degree in Science and so from 1962 – 1977 Alice taught science first at
the Academy of St. Joseph, Brentwood and then at St. Joseph High School, Bridge Street.  After that
she became a librarian in Ascension School and then in Sacred Heart Academy until 1993 when she
retired. 

We can think of Alice as a diamond – not a rough diamond for sure, but a smooth, bright, sparkling
diamond whose rays spread to all to whom and with whom she ministered and lived. The overall sparkle
of this diamond Alice was her prayer.  She was in union with God as a contemplative – a truth that was
evident in her humility and quiet realization of God’s presence with her and within her at every moment.
Like St. Joseph, Alice was hidden, yet brought a profound presence of God to all whole lives she touched

Alice appreciated visits and phone call and the bright light of joy and gratitude crossed her face when
anyone of us including the entire staff of Maria Regina was in connection with her.  Her smile filled the room.
I feel Alice towards the end of her life was echoing these sentiments:

            “I stand on the edge of myself and wonder where is home?
            Oh, where is the place where beauty will last?
            When will I be safe?
            And where?
            My heart is wearing out
            I am tired of seeking for treasures that tarnish.
            How much longer, Lord?
            Oh, which was is home?
            I am hungry for the holy ground of home. 

Well, Alice, you are home now and your joy is full.  May we all continue to love you and to be inspired by you.  Thank you for your rich “diamond” life.

   Sister Jean Edward Furey, CSJ

The winter has past , the rains are over and gone.  Spring has returned to our land and never ending life has been given to our Jean, faithful Sister of St. Joseph for sixty-four years.
As an astute student, she received her BA from St. John's University and her MA from St. Bonaventure in Sacred Science. Jean was an elementary and Secondary school teacher, Chair of the Religion Department in various high schools, Academic Counselor, Guidance Counselor, Eucharistic Minister in Lutheran Hospital, Assistant Superior at Maria Regina and finally a Member of the Pastoral Care Team.
She was a woman who epitomized dependability, fidelity--a woman of strong opinions who vocalized her views regardless of consequences. She also knew how to play and
love and relax. She loved her family and friends of whom she had many.
Jean was also a woman of courage.  She survived a severe burn as a child and went on with her life in a remarkable manner.  Complaints and feeling sorry for herself were not part of her character.
Her gradual diminishment was painful not only to Jean but also to her friends, her family, the Team, Administration and Staff, all who knew and loved her.  It became a time of waiting as expressed so beautifully and poignantly by T.S.Eliot--
             "I said to my soul be still
              and wait without hope
              for hope would be hope for the wrong thing;
              Wait without love- for love would be love for the wrong thing;
              there is yet faith--
              But the faith and the love and the hope are all in the waiting.
              Wait without thought for you are not ready for thought.
              So the darkness shall be the light and the stillness the dancing".
Jean, may you continue to dance with joy in the presence of your God.

Sister Mary Loretto Glasser, CSJ

" I am the Lord your God who teaches you what is best for you and who directs you in the way
you should go."  Isaiah 48:17

Sister Mary Loretto must have had these words of the prophet Isaiah carved on her heart because she lived out every syllable and for seventy-two years generously shared the fruits of this commitment with all whom God brought into her life.

Baptized Loretta, the first of six children born to Joseph and Elizabeth Glasser, she attended St. Ignatius Elementary School in Hicksville and Bishop McDonnell Memorial
 High school in Brooklyn. Loretta entered the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph
in February 1935 and received the name Sister Mary Loretto in honor of Our Blessed Mother.
In September 1936 she was assigned to teach six year olds in St. Patrick School in Long island City.  The following year she returned to Brentwood to spend her days in intense and deep study of religious life as required by Canon law. 

In the years that followed, Loretto became one of our outstanding teachers. She was admired as a gentle and refined religious who taught others to appreciate classical music, to crochet baby blankets and sets, and who made life richer by her concern and reverence for all God's people. 
Mary felt called to mission  work and volunteered for our schools in Puerto Rico where she taught English, Math, French and religion in the high school in San German.  In 1959, she was called back to the States and
assigned to teach in Our Lady of Perpetual Help HS in Brooklyn. 

Mary lived in faith and prayer and trusted deeply in God.  Whatever fears she may have experienced faded and were transformed into dance and song and love which she abundantly shared.

When Mary went to the Maria Regina Residence she touched many lives.  She spoke with tender memories of her parents and with great pride in all of her family members and their accomplishments.  She never dwelled or even thought of her own accomplishments but would say, "that's God working".

This quote from the book of Proverbs is a perfect picture of Sister Mary Loretto:

A faithful woman commits her heart to goodness and the world has an unfailing friend
She develops her gifts with joy, she empowers those around her.
She brightens in response to song, she grieves in response to pain.
She knows when she is wounded and needs healing, she cannot do all things.
Life for her has purpose and pattern, yet, she bows before mystery.
She gives of herself and looks for nothing in return.
Those who are close to her praise her and admire her integrity.

      Sister Joan Therese McGarry

Elizabeth McGarry was a Sister of St. Joseph for 78 years.   She began teaching in
 elementary school in 1931 and moved through the grades in various parish schools
until 1951 when she began teaching in high schools.

During her teaching years, she taught history in The Mary Louis Academy, Queen of All
 Saints, St. Agnes Seminary, St. Joseph Academy, St. Angela Hall Academy and 
Sacred Heart Academy.  Joan was a dedicated teacher and was kind but strict with 
her students.  Finally, she retired to St. Joseph Convent in Brentwood.

While she was still able to go to the chapel on her own, she would often be seen sitting in her place praying 
the rosary.  She did not appreciate being disturbed when she was at prayer.  It is significant that she died 
on the feast of the Holy Rosary.

She had a wonderful sense of humor and a spirit of independence that could not be squelched.  Well into 
her nineties she insisted on doing things for herself.

Many of us have anecdotal remembrances of this wonderful woman who was a joy to be with.  We are
 blessed to have had her living among us.

    Sister Pauline Day, CSJ

Today, we honor and celebrate Pauline Day, a woman who loved, labored and laughed
 Pauline loved to minister: she ministered to her family, her Congregation, her Church,
 the parishioners of St. Ephrem’s, and her friends.  She had three essential qualities of
a good minister.  She ministered with compassion – an ability to feel with us in times of
 sorrow and hardship and be with us.  She ministered with truth – calling us to be our
 deepest, truest selves and to move beyond to where God is leading us.  Her
compassion was never sentimental, nor was her truth judgmental because she
ministered with love.  We experienced her love in her concern, her attentive listening
and her gentle presence.

 When we remember someone, we remember how they made us feel when we were with them.  Pauline
made us feel loved, understood and accepted. We thank Pauline for her fidelity to her vocation as a Sister
of St. Joseph, for her years of dedicated ministry and for the power of her holiness that touched our lives.

     Sister George Aquin O'Connor, CSJ

 All of us here today have known Sister George Aquin O'Connor well- as loving sister
 and devoted aunt and grandaunt, as Sister of St. Joseph, as gifted teacher, as
 President of St. Joseph's College from 1969 to 1997, or as President Emerita- in
 all roles a very gracious, supportive figure in our lives.   And all of us knew her
 because early in her life she took seriously the Lord's words, " I have commissioned 
 you to go forth and to bear fruit, fruit that will last." In truth, we have known her by the
 fruits of her labor- wonderful and lasting.

But today's liturgy at long last gives us a glimpse into the spirituality of Sister George
Aquin, a spirituality forged in the Pre-Vatican II Church, held deep within, virtually never discussed - the
spirituality from which sprang her work and her love for all of us.

Her favorite hymn- How Great Thou Art- gives away her love of the grandeur and majesty of God and her trust
in his love to take her home.  But such grandeur is not sentimental.  After all, her patron was St. Thomas
Aquinas known for his intellect at the service of God, but not known to be warm and fuzzy.  Her favorite
expression of his was "I take truth wherever I find it," and she did in like manner.  Her students loved her
sharp intelligence, her quick wit, her broad range of knowledge and interests.

She was also understanding, compassionate , and kind- but brief and crisp in her expression of that 
kindness., inclined to give a nudge to begin to do something about the situation or the problem.

The parable of the talents must have made a very deep impression on her at a very early age.  In the days
before any one of us considered ourselves to be gifted, she took the parable of the talents very seriously
- not that she considered herself talents or especially gifted; but, if the Master in the parable gave the servant
a talent, she understood that it was to be used for his work and his interests.  Her sense of stewardship was
highly developed: she owed it to her students to be an excellent, an inspirational teacher, and the alumni 
have always borne witness to that.  She owed it to St. Joseph's  College as President, both to husband the
resources carefully and to take the risks necessary to advance its growth.  And so, with wisdom - and 
frugality - she gave leadership to the college like an effective teacher bringing the administration and faculty
and college community along with her vision that led to the development of the Suffolk Campus, the School 
of Professional and Graduate Education, curricula expansion into business, nursing, and the health 
professions, the construction of the Callahan Library and the Danzi Center in Suffolk, the strengthening
of the Brooklyn Campus, and the growth of the College from 569 students in 1969 to almost 4000 in 1997
when she resigned as President.  But all of this because this was the task to which God had called her through her life as a Sister of St. Joseph.

The Sisters here today knew her as teacher and administrator.  They also knew her as an active, involved
member of the Congregation, participating in every Chapter from 1968 to the present, attending every
Assembly Meeting until this fall, clear and cogent in her observations.

If there is one quality that I think every sister in our local community would cite, it is how uncomplaining she
was  about the severe pain from arthritis; how patient and generous she was; how interested and supportive
she was of each one's activities.  In the last ten years, she has mellowed so beautifully that we recognize
grace made manifest.  These were qualities she carried to the hospital and to Maria Regina.

She read the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal every day.  In her bookcase were a copy of Father
Charles Curran's Loyal Dissent, the latest Smithsonian magazine, her Office Book and the Alumni Directory;
and at hand, next to the telephone, were the olive wood rosary beads she prayed over late every afternoon.

Finally, we come to the gospel reading, to the story of the disciples on the Road to Emmaus-- confused and
discouraged , but listening to the stranger who joined them, asking him to stay with them, and suddenly
recognizing the Lord in the breaking of the bread.  In the last years of her life, every time she left the Convent
she paused at the chapel door, bowed toward the tabernacle, and said sometimes wryly, "Stay with us
Lord, for the day is far spent."  And stay with her He did, as she drifted peacefully to sleep, with a little Puccini
playing softly in the background, and in her  ear Shakespeare's beautiful phrase: "And flights of angels sing
thee to thy rest."

                                                        

                    Sister Lawrence Therese Murphy

  Mary Murphy was born in 1926.  She attended St. Teresa's Elementary
 School and Bishop McDonnell High School.  After a short time in the business 
world, she entered the Sisters of St. Joseph and received the name Sister 
Lawrence Therese.

 In 1948, she began her life-long ministry as an elementary school teacher.  
 She taught in the parish schools at St. Athanasius, St. Martin of Tours, 
Ascension, St. Michael's Flushing, St. Michael's 43rd Street and
St. Agnes Degraw Street. In 1965 she was assigned to the middle grades at Immaculate Heart and
 she never left. In the classroom she exhibited her love for math and literature and required good
 order at all times. One of her students  who is here today in the sanctuary still remembers the "F" he
earned in conduct!

Lawrence did more than teach.  For more than twenty years she facilitated "rap groups" where 
students learned  to express their feelings.  Hundreds of students found support, hope and fun as 
they shared their life experiences with each other.  She also conducted weekend trips upstate to 
dude ranches and the memories still endure for parent chaperones and students.

After many years in the classroom, she became the School Librarian and Coordinator of NYS Book
 Supplies.In the library, she charmed younger children with her story telling.

Her love of people enabled her to form deep and lasting relationships.  Once you were her friend,
 you were a friend forever. She had a quick sense of humor and she loved to eat out.  While you
 poured over the menu, she ordered the inevitable shrimp cocktail and Chicken Parmigian.  It never
 deviated! She was a great dancer and loved  Irish music.  At the parish party for her retirement, 
all the men who had been her students lined up to have a spin around the floor with their sixth grade
 teacher.

Although she had no desire to leave Brooklyn, her infirmities caught up with her and she came to
 Maria Regina.  There, she began to look for ways to help other residents and added great fun to the
 recreation program.  She also helped the Aides who wanted to expand their English vocabulary.

Throughout her life she never stopped giving.  Last Tuesday, she had a check up and received a 
very positive evaluation.  She went to the beauty parlor and got the best perm of her life. At night, the
 nurse gave her her medication and they enjoyed a few laughs together.  Then, at 10 PM, she literally
 leaped into the arms of the Lord.

Lawrence lived a life that was simple, prayerful ,courageous and compssionate.  She was faithful to
 her CSJ vocation and the Parish of Immaculate Heart.

Lawrence, you will not be forgotten for all you have done for us. Personally, I will strive to remember 
what you taught me, "Life should not only be lived, it should be celebrated."

                         Sister Myra Paul Mansfield, CSJ

One of the qualities toward which a Sister of St. Joseph aspires is a love is
self-emptying or self-giving.  The stories and memories we have of Myra tell of 
her generous self-giving love.  We have been recipients of  the thoughtful gifts, 
the timely  notes, the personal interest and concern for colleagues and their
 families, and the tender teasing and humor.

 Myra taught history, but more than teaching the subject Myra taught children, 
youth and women and men.  She found “student” too limiting a term to describe
 the richness, complexity and potential she saw in those in her classes.

Sister taught History at the College, and her students remember her enthusiasm for all aspects of 
her discipline, especially post-Second World War Europe.  She was also a great cook and hostess, 
and we often called her St. Joseph's own Pearl Mesta.  Her kindness and generosity were legendary,
 and she will be sorely missed.

As a lover of history, Myra was a home in the world: the larger world and the world of her family and
 friends, her Congregation and her local community.  She saw gatherings, parties and meals as
 places of God’s grace, and worked hard to create such occasions.

On November 20, Myra’s body, tried by pain and suffering in her last years, could no longer sustain
 her.  It was time to reverse the tables and for her to go to the banquet and feast prepared for her by
 the God she loved and imaged in so many ways so faithfully.

                                 S. Dorothy Eileen Maher, CSJ

Dorothy Maher was born on February 27, 1920. She attended St. Malachy's 
Elementary School and then Bishop McDonnell memorial HS.  After serious thought and
 prayer, she entered the Sisters of St. Joseph on September 8, 1941. 

Dorothy could be described as a "straight shooter" where a "spade was a spade and
"a rose by any other name would smell as sweet". In her life, God came first and each
 day provided many blessings.  

With such a positive attitude, from 1943 through 2003, she brought to students a spirit
 vibrant with Christ-like love.  She pointed out ways of learning as much as possible about our loving God and
 of making the effort to realize that God was always present throughout life's journey.

Having served the Lord with this joyful spirit for fifty-three years, Dorothy faced the inevitable winter of life.
Her failing health brought her to Maria Regina Residence. There, her spirit of acceptance actually 
strengthened as she realized that now she must depend on the help of others.  

Sister Dorothy completed her full life on last Tuesday. 

Dorothy, we thank you for your life with us.  Through the years you helped us appreciate the joy found in each
 day, to recognize the smile of God, to find song in every voice around us, to" write our trials in the sand and
 carve our blessings in stone".

                           S. Francis Teresa O'Reilly, CSJ

I'm sure the each person here today holds a very precious treasured memory
of Sister Francis Teresa.  It may be a single word, a gifting conversation, a
memorable letter, an exciting class, a written expression of encouragement, advice or
gratitude, for we know that Francis was uniquely blessed with the gift of listening
lovingly, advising gently, and encouraging endlessly.  She had an expansive heart, 
ready to welcome and accommodate, to understand and embrace the dear neighbor whoever that might be.

Long before we, as a Congregation, spoke of inclusive love, Francis displayed it in her
wide array of friendships and relationships.  As an excellent teacher, she captured the interest or at least the
curiosity of her students.  As Director of Junior Sisters, Francis encouraged creativity and modeled striving 
for excellence always tempered by gentleness and joy.  In this position she shared the confidence and trust 
of those who looked to her for guidance and support.  Many of these relationships developed into friendships
that lasted a lifetime.  Many of us here this morning belong to that privileged group.

Having been in positions of authority for more than 25 years, she easily entered a parish convent community,
generously taking a cooking turn, a charge and riding the subway to her new ministry in Catholic Charities. 

In Maria Regina it was rare to find her alone.  Francis entertained a steady stream of visitors. Most
strikingly in her final years, Francis continued to model "surrender of the heart, openness to the mystery of
God and the unfolding of God's plan for her. She lived out the charism of a Sister of St. Joseph for almost
75 years. Francis taught us to seek and find God not only in times of prayer but also in the ordinary, the now
in all things.  In times of suffering, celebration, service and self-emptying, her response continued to be "A
 joyful yes to a total availability before God."

Francis like the image of God as Divine potter and allowed God's tender action to transform and sanctify her being. 

Divine Potter...

D...is for your design, O God, so beautifully planned.
I...is for the intricacies wrought by your loving hand.
V...Is for your vision of your precious work of art.
I...for the invitation to respond with a total heart.
N...is for the newness of this creation which you see
E...is for exceptional the one and only she.
P...is for the patience with which you work the clay.
O...for the obstacles you encounter on the way.
T... is for the time you take to fashion and refine.
T...for all the thought you give to make the vessel shine.
E... is for experiencing your gentle piercing touch.
R...for rejoicing to be loved so much.

                                  

                            S, Ann Higgins, CSJ

All here know how precious to us Sister Ann Higgins  was – and is.  At the               wake yesterday, you could hear certain refrains over and over again:

•  

•  

• A real lady

• Grateful for anything

• Gracious about everything

• Gentle woman

• A team player

• Dedicated to whatever she did

• Kept up with people

• So real, so loving

• Very kind and strong

• Anyone could speak to her

• Very helpful and considerate

• Knew everything about everybody

• Cared about people

• Paid close attention to fine details

• Generous with her time

• Did behind-the-scenes jobs quietly

• Responsible

These were general characteristics but they were specified in each aspect of her life.

Her family remembered her as “the best daughter”, “the best sister”, the aunt who kept in touch with everybody and who never missed a birthday, and the aunt who would always watch out for and delight in the children.  In
many ways, she was the “connector” – if anyone wanted to know something about somebody else, they would
“ask Ann/Aunt Ann”.  The quilt that the family made for Ann’s 50^th anniversary shows just how much they
consider her part of the fabric of their lives

Her sisters in community and friends consider her a “pearl of great price”.  They remember her wonderful
respect for each person, the way she did extra jobs when others were too busy, how she liked to try out new
recipes which usually turned out quite well and how she liked to watch ice skating and the Mets on TV.  They
valued the way she remembered names and stories and how she was always available to the needs of God’s
people.  They are grateful for the way she treasured friendships.  They knew it was her love for the God who
called her, which she nurtured with daily prayer and Mass, that animated all she did

Her co-ministers and those she touched with her ministry throughout the years remember many stories.  From
1948 to 1970, Ann taught children in OLPH, St. Francis Xavier, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Gabriel’s, Blessed
Sacrament and St. Agnes Seminary. She did so with dedication and genuine interest in each student as
someone with a name and a story.  She ventured into religious education in its early years as a ministry when
she went to St. Bernard’s in 1970.  Her interest in people and commitment to the church in those post-
Vatican II years led Ann into a strange new ministry – she became a “street walker” aka “parish visitor” in
Levittown and then in West Babylon.  This is how she began her nearly thirty years of ministry in her beloved
Our Lady of Grace.  Whether she was visiting homes or meeting with parents of children who were to be
baptized or to receive first communion; whether she was coordinating grade levels or teaching children;
whether she was being present to people in a bereavement situation or any other, she was always doing the
same thing – connecting people to the parish and, on a deeper level, with God

All of us who call her “sister” within the Congregation know her as someone who was always at every 
community meeting and event.  She listened, took it all in, offered opinions and affirmed those who were
actively involved.  In 1967, she was a summer mistress and the women who were young sisters at the time
remember her great kindness.  Over the years, she has been supportive of the ministries of her friends,
especially of the ministry in Appalachia.  More recently, she has been very actively involved with the CSJ
Associates.  As one of the Associates said, “she accepted you where you were but gently pushed you to 
where she knew you could go – and in addition, she was fun!” In her very “active retirement years,” she was 
ever faithful to the Sisters and other residents in Maria Regina,  to her commitment to Christa House, and to 
the needs of her local community and  parish.  

She is someone who never stopped striving for the “MORE” in her relationship with God and in every other
relationship in her life.  Her desire for union with God was a constant in her life.  Her desire to be faithful to
whatever God asked of her motivated her to keep on going even when her body would hold her back.  Her
humility in recognizing her limits, failings, gifts and what she considered her “ordinariness” was humbling indeed.  Her appreciation of everyone and their gifts as a manifestation of God’s goodness was sincere –
that’s why she could be so affirmative.  Her commitment as a Sister of St. Joseph came from the core of her
being – she lived and died loving God and neighbor without distinction – and we are all the richer.

                                           S. Mary Mosca, CSJ  

We come here to remember and to celebrate the life of a woman, our Sister Mary
Mosca, who heard the call of God in the depths of her being and through God's 
grace lived her life simply, prayerfully and courageously for 67 years as a Sister of
Saint Joseph.

Born in 1921, the daughter of Edward Mosca and Margaret Cusak and dear sister of Edward and William,
Mary grew up in Brooklyn, attended the parish school of Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. Brendan's High
School.  In February 1940, after pondering Do's call, Mary entered the Sisters of St. Joseph in Brentwood, in
August 1940 received the habit and the name Sister Maria Virgo.  Our Blessed Mother would
continue to play an important role in Mary's life.  During her early years in the Congregation, Mary, in the
words of the song "In the Name of Love," had glimpses of springtime.  Her roots sank deep into the heart
as she stretched to the light studying at St. Joseph's College and teaching at Mary's Nativity, St. Benedict
Joseph Labre, St. Agnes Seminary, Sacred Heat Academy, The Mary Louis Academy and St. Francis
Xavier Academy.

In the next period of her life, Mary was supported by her God, her Congregation and her family.  The words
of the New England poet, Mary Oliver, describes well this time in Mary's life:

The Uses of Sorrow

Someone I loved once gave me
A box full of darkness
It took me years t