Ossining, N.Y., Sept. 30, 2025 – Sister Theresa Ann Mallmann, M.M., a Maryknoll sister known for her motherly compassion, died on Sept. 15, 2025, the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. She was 93.

Sr. Ann, as she was known in recent years, was born on December 18, 1931, in Detroit, Michigan. She was the fifth and last child of Louis Anthony Mallman and Josephine Quaiatto Mallman. She is predeceased by her parents and siblings.

After being graduated from St. Bernard’s High School in 1949, Sr. Ann studied nursing at Mt. Carmel School of Nursing at Mercy Hospital, Detroit, becoming a registered nurse in 1956. Later, she earned a bachelor’s degree in science in nursing at Pace University.

Sr. Ann entered the Maryknoll Sisters, at Maryknoll, New York, on Sept. 2, 1959, and made her first profession of vows on June 24, 1962. She received the name Sister John Anthony.

In 1963, she was assigned to the Taiwan Region, where she made her final profession in 1968. She remained in Taiwan until 1972, enthusiastically tackling demanding work among the Chinese and Aboriginal People in Wu-She, Nantou, Hsien, a remote and isolated mountainous area. She organized a clinic, gave pastoral care and set up a kindergarten for children. However, while there, she became ill and returned to New York to recover her health and update her studies.

Deciding to remain in the United States, Sr. Ann worked in New York City and later with the Sinsinawa Dominicans in Wisconsin as a holistic health educator and therapist, serving the local and Native American communities until Covid struck in 2020. At this time, she returned to the Maryknoll Center in Ossining, and in early 2021 was seriously injured in a fall. Sr. Ann remained at the Center until her death.

A wake for Sr. Ann Mallmann was held on Sept. 25 in the Annunciation Chapel on the grounds of Maryknoll Sisters in Ossining, N.Y. A Mass of the Resurrection was held on Sept. 26 also in the Annunciation Chapel.

Ossining, N.Y., Sept. 30, 2025 – Sister Rose Lauren Earl, M.M., a Maryknoll sister known for her lovely, gentle personality, died on Sept. 16, 2025, surrounded by Maryknoll sisters and aides. She was 96.

Sister Rose Lauren Earl was born Wilma Joan Earl on November 8, 1928, to Frank and Wilhelmina (Minnie) Earl in New Albany, Indiana. Her brother, Joseph, and her sister, Mary, have pre-deceased her.

After graduating New Albany High School in 1947, Sr. Rose Lauren studied accounting before entering Maryknoll Sisters on September 6, 1950, at Maryknoll, N.Y., where she made her first vows on March 7, 1953, receiving the name Rose Lauren. She made final vows there on March 7, 1959. A year later, she received her bachelor’s degree in education in June 1960.

It was at this time that Sr. Rose Lauren began her lifelong engagement in the Pacific Islands, from Hawaii to Majuro in the Marshall Islands. Here she taught, served as school principal and set up a teacher-training program with lecturers from the University of Hawaii, which had tremendous, far-reaching effects on education throughout the islands.

In 1978, she became involved with Natural Family Planning efforts, a ministry that would remain central to the rest of her life and work in Hawaii, as well as serving in various capacities in her original study area of accounting for the next 30 years. In 2008, Sr. Rose Lauren returned to the center to work in the Treasury Department, where she created a sense of teamwork and peace that spread joy throughout the department. After retiring, she spent time visiting with ill and elderly sisters, bringing joy to all of them.

A wake for Sr. Rose Lauren Earl was held on Sept. 22 in the Annunciation Chapel on the grounds of Maryknoll Sisters in Ossining, N.Y. A Mass of the Resurrection was held on Sept. 23 also in the Annunciation Chapel.

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Patricia Edmiston, M.M., a Maryknoll sister known for her joy and her smile, died on Aug. 26, 2025, with her dear friend, Sr. Ann Hayden, M.M., at her bedside. She was 80 years old.

Sr. Pat spent the majority of her ministry in Central America, having worked alongside the people of Nicaragua, Panama and El Salvador from 1974 until 2001, developing health programs and leadership training. Throughout her life as a missionary, she welcomed everyone she met with a joyful, open heart.

“We experienced her as an open and supportive community member to each sister,” said Sr. Teresa Hougnon, M.M., president of Maryknoll Sisters. “She was committed to accompanying the people as they lived through the war in Nicaragua and beyond.”

Patricia Ann Edmiston was born on April 10, 1945, to Marcus Morton and Josephine Brown Edmiston. She grew up with two brothers, James and Mark, and a sister, Kathy. She attended St. Denis elementary school in Yonkers, N.Y., and graduated from Yonkers High School in June 1963. She got her licensed practical nursing certificate from Grasslands School in 1967 and her registered nursing degree in 1972 from Bronx Community College.

Feeling the need for “something more,” Pat applied to the Maryknoll Sisters in 1972. “I think that Maryknoll’s mission is the bring the living Christ to the world,” she wrote. “My participation is by aiding in the physical as well as spiritual needs of people.”

Pat entered Maryknoll in St. Louis on Aug. 24, 1972, and made her first profession in Managua, Nicaragua on April 29, 1973. She professed her final vows on Aug. 1, 1981, in Ciudad Sandino, Managua, Nicaragua.

Her lifelong engagement in Central America began in 1974, doing health promotion in Pueblo Nuevo outside of Managua. After a short placement in Panama training young educated women for ministry, she realized her true calling was in health. And so, she directed health programs in El Salvador, Nicaragua and at the Maryknoll Center in Ossining for the next 20 years. From 1997 until 2001, Sr. Pat conducted

leadership training in Jinotepe, Nicaragua. As always, her heartfelt encouragement and sense of fun called local leaders to new levels of service and commitment.

Between 2001 and 2015, Sr. Pat served as administrator of the Maryknoll Sisters Home Care, director of Nursing Service, and was appointed to the Office of Audio-Visual Technology. Afterward, she was assigned in 2016 to the Eastern Region, where she and Sr. Ann Hayden, M.M., offered support to the immigrant population in Penitas, Texas, until health issues brought them back to the Center in 2021. Sr. Pat’s health steadily declined until her death on Aug. 25, 2025.

She is survived by her brother and sister-in-law Mark and Winnie Edmiston of Madison, Conn., a niece and nephew, and her sister Kathy Edmiston. She was predeceased by her brother James Edmiston.

A wake for Sr. Pat Edmiston was held on Sept. 2 in the Annunciation Chapel on the grounds of Maryknoll Sisters in Ossining, N.Y. A Mass of Resurrection was said on Sept. 3 also in the Annunciation Chapel.

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Rose Andree Krieger died on June 20, 2025 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 102 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 76 years.

On July 6, 1922, Agnes Marie Krieger was born in St. Louis, MO to Agnes (Touzinsky) Krieger and John J. Krieger.  She had one brother, Dr. John L. Krieger and one sister, Sr. Mary Grace Krieger, MM, all have predeceased her; many nieces and nephews survive her.

From 1936 to 1940, Agnes Marie attended Xavier High School in St. Louis, MO.   She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Education from Harris Teacher School in 1945.  She taught for three years in the public-school system, and at that same time, she and her sister Mary Grace were involved with many and varied local church activities.

She entered the Maryknoll Sisters at Maryknoll, NY on September 6, 1948 from St. Mary Magdalen Church in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. At reception on March 7, 1949, Agnes received the name Rose Andree, which she kept until her death.    She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on March 7, 1951 in Maryknoll, NY and her Final Vows on March 7, 1954 in Chile.

In 1951, Rose Andree began her long and loving relationship with the country and people of Chile. She began in Galvarino, the sisters’ first mission in Chile—she taught there for four years before moving to the new boys’ school in Temuco, where she also served as superior.  A big change came in 1966 when Rose was assigned to Santiago doing catechetical and pastoral work–she loved it, and she was a natural.

Throughout her life in ministry and community, Rose Andree, lovingly called Ma Rose by the sisters, was noted for her kindness and care for the sisters.

In 1967, another dimension of mission opened up for Rose Andree when she was named to the Archdiocesan Council of Religious.

After four years serving on promotion in the Kansas City area, Rose Andree went to Salamanca, Chile in 1980 where she once again threw herself into pastoral work; she was deeply involved in the Cursillo movement there.

In 1993, Rose Andree discerned that it was time to return to the United States—she had bronchial issues, which were exacerbated by the cold and smog in Chile, and her Associate Sister Community member left the mission at the end of her contract. At that time, the Congregation planned to open a small community in Waterbury, Connecticut, and Rose Andree quickly decided to join it.  With her skills in Spanish, Rose Andree quickly found a ministry in two local Hispanic parishes—catechetical work, home visiting and preparation for confirmation filled her days.  This described “retirement” for Rose Andree.

In 2002, Rose Andree returned to Maryknoll, NY and was assigned to the Center—Main House, which is now called the Chi Rho Community. She helped throughout the house, visiting with sisters, leading prayer services and serving as a Eucharistic minister. When she needed more assistance, she asked to transfer to the Eden Community in February 2012. One great blessing in these years was the accompaniment of Rose Andree’s sister, Mary Grace, who was also living at the Center until she died in July 2024.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service was held for Sister Rose Andree Krieger on July 2, 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 July 3, 2025 at 10:30 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Catherine “Katie” Erisman, M.M. died on april 23, 2025 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 94 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 71 years.

On June 7, 1930, Catherine Jane Erisman was born in Framingham, MA to William and Mary P. O’Connell Erisman.    She had three sisters; her sister Ann Garrahan, nieces, and nephews survive her.

From 1944-1948 Sister Katie attended Greenfield High School in Greenfield, MA.   Katie began studies at Boston Children’s Hospital School of Nursing, and she graduated in October 1951. After working at this same hospital for one year, she began studies at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. and attained her B.S. in Nursing in June 1954.

She entered the Maryknoll Sisters at Maryknoll, NY from Sr. Joseph’s Parish in Needham, MA.  She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on March 7, 1957 in Maryknoll, NY and her Final Vows on March 7, 1963 in Africa.

Shortly after professing her First Vows in 1957, she received her first mission assignment to Morogoro, Tanzania.  Although being well prepared for health ministry with her BS in Nursing, she was assigned to be a teacher, first at Marian College in Morogoro, then Rosary College in Mwanza and then Rugambwa Secondary School in Bukoba where she was also Headmistress from 1965 to 1968.  In 1969, as religious schools were being nationalized, Katie entered government service and taught at Machame Girls’ Secondary School, and in 1975, became one of the founding members of Nangwa Girls’ School, an experimental school.

After more than 20 years as an educator, she returned to Maryknoll, NY, to work in Congregational Health Services and was named Congregation Health Director.  Completing that commitment, she had a calling to work among refugees and worked six months with Save the Children in Sudan.  At the request of Maryknoll Sisters in Africa, she researched the refugee situation, needs and possibilities for mission among them. She visited the refugee camps in western Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Sudan and Somalia.  The results of that research led her to Somalia where, together with a team of Maryknoll Sisters, she served as a nurse in eight refugee camps from 1987 to 1989.

In 1990, Katie helped staff the World Section House in Nairobi for two years and then went to Mwanza where she was a member of the HIV & AIDS Program of the Archdiocese.   Refugee work called once again and she served eight years, first as Administrator and then as Tanzania Country Director of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in 1995-2002.  During those years with JRS was with Rwandan and Burundian refugees as this program was established to serve those victims of the genocide who were living in camps in western Tanzania.  Katie used her gifts of administration and organization to set up all that was needed for staff and volunteers to minister to those displaced individuals and their families.

Sister Katie returned the Maryknoll, NY in 2004 and in 2007 returned to Tanzania and participated in the Mwanza Diocesan HIV & AIDS Program while writing the history of the Maryknoll Sisters in Tanzania.  In 2013 she returned to Maryknoll Sisters Center as Rogers Community Coordinator until 2015.  Then, she semi-retired but offered her countless gifts in many ways.  She was an amazing woman.

In 2024, when her health started to fail, Katie was assigned to the Eden Community. There she received the care she needed from the home care staff.  Sister Katie has so generously donated her body to science.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service was held for Sister Catherine Erisman on May 13, 2025 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 14, 2025 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Cecilia LeBlanc died on April 17, 2025 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 101 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 82 years.

On April 9, 1924, Cecilia Mabel LeBlanc was born in Boston, MA to Alfred and Catherine MacEachern LeBlanc.  She had one brother and one sister; all have predeceased her.  Four nieces survive her.

From 1939 to 1943, Sister Cecilia attended St. Patrick’s High School in Roxbury, MA.   She entered the Maryknoll Sisters at Maryknoll, NY on September 7, 1943 from her parish, St. Patrick.  She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on March 7, 1946 in Maryknoll, NY and her Final Vows on March 7, 1949 in Monrovia, CA.

She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education in 1969 from Mary Rogers College, Maryknoll, NY.  She then attended State University College at New Paltz, NY, earning a Master of Arts degree in English Literature in 1971.

In 1947, her first assignment was to the Maryknoll seminary kitchen in Ossining, NY for one year, followed by another year in the seminary kitchen in Mountain View at Los Altos, CA.  Her next assignment in 1948 was to the Maryknoll Sisters TB hospital ran in Monrovia, California, where she would help to prepare meals for very sick people for the next nine years.

Cecilia’s first mission in 1957 was to Kowak, Tanzania where her primary assignment was to study the Luo language.  She was also engaged in pastoral ministry and she lost no time in visiting the villages to meet the people to introduce herself.  It was an experience that left a major impact on her life as assuredly as it did on the people she had met and served.

Equipped with her degrees, Cecilia’s next assignment in 1971 was to the all-boys Isoka Secondary School in Zambia.  She taught third year high school and was also responsible for the overall academic scheduling.  She loved the ministry, but Cecilia’s time at Isoka would be short-lived as she needed to return to the United States in 1973 for medical reasons.

Two years later, in 1975, she applied to transfer to the Eastern United States Region. She had originally intended to return to Africa, but for family and personal reasons, she decided instead that it would be better for her to remain in the States.

For the next thirty-eight years of her active life, from 1975 until she came to the Chi Rho Community at Maryknoll, NY in 2013, Cecilia gave her all to make God’s love visible in New Hampshire, in Connecticut, and in the myriad ways in which she participated in the Eastern U.S. Region, as well as in the wider congregation. She taught in several schools and received high praise for her poise, her sense of humor, empathy, enthusiasm, and dedication. In 1987, she branched out, tutoring inmates for their GED at the Belknap County Jail and teaching English as a Second Language to Cambodian and Vietnamese immigrants.

Throughout her teaching years, she challenged herself, taking workshops or seminars in Developmental Disabilities and Working with Parents of Children with Disabilities. From 1988-2004, she served as the Receptionist/Secretary for the New Hampshire Catholic Charities, a course in computer skills became a necessity. In the early 1990s, to prepare well for her volunteer ministry with older people and for her time in Family Ministry in 1994, she took courses on Current Issues in Aging and Gerontology.

Having begun her mission life in pastoral ministry in Tanzania, she brought her active mission life full circle in the EUS Region serving on Pastoral Councils, as a Eucharistic Minister at Assisted Living and Retirement Homes, reaching out to the Homebound, being active in RCIA, Bible Study Groups and in Bereavement Ministry.

In 2013, Cecilia returned to Maryknoll, NY contributing to the Chi Rho Community. The EUS Region sent Cecilia with their blessing, endorsing her as a gentle, creative, and thoughtful member who would be greatly missed and who would be a great blessing to the Community. She continued to share her many talents as long as she could, serving as a member of the Home Care Chapel Liturgical Music Team until 2019.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service was held for Sister Cecilia LeBlanc on May 8, 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 May 9, 2025 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

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.