Maryknoll, NY: Sister Nuncia St. Pierre died on April 7, 2025 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 96 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 79 years.

On August 4, 1928 Nuncia Rose St. Pierre was born in Baton Rouge, LA to Rose Compagne and Paul E. St Pierre.  She had two brothers and two sisters; her brother Albert and her nieces and nephew survive her.

From 1942-1946 Sister Nuncia attended St Joseph’s Academy, Baton Rouge LA.   She earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing at the University of Seattle School of Nursing Providence Hospital in 1953 in Seattle.  She entered the Maryknoll Sisters at Maryknoll, NY on October 5, 1946 from St. Agnes Parish, Baton Rouge, LA.  She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on April 6, 1949 in Maryknoll, NY and her Final Vows on April 6, 1952 in Seattle, WA.

In 1953, she received her first mission assignment to Tanganyika, East Africa.  She was assigned to Kowak, Musoma Diocese. This was the first foundation of Maryknoll Sisters in Africa. Here she did medical work, learned Kiswahili and some medical terms in the local language.  She also studied midwifery from Maryknoll Sister, Mary Reese.  Not long after arrival, Nuncia was assigned to Nyegina Mission Dispensary from 1953 to 1958.   In 1959 she was at the Rosanna Mission Dispensary where she ran the Maternal Child Clinic along with clinic services to the villages around the mission she served this mission until 1974.

Nuncia returned to Maryknoll, NY in 1974 for congregational services to Bethany Health Service Home. She was there for two years caring for the older and sick sisters.  In 1976 she was assigned to Shinyanga Diocese, Mwamapalala Mission dispensary Mary Mahoney Clinic.  She was able to do outreach for Maternal Child Health in a very rural area where there were no facilities or hospitals.

In 1979, Nuncia took some courses at Maryknoll School of Theology along with assisting in the Housekeeping department. She also took a CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) Program at Central Islip, NY. She had a great desire to do some pastoral ministry when she returned to Tanzania. This came true in 1981 when she returned to Tanzania.   She was welcomed to join a pastoral team in Chanjale Parish Same/Moshi Diocese.

In 1985, Nuncia took her renewal and volunteered as a nurse at the center in the Congregation Health Unit. Here she was able to assist the sisters who came back from mission and those living at the Center with their health needs.  In 1987, she returned to Musoma once again and worked at the Makoko Family Center Clinic. The Center had courses for the families. They would come for one month of study in scripture, spirituality and family life. Nuncia would look after their health needs.

In 1995, Nuncia recognized that her strength was waning and asked to be sent to the World Section House in Nairobi, Kenya, where she could be of assistance to sisters coming and going for medical appointments or rest.

In 1996 Sister returned to Maryknoll, NY due to failing health.  After a short stay at the Center she requested to be assigned to Monrovia, CA in 1997.  Here she did volunteer work.  In 2011 Sister Nuncia was assigned to the Chi Rho Community at Maryknoll Sisters Center NY and then to the Eden Community in 2021 where she took part fully in the community activities.  She loved to tell stories; she had a wonderful memory and a keen sense of history.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service was held on May 5, 2025 for Sister Nuncia St. Pierre at 4:15 p.m. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY.

A Mass of Resurrection was held on May 6, 2025 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Maryknoll, NY:

Sister Patricia Redmond died on April 3, 2025 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 93 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 75 years.

On January 24, 1932, Cecelia Joyce Redmond was born in Cincinnati, OH to Elizabeth True Redmond and Matthew Redmond.  She had one brother, James; her niece, Jill Buschmann, survives her.

From 1945 -1949, Sister Pat attended Seton High School in Cincinnati.   She studied for one semester in Mt. St. Joseph College leaving in February 1950.  Sister Pat received her Bachelor of Education from Maryknoll Teachers College in 1955.

She entered the Maryknoll Sisters at Maryknoll, NY on September 6, 1950 from Holy Family parish in Cincinnati. She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on March 7, 1953 in Maryknoll, NY and her Final Vows on March 7, 1959 in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

Sister Pat was assigned to Bolivia to study Spanish in Cochabamba before beginning her years of teaching and leadership in various schools in Lima (1956), Montero (1959), and Cochabamba (1962). She was an exceptionally creative teacher and a wise and kind principal.  In 1970, she was assigned to Colonia Hardeman, a village of people who were relocated because of flooding.

In January 1984, Sister Pat returned to the States for her leadership skills, first in the Office of Social Concerns, then service on the Central Governing Board as General Secretary. Her precise mind and attention to detail was a source of amazement.  She was wise and compassionate and could defuse tension with humor, or even a clever cartoon.\

When her term ended in 1991, Sister Pat moved on to a new and exciting assignment in Papua, New Guinea with Sisters Peggy Dawson and Helen Gleason in Vanimo, Papua.  It was a challenging and rewarding mission–pastoral work, vocational training and pre-school classes. Theological issues with the Bishop, and the age and health of the sisters ended the mission in 1995.

Called again to the Latin world, Pat returned in 1996 to pastoral work and women’s formation in Guatemala until her return to the Center in 2006. For a time, she worked in Creative Productions in the development department. However, gradually, Pat’s fine mind moved into the illness that brought her to the Eden community in June 2012.

Even though Pat has left us, her art and her humor and her calligraphy remain with us—from bumper stickers about HIV-AIDS in Guatemala, to many signs and names around this house.   We remember too, with varying degrees of affection, that she loved animals and connected with them, especially cats!

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service will be held for Sister Patricia Redmon on Tuesday, April 29, 2025 at 4:15 p.m. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY.

A Memorial Mass will be held on Wednesday, April 30, 2025 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Maureen Gunning died on March 18, 2025 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 93 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 74 years.

On May 29, 1931, Maureen Isabel Gunning was born in Covington, KY to Gladys Leach Gunning and George Gunning.  She had two brothers and four sisters; many nieces and nephews survive her.

From 1945 to 1949, Sister Maureen attended Christ the King High School in Atlanta, GA.   She earned her Bachelor of Education at Maryknoll Teachers College in 1958 in New York. She entered the Maryknoll Sisters at Valley Park, MO on February 1, 1951 from her home parish of Christ the King.  She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on September 8, 1953 in Valley Park, MO and her Final Vows on September 8, 1959 in Los Angeles, CA.

In 1953, she worked in the Seminary kitchen for a year and for a second year in Sr. Marie Pierre Semler, MM’s Chi Rho Arts in our Bethany nursing home, where she honed her skill at doing beautiful calligraphy. And in June 1958, she was assigned to teach First Grade in Los Angeles until 1964.   That year she was assigned to the South China Region.  She studied Mandarin Chinese for a year, in Kowloon, Hong Kong, before going to Taiwan.  With the exception of two periods of Congregational Service – Maureen served in mission in Taiwan from 1965 until 2008.

Starting in 1965, for six years, she taught English to university students in both Taichung and Taipei and at the same time directed hostels for women university students in both of those cities. After three years of Development work in the US, on her return to Taiwan in 1974, she served ten years as a chaplain for blue-collar factory workers, in the Young Christian Workers’ movement at the Jesuit-run Catholic Social Service Center in Hsinchu.  In 1984 Maureen studied the Taiwanese dialect for two years as preparation for what became her most treasured service, a Christian Presence ministry in Chiayi, Kaohsiung and Taichung cities, from 1986 to 1994 and again from 1999 to 2008. During those years, Maureen also served on the Taiwan Maryknoll Sisters’ Regional Governing Board for a period of four years.  Maureen, with her dear friend, Sr. Pauline Sticka, MM, raised Presence Ministry – simply walking the streets of the neighborhoods where they lived, meeting people and becoming friends.

Sister retired in 2008 to the Maryknoll Sisters’ Community in Monrovia, CA where she served for two years as a member of the Monrovia Coordinating Team.  In 2018, she returned to Maryknoll New York to the Rogers (active) Community, and was assigned in 2021 to the Assisted Living section of our Eden Community at the Center.  There, despite a failing short-term memory, Maureen continued to be her gentle, kind and welcoming self, always totally present to whoever she was with at the moment.  She was greatly loved by all who interacted with her, both Sisters and lay staff. We are so grateful to the Eden staff who cared for her with such tenderness, kindness and devotion.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service was held for Sister Maureen Gunning on Thursday, March 27, 2025 at 4:15 p.m. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Friday, March 28, 2025 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Jean Fallon died on March 8, 2025 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 94 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 78 years.

On May 7, 1930, Jean Marie Fallon was born in Seattle, WA to Bertha Hutchinson Fallon and Leo W. Fallon.  She had two brothers, Robert and William, who have predeceased her.  Her nieces survive her.

From 1943-1947, Sister Jean attended Holy Name Academy High School in Seattle. Shortly after graduating high school, she entered the Maryknoll Sisters on September 6, 1947 from her home parish of St. Joseph in Seattle. She made her First Profession of Vows on March 7, 1950 in Maryknoll, NY and her Final Profession of Vows in Japan in 1953.

Sister was assigned to Japan in 1951, but before she sailed there, she attended the Yale Institute of Far Eastern Languages to study Japanese. At that time, many of the Sisters worked in the pastoral ministry with the Maryknoll Fathers in the Kyoto Diocese.  For the next 20 years, moving from parish to parish, teaching catechumens, working with women, youth and children’s groups and participating in various outreach and service organizations in the local area. She lived and worked in the following parishes from 1951-1971: Saiin, Otsu, Takano, Yokkaichi, and Tsu.

Living in the Center House in Matsugasaki, Kyoto, she participated in Regional governance for a few years and attended various Congregational meetings.  She was also involved with the Better World Retreat movement, which fostered growth in Christian living in parish communities.

From 1974-1979, Sister devoted herself to World Awareness Education Programs in the northwest of the U.S.   Returning to Japan in 1979, she began work with the National Catholic Council of Justice and Peace as part of the Peace Education Section.  She also worked on the Philippines Concerns Committee. Jean also cooperated with the National Christian Council’s (NCC) Peace and Nuclear Issues Committee; Association of Major Superiors of Women’s Task Force for Action in Asia (TFA).  During these years, Jean collaborated with others in compiling three books about various topics of social concern. She likewise contributed articles about these topics to religious publications in Japan.  She wrote poetry that featured meditations on nature and daily experiences. In 1995, she took Scriptural, Ecumenical and Peace Studies at the Tantur Institute in Jerusalem, during her Renewal period.

In 2001, Sister Jean began her work with the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns as an Associate Representative of the Maryknoll Sisters NGO at the United Nations.  In 2006, she inquired about joining the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT). After intensive training, she was sent for monthly terms of service with their Team in Hebron, Palestine for the next several years.

In 2008, Sister was assigned to the Center Rogers Community, Maryknoll, NY. Here she active in the CenterCerns Committee, meeting monthly with the group, alerting Sisters via e-mail and other notices of social issues in the local area and wider world and indicating actions they could take. She attended protest rallies, gave talks at anti-nuclear events and participated in various related conferences.  she cooperated with numerous organizations concerned with social issues: PAX CHRISTI Metro (NY); WESPAC Foundation in Westchester; ROAR (Religious Organization Along the River) concerned with the Hudson Valley bioregion; the Dominican Sisters Justice & Peace Promoters group; and BOMA (Briarcliff, Ossining Ministerial Association.)

In 2022, Pax Christi USA designated 20 people as an “Ambassador of Peace” in celebration of their 50^th Anniversary. Sister Jean was one of them.  In their statement to the public they stated that “Ambassadors of Peace are extraordinary and experienced leaders with the Pax Christi USA community who serve as living embodiments of what it means to live a life rooted in the ‘peace of Christ’. They were chosen for contributions they have made in preaching, teaching and practicing gospel nonviolence peacemaking, anti-racism, reconciliation and justice.”

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service was held for Sister Jean on Monday, March 24, 2025 at 4:15 p.m. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY.

A Memorial Mass was held on Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Maryknoll, NY:

Sister Dolores Poelzer died on February 25, 2025 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 91 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 69 years.

On September 1, 1933, Dolores Poelzer was born in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Canada to Elizabeth Hinz and Michael Poelzer. She had five brothers and six sisters; her brother Jerome along with two sisters-in-law, Kathleen and Cecile, and a brother-in-law, Tim, and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and nephews, survive her.

From 1950-1951, Sister Dolores attended Ursuline Academy High School in Bruno, Saskatchewan, Canada. She earned her BA in Sociology at Seattle University in 1956 in Washington.   In 1966, she began to study for an MA in Sociology at the Universidad Catolica de Chile. The following year, she transferred to the University of Oregon in Eugene, OR, specifically to go on for a doctorate, received her Master’s in Sociology in 1969 and her PhD in 1972.

She entered the Maryknoll Sisters at Maryknoll, NY on September 2, 1956 from Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish in Kamloops, B.C. She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on June 24, 1959 at Maryknoll, NY and her Final Vows on the same date in 1965 in Chile.

Sister was assigned to Chile in 1961 where, she taught Religion and put her music skills to work in Grades 1 and 9 in Talcahuano until 1965. She studied Piano and Music Theory at the Toronto Conservatory of Music.

In the course of her studies, she directed a project known as the Santa Ana Research Project for the Maryknoll Fathers in El Salvador. Dolores had every intention of returning to Chile, circumstances conspired to prevent her doing so, among them a spinal injury in 1972 which kept her in the States for a year.

In 1972 she became a lecturer in the Department of Sociology at Humboldt State University in Arcata, CA, where she also worked to start a Religious Studies Program (which later became a Department), and a Women’s Studies Program. In 1977, she took leave from Humboldt to be a visiting Professor at St. Thomas More College, University of Saskatchewan, Canada. In 1981, she was promoted to the rank of full professor.

In 1988, she needed to take family leave and care for her elderly mother until her death in 1998 at the age of 102. Sister Dolores received “Herstory Award” from the Seattle University for “Significant contributions on issues of Women” in 1991.  In 1996, she was teaching at the University of Saskatchewan.

Sister retired, but not to a rocking chair. In those years, she lived in Eugene, OR, and was very active in Vocation promotion; she spoke in parishes and in schools, especially college campuses, and occasional youth groups in addition to continuing in her usual parish ministry.

At age 90, after fifty fulfilling years as a university professor and member of the Western Region, on March 1, 2023, Dolores was assigned to the Eden Community where her increasing health needs could be met most adequately.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service was held for Sister Dolores Poelzer on Tuesday, March 4, 2025 at 4:15 p.m. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Wednesday, March 5, 2025 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Nancy Lyons died on January 19, 2025 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 89 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 44 years.

On May 19, 1936, Agnes Mary Lyons was born in Hamilton, Scotland to Bridget Dougan Lyons and Michael Lyons.  She had three brothers and three sisters; her brother Michael and his wife Betta survive her.

From 1950 to 1953, Sister Nancy attended St. Mary’s High School in Hamilton, Scotland.   She earned her R.N. certificate from Law General Hospital in 1960 in Carluke, Scotland.  In 1961, she immigrated to Cleveland, OH and worked at Mt. Sinai Hospital before moving to Oakland, CA in 1963 where she worked at St. Mary’s Hospital.  In 1967, she became a citizen of the United States.  She became OR manager and then Supervisor for 7 years at St. Mary’s Hospital, during which time she also helped design its new surgical suite. She resigned her position in 1979.  Sponsored by Catholic Relief Services, she went to Thailand to work in a Cambodian refugee camp from 1979 to 1980.

She entered the Maryknoll Sisters at Maryknoll, NY on August 22, 1981 from St. Stephen’s Parish, Oakland, CA.  She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on December 11, 1982 in Maryknoll, NY and her Final Vows on May 4, 1989 in Kworijik Camp, Juba na Bari.

In 1983, she was assigned to Kenya-Sudan Region where she did health work and organized a nursery school.  In 1985, she was assigned to Kworijik, a village outside of Juba. She had a natural talent with little children and before long, dozens of little pre-school children and toddlers were lining up to be fed porridge prepared for the school children; and a health program for the mothers and their babies was also soon started.

In July 1986, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) had the Juba area under siege.  Nancy and Sister Sean Underwood, a Medical Missionary, were told it was safe to go to Kworijik. After entering the mission compound, they were attacked, captured by an SPLA patrol, and made to walk for miles to the rebel camp. There they were held for five days and released the night of the fifth day.    The governor of Juba declared them “persona non grata”, expelling the two from the country. Bishop Paride Taban intervened to declare that they were not spies, but missionaries working to help the people.  After many tries to get a visa back into the Sudan, Nancy succeeded in 1987 and returned to Kworijik.

In 1992, Sr. Nancy left Sudan again when all missionary expatriates were ordered to leave by the Khartoum government.  After months of rest and medical exams at Maryknoll, NY Sr. Nancy and her MKS Sudan community returned to Sudan upon the invitation of Bishop Paride Taban of the Torit Diocese. In 1993, they settled in Acholi tribal parish of Loa.  Then in 1994, Bishop Paride Taban moved the Maryknoll Sisters to Chukudum among the Didinga Tribe.

From 1994 to 1997, in Chukudum Sr. Nancy helped organize classes to teach teenage girls and women, reactivate the parish women’s center and helped in the new Diocesan Pastoral Center for training diocesan catechists and teachers.

In 1997, Sr. Nancy returned to Scotland to take care of her mother until her death in 2000.  Sister returned to Maryknoll for Congregational Services and medical attention before returning to Africa in 2001.  Returning to Africa, she volunteered her services in the Kibera Parish. She helped establish schooling for children. Finding women who were willing to learn and become kindergarten teachers, changing the lives of children living in unbelievable conditions.

Once again returning to the United States in 2007 Sister was assigned the Oakland, CA where she volunteered her services. From 2008 to 2014, she visited the Women’s Federal Detention Center, Monument Crisis Center and Contra Costa County Hospice Care.

In 2015, she moved to Monrovia, CA a semi-retirement facility for Maryknoll Sisters. Here she stayed for eight years. When her health started to decline, she returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Eden Community in Maryknoll, NY where her health needs could be cared for.  Here she stayed until her death on January 19, 2025.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service will be held for Sister Nancy Lyons on Wednesday, January 28, 2025 at 4:15 p.m. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday, January 30, 2025 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Theresia Elizabeth Braun died on January 16, 2025 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 93 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 69 years.

On December 10, 1931, Theresia Elizabeth Braun was born in St. Gallen-Rossruti, Switzerland to Louise Frafel Braun and Paul Braun.  She had four brothers and three sisters; her brother Joseph who lives in Switzerland, and her niece, survive her.

From 1943-1946, Sister Bernadette attended St. Catherine High School in Switzerland.   She received a business degree from the KJM Berufsdule, in Wilmette in 1950.   She attended Sacred Heart College for Women in Chun Cheon, Korea where she received a B.S. in Social Work in 1972.  At the completion of her studies, she was assigned to the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., where she completed her Masters degree in Social Work in 1975.

She entered the Maryknoll Sisters at Valley Park, MO on December 30, 1956, from her St. Jerome Parish, Milwaukee, WI.  She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on August 22, 1959, at Valley Park, MO, and her Final Vows on August 22, 1965, in Korea.

In 1960, she received her first mission assignment to South Korea. Here she worked at the Maryknoll Hospital in Pusan in the maintenance department.  Returning to Korea, she worked with Holt Children’s Service, Seoul, as the International Adoption Case Supervisor for five years.  In 1980, she moved to Kwangju, Korea where she was a Counselor at the St. John of God Psychiatric Clinic for seven years.  Her final assignment in Korea was to three Islands in the South Sea, off the southwest coast of Mokpo, Korea, doing Pastoral Ministry, village Bible study, home visiting, and gardening.

From 2000 to 2002, Sister Bernie was in Tansen, Nepal, as Social Service Director at the United Mission to Nepal Hospital.

In 2002, she returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center in Maryknoll, NY due to health issues.  In 2003, she returned once again to Korea and worked at the St. Joseph Clinic for the homeless in Seoul until 2009.

She retired in 2009 and joined the community in Monrovia, CA where she lived until 2018, when she decided to join the Maryknoll Center Chi Rho Community. When she needed more assistance meeting her health needs, she requested a transfer to Eden Community in 2020.  She was a member of the Eden Community until her death on January 16, 2025.

Sister Bernie was an avid student, speaking German, French, Korean, and Nepali, in addition to English. She was so quiet, listened more than spoke and had great energy, determination, and commitment to whatever was asked of her.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service will be held for Sister Bernadette Braun on February 5, 2025, at 4:15 p.m. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on February 6, 2025, at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Helen Marie Werner died on January 10, 2025 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 105 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 87 years.

On January 6, 1920 Sister Helen Marie Werner was born in Fowler, MI to Lena Motz Werner and Joseph Werner.  She had two brothers and five sisters; all have predeceased her.

From 1933 to 1937, Sister Helen attended Pubil High School and Holy Trinity, in Fowler, MI.   She earned her Bachelor of Education from Maryknoll Teachers Training College in 1944 in Maryknoll, NY.  She entered the Maryknoll Sisters at Maryknoll, NY on June 7, 1938 from her Holy Trinity parish in Detroit, MI.  She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on January 6, 1941 in Maryknoll, NY and her Final Vows on January 6, 1944 also in Maryknoll, NY.

In 1944, Sr. Helen was assigned to Balboa, Panama, where she taught children of Jamaican immigrants for ten years.  She was very aware of the poverty and dehumanizing conditions of the inner city.   In 1954, she made her Renewal at Maryknoll, NY, and during that time her request to enter the Maryknoll Cloister was honored.  She entered on August 15, 1954.

In 1984, the Maryknoll Sisters in Guatemala requested the Contemplative Community to begin a Prayer Presence in the El Quiche area of Guatemala, an area affected by violence during the years of the Civil War.  In 1985, Sr. Helen was one of the two chosen to do the research of the area, their report was very positive and Srs. Helen, Mary Ruth Riconda and Consuela Torrecer were in the first group assigned to Guatemala in January 1986.  After Language School in Cochabamba, Bolivia, Helen and her companions officially began the Prayer Presence in Lemoa, El Quiche, Guatemala.

Helen spent 35 beautiful years in Lemoa, outreaching and being touched by innumerable contacts.   In a reflection Helen wrote in May 2021, after she made her decision to return to Maryknoll, NY, she shared that the big YES in her life was to the invitation from the Maryknoll Sisters to come to Guatemala and to be open to all that would unfold in her 35 years there. There were many other “YES” moments, including to the Monte Maria Graduates, beautiful friendships and a “YES” to collaborate with Mark Ely, who was assisting the Methodist Orphanage in Lemoa, providing scholarships for the children.  Helen’s last “YES” was to the CALL back to the Sisters Center to join her Contemplative Community and to hold in her heart and prayer the people of Guatemala. It was not easy to leave Lemoa, where she experienced the fullness of her mission-contemplative vocation, living it out in the midst of the poor and knowing the love of the Sisters of the Guatemala Region.

Sr. Helen arrived at the Sisters Center in 2021, and during her almost four years in the Nursing Residence “Eden Community,” she participated in the prayer and activities there, keeping in touch with family and friends

On January 10, 2025, Sr. Helen went home to God.   As is our custom, our Maryknoll Sisters were by her side as we prayed together as Helen’s beautiful spirit gently took wing, entering into Eternal LOVE, as we hold forever her sacred presence in our hearts!    Helen gave her body for medical science,

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service will be held for Sister Helen Werner on Thursday, January 23, 2025 at 4:15 p.m. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY.

A Memorial Mass will be held on Friday, January 24, 2025 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Marilyn Jean Graf, M.M. died on December 20, 2024 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 97 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 68 years.

On February 1, 1927, Marilyn Jean Graf was born in Joliet, IL to Margaret Passinger Graf and Aloysius Graf. She had one younger sister, Joan who has predeceased her; her three nephews, Michael, Paul and Thomas Pejsa, survive her.

From 1940-1944, Sister Marilyn Jean attended St. Francis Academy High School in Joliet, IL. She earned a certificate from the Field Business School at Oak Park, IL in 1946 a three-month secretarial program.

She entered the Maryknoll Sisters at Maryknoll, NY on September 2, 1956 from St. Alphonsus Parish in Lemont, IL. She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on June 24, 1959 at Maryknoll, NY and her Final Vows on June 24, 1965 at Colegio Monte Maria in Guatemala.

For one year in 1959-1960, she used her secretarial skills in Central Administration at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.  In 1960, she received an assignment for the Mexico-Guatemala Region for Colegio Monte Maria in Guatemala where she taught commercial subjects until 1965.  From there she did office work at the Maryknoll Society for four years. Sister’s next assignment was to Koror, Palau to the Mindszenty High School where she taught five classes a day of English and religion plus commercial subjects until 1973.

From 1973 to 1978 she was in a secretarial position at the Maryknoll Society. She returned to Guatemala to the Colegio Monte Maria to teach once again and to serve as homeroom teacher for the junior class from 1979-1988.  In February 1989, Marilyn Jean asked for Family Leave to care for her ailing mother, in Lemont, IL.

In 1990, Marilyn Jean was happy to accept an offer to manage the secretariat at Maryknoll Sisters Center in a secretarial capacity. Her next assignment was to the Diocese of Udon Thani in Thailand as secretary for English language to Bishop George Yod Phimphisan, C.SS.R. and the diocese for eleven years from 1993 – 2004.

Returning from Thailand, Sister Marilyn Jean served the Congregational Leadership Team with her extraordinary executive secretarial skills from 2005 – 2007. She then spent three years in Monrovia, California in semi-retirement where she served as a coordinating team member from 2007–2010.

In 2014, she returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center and joined the Chi Rho Community but continued to serve the Congregational Leadership Team in the Secretariat until she definitively retired in December of 2020.  Sister asked to transfer to the Eden Community when she felt her health seriously declining.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service was held for Sister Marilyn Jean Graf on Thursday, January 9, 2025 at 4:15 p.m. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY.

A Memorial Mass was held on Friday, January 10, 2025 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Anna Maria Hartman died on December 28, 2024 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 96 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 78 years.

On August 23, 1928, Sister Ann Maria Hartman was born in Watertown, Wisconsin to Edminnie Schrap Hartman and George Hartman.  She had six brothers and three sisters; her sister-in-law, Marilyn Hartman and many nieces and nephews survive her.

Sister Anna Maria attended St. Mary’s Academy High School in Milwaukee, WI from 1942-1946.   She earned her Bachelor of Education degree from Maryknoll Teachers College in 1952 in New York. She attended Montclair State College and graduated in 1984 with a Master of Arts in Teaching, specializing in the teaching of philosophy for children.

She entered the Maryknoll Sisters on October 5, 1946 in Maryknoll, New York from Immaculate Conception Parish in Juneau, WI.  She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on April 6, 1949 in Maryknoll, NY and her Final Vows on April 6, 1952.

In 1953, she received her first mission assignment to Guatemala City.  Her long teaching career began as a founding member of what would become Colegio Monte Maria in Guatemala City with a kindergarten class until 1955.  She moved on to second grade, and later moving to upper primary. She moved to the Jesuit Boys School in 1964 and taught secondary English.   From 1965 to 1972, she was principal of a school in the Villa de Guadalupe area, founded by the Maryknoll Fathers.  She also did weekend catechetical work in Jacaltenango, Guatemala.  In 1973-77, she was a Parish Minister in El Salvador.

From 1982-84, while earning her Masters at Montclair State College she taught young people how to do critical thinking. She did teacher-training workshops in Chile two months of the year while working in Direct Mail at the Maryknoll Sisters Center in New York and then led the Philosophy for Children program until 1987, writing articles and giving seminars on the subject in Chile.

In 1988, she was assigned to Nepal and immediately began teaching in the English Language Institute (1988-1993), worked with Bhutanese refugees (1994), joined the Jesuit Formation Team for their candidates (1994-1999), and offered English workshops for teachers at St. Mary’s School and the Marianist Brothers from India (1997-1999).  Anna Maria was not only a superbly gifted teacher, she was a mentor and friend to those with whom she worked over the years, both in Latin America and in Nepal, and they never forgot her.

In 1999, Sister transferred to West Haven, CT where she taught Spanish to the permanent deacon candidates and English to many classes of adult Hispanic people in the parish until 2002.   Due to declining health issues, she returned to the Center and the Development Department’s Office of Creative Productions where she worked until 2006. From 2006 until 2014, Anna Maria was a volunteer and she worked tirelessly opening, sifting, and routing all incoming mail in the treasury department.

Sister Anna Maria moved to the Chi Rho Community in 2017 and then to the Eden Community in 2022 where she lived until her death on December 28, 2024.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service was held for Sister Anna Maria Hartman on Thursday, January 2, 2025 at 4:15 p.m. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Friday, January 3, 2024 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.