Sister Anne Karen Brannick, M.M. Maryknoll Sister for 80 Years, Dies

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Anne Karen Brannick died on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 101 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 80 years.

On May 18, 1921 Anne Karen Brannick was born in Rockford, IL to Mary Ellen (Riordan) and Michael Brannick.  She had three brothers who have predeceased her.  She had no sisters.  Her nieces and nephews survive her.

From 1935 to 1939, Anne Karen attended Aquin High School in Freeport, IL.   She then attended the Rosary College in River Forest where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in 1943. She continued her studies at the University of Hawaii and received her Master’s in Social Work in 1954.

She entered the Maryknoll Sisters in Maryknoll, NY on September 7, 1943 from St. Mary’s Parish in Rockford, IL.  She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on March 7, 1946 in Maryknoll, NY and her Final Vows on March 7, 1947 in Honolulu, HI.

In 1946, she received her first mission assignment to Nuuanu, Punahou, Hawaii where she worked in social services. She became the Superior of the Maryknoll Sisters Community in Punahou in 1960.

Sister returned to Rockford, IL for family ministry from 1964 until 1966. From 1966-68, Sister was assigned to the Western US Region in Monrovia, CA where she was in charge of the Medicare program in the Admissions office in the hospital.

In 1968, Sister returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY.  She held in various positions and many different jobs until 2006. She worked on the Switchboard in 1968-1977; in the Research and Planning Department in 1977-1982; in the Rogers Library in 1983-1987. She became the Rogers Library Administrator which became Rogers Library Administrator and Research Services in 1990-2003.  In 2004 Sister Anne Karen volunteered in the Treasury department and worked for Telephone Services until 2012.

In 2012 she retired to the Eden Community at the Center until her death.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service will be held for Sister Anne Karen on Monday, May 1, 2023 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 Tuesday, May 2, 2023 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Sister Laura Magallanes, M.M. Maryknoll Sister for 75 Years, Dies

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Laura Magallanes died on Thursday, April 13, 2023 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 95 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 75 years.

On July 22, 1927, Laura Magallanes was born in Los Angeles, CA, to Teresa (Guerra) Magallanes and Jose Magallanes.  She had six brothers, Frank, Gabriel, Joseph, Michael, Nick and Ralph and six sisters, Angela, Marie, Katherine, Sr. Adela, Rosemary and Teresa. All have predeceased her.  Her nieces and nephews survive her.

Laura attended Sacred Heart Academy High School in Los Angeles, CA from 1943 to 1946.

She entered the Maryknoll Sisters at Valley Park, MO on October 14, 1948 from St. Mary’s Parish in Los Angeles, CA.    She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on May 8, 1951 in Valley Park, MO.

In 1951, she received her first mission assignment to Chile and was assigned to Galvarino where she taught 2nd and 3rd grade until the end of the school year. Sister Laura and Sister Henrietta Coppard, M.M. went to Chillan in 1952.  They started a mission working with the poor and a parish school for the children of families living in extreme urban poverty. Sr. Laura was the assistant principal and also taught primary school.  She made her Final Vows on May 8, 1954 in Chile.

Sr. Laura moved around Chile in the years 1958 to 1970. Sister taught 3rd and 4th grade at the San Juan de Dios Parish School in Santiago in 1958; she taught 1st and 2nd grade in the Parish School in Curepto in 1959-1960; she was Administrator of the Language Study House in Pucon and taught religion and English in Manuel Guinez Boy’s Campo School in 1961-1964; she was assistant principal and primary school  teacher in Talca in 1965-1967; she was principal of Santo Tomas Boys School in Temuco in 1968 and in 1969, she was a primary school teacher in Talcahuano until 1970.  In all the years of teaching in schools, she loved visiting the homes of her students to understand them better, some of them living in city dumps.

She went back to the USA in 1970-71 for studies. She received her Bachelor of Science in Education from Mary Rogers College at Maryknoll, NY in 1971.

Sister Laura returned to Chile in 1972. She lived and worked among those living in extreme poverty. She did mostly pastoral work, also organized soup kitchen, trained catechists, visited homes, hospitals and prisons. She was in Talcahuano in 1972, in Talca in 1973-1989 and in Melipilla in 1990-1994. Sister Laura was in Chile for 43 years and loved it.

Sister Laura transferred to the Western US Region in 1994 and lived in San Diego, CA until 2009.  She ministered to the elderly in hospitals, visited elderly who were shut-ins, volunteered at nearby senior citizen centers, helped minorities and was a neighbor to the neighbors.  Once a month she participated in sharing life and faith experiences in a support group for women.

In 2009, Sister returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY where she remained until her death on April 13, 2023.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service will be held for Sister Laura on Thursday, April 20, 2023 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 Friday, April 21, 2023 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Sister Ruth Greble, M.M. Maryknoll Sister for 74 Years, Dies

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Ruth Elizabeth Greble, M.M. died on Sunday, April 9, 2023 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 101 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 74 years.

On November 16, 1921, Ruth Elizabeth Greble was born in Philadelphia, PA to Emma (Klotz) Greble and Robert Greble.  She had one sister who pre-deceased her.  Her nieces and nephews survive her.

Ruth attended John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School in Philadelphia, PA from 1936-1939.   She attended Pierce Business School in Philadelphia in 1940.

Ruth entered the Maryknoll Sisters on September 6, 1949 at Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY.  She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on March 7, 1952, from Maryknoll, NY, and her Final Vows on March 8, 1955, also in Maryknoll, NY.  Sister Ruth received her first mission assignment as the secretary to the Superior General of the Maryknoll Priests and Brothers in 1952-1956.

From 1956-1960 she studied at Rogers College in Maryknoll, NY obtaining a Bachelor of Education in 1960.  She received a Master’s degree in Geography from Boston University in 1961. She continued her studies and did her doctoral dissertation research in Tanzania from 1962-1964. She received her Ph.D. in Geography from Boston University in 1971.

Concurrent with her studies, Sr. Ruth was assigned to administrative and teaching positions at Maryknoll’s Rogers College. In 1967, she was Vice-President of Rogers College and then became President in 1968 until its closure in 1973. She was also active in Maryknoll Sisters community life, serving as a Delegate at the 1968 Chapter, a member of the Center Board from 1971-1973, and Chair of the Center Board from 1973-1975.

In 1975, Sister Ruth was assigned to Sudan. She helped establish a national center for pastoral, liturgical, and catechetical training. It became PALICA National Center where Sister Ruth worked until 1989. From 1989-1992, she taught at and was a staff member of Munuki Major Seminary in Juba. From 1993-1996, she was on the administration staff of the Maryknoll Sisters World Section House in Nairobi, Kenya. Sr. Ruth returned to Sudan in 1997-1998 where she taught in the local primary school and aided in revitalizing a women’s center in Chukudum.  In 1999, she moved to Nairobi, Kenya where she worked part-time at the Diocesan office until 2004.  During her time in Sudan and Kenya, Sr. Ruth did the finances for the Maryknoll Sisters’ Sudan Region, helped the Tanzania Region, and kept the financial accounts of the Africa World Section House until 2006.

In 2007, Sister Ruth left Africa and was assigned to the Western U.S. Region. She lived in Walnut Creek, CA, where she volunteered her services by visiting women in prison, a Catholic Charities Program, as well as in a new project for returning veterans.  She was also invited to give talks about Africa at the local Christ the King Parish until 2014.

In 2015, Sister returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY to retire.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service will be held for Sister Ruth on Tuesday, April 18, 2023 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 Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Sister Marie May, M.M. Maryknoll Sister for 73 Years, Dies

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Marie May died on April 6, 2023 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 94 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 73 years.

On November 26, 1928, Marie Anne May was born in Brooklyn, NY to Rose M. (Glossa) May and Joseph F. May.   She had three brothers and one sister; all have pre-deceased her.

From 1942 to 1946, Sister Marie attended St. Angela Hall High School in Brooklyn, NY.  She then attended St. Joseph’s College for Women, graduating in 1950 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry.

Sister Marie entered the Maryknoll Sisters Congregation in NY on September 6, 1950, from St. Patrick’s parish in Ft. Hamilton, Brooklyn, NY.  She made her First Profession of Vows on March 7, 1953, at the Maryknoll Sisters Center in NY. In 1953, Marie received her first mission assignment to the Central Pacific Region, where she studied and did social work.

In 1954, she earned 29 credits in Sociology-Social Work at the University of Hawaii. She taught high school biology and religion in Maui from 1955 until 1959. She made her Final Vows on March 7, 1959, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

In 1960, Marie studied and earned a master’s degree in Biology at Immaculate Heart College, Los Angeles, CA.  She taught grades 10 and 12 from 1960 to 1968 in Maui, Hawaii.

In 1970 she graduated from Washington University, St. Louis, MO, with a Master’s Degree in Social Work.  Sister Marie did family counseling in the rural areas of Oahu in 1970.  She also served on the Maryknoll Sisters Regional Governing Board in Honolulu from 1971 to 1974, after which she was assigned to Yap in Micronesia where she remained until 2011. While in Yap Sr. Marie did social, pastoral, prison, as well as youth ministries. She was also in charge of the young adult training program.

In 2012, Sister Marie semi-retired to the Maryknoll Sisters Community in Monrovia, CA where she did volunteer work.  In 2015 she returned and retired at the Maryknoll Sisters Center in New York, remaining until her death on 6 April 2023.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service will be held for Sister Marie May on Thursday, April 13, 2023 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 Friday, April 14, 2023 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

 

Sister Thecla Mutsuye Tsuruda , M.M. Maryknoll Sister for 75 Years, Dies

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Thecla Mutsuye Tsuruda died on April 5, 2023 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 98 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 75 years.

On May 14, 1924, Mutsuye Tsuruda was born in Sacramento, CA to Sumo Shimazu Tsuruda and Ichigoro Tsurudo.  She had three brothers, Tom, Ben and Ray; her brother Tom survives her.  Ben and Ray have all pre-deceased her.

From 1939 to 1942, Sister Thecla attended Sacramento Senior High School in Sacramento, CA.   She attended the Metropolitan Business School, Los Angeles, CA for one and half years.  Then she attended and graduated from the Merchants & Bankers School of Business in New York City in 1963.  She entered Maryknoll on October 14, 1948 from her home parish of St. Francis Xavier, Los Angeles, CA. Thecla pronounced herS First Profession of Vows on May 8, 1951 in Valley Park, MO and her Final Vows on May 8, 1954 in Japan.

In 1953, she received her first mission assignment to Kyoto, Japan, where she studied the language for one year.  Subsequently in Saiin, Takano and Kyoto Sr. Thecla did pastoral work from 1954 to 1970.  In 1971, in Kyoto, she taught English to children and adults until 1974. In June of 1974, she moved to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY for Congregational Services in the Admissions/Orientation Department.

In 1975, Sister was assigned to the Central Pacific Region, Honolulu, HI, and for 10 years worked as a Catholic Social Service Outreach Worker for an Elderly Program.

Sr. Thecla moved from Hawaii to Monrovia, CA in 1985 for more Congregational Services.  There she assisted the elderly Sisters, driving them for appointments and shopping trips.  She stayed in Monrovia for three years.  Returning to Honolulu, HI in 1991 as a full time worker as Service Aide, Catholic Charities Services to Elderly until 1996.

In 1996, Sister retired to Monrovia, CA but continued to work as a volunteer driver, driving Sisters around.

Sister Thecla returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY in 2013.  Where she remained until her death.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service will be held for Sister Thecla Tsuruda on Monday, April 10, 2023 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 Tuesday, April 11, 2023 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Sister Ruth Marie O’Donnell, M.M. Maryknoll Sister for 71 Years, Dies

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Ruth Marie O’Donnell, M.M. died on Saturday, February 25, 2023 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 95 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 71 years.

On August 20, 1927, Ruth Marie O’Donnell was born in Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada to Hazel P. (Kirwin) and Thomas Leonard O’Donnell.   She had one brother and one sister.  They have all predeceased her

From 1940 to 1945, Ruth Marie attended St. Patrick’s High School in Fort William, Canada.  She then attended the Ontario College of Pharmacy in Toronto, Canada where she earned a Pharmacy degree in 1950.   Ruth Marie entered the Maryknoll Sisters on September 10, 1951 from St. Patrick’s parish in Canada.   She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on March 7, 1954 at Maryknoll, NY. and her Final Vows on March 7, 1960 in Hong Kong.

In 1955, she received her first mission assignment to Punahou, Honolulu, Hawaii where she taught religion, biology, chemistry and physics to high school students until 1958.  She was assigned to Kowloon, Hong Kong in 1958, for language study and part-time ministry. In 1961, she was the pharmacist at Maryknoll Hospital in Wong Tai Sin until 1969.  Sister returned to the United States and was assigned to the Eastern US Region, and for 20 years, she ministered in Boston Chinatown, Massachusetts. She was involved in teaching; pastoral work; and she also served on many committees.

In 1993, Sr. Ruth Marie retired to Maryknoll Sisters Retirement facility in Monrovia, CA and in 1994 returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY volunteering her time at St. Anne’s Church in Ossining, NY, teaching music and pastoral work for Hispanics until 2004.  She remained at the Sisters Center until her death.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service will be held for Sister Ruth Marie O’Donnell, M.M. on Thursday, March 2, 2023 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 Friday, March 3, 2023 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Sister Maureen Corr, M.M. Maryknoll Sister for 63 Years, Dies

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Alice Maureen Corr, M.M. died on February 24, 2023 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 90 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 63 years.

Alice Maureen Corr was born in New York City on November 11, 1932 to Thomas and Kathleen (Marron) Corr. She had two brothers and one sister; all have pre-deceased her.

Sr. Maureen graduated from St. Nicholas Tolentine High School in New York City in 1951.  Maureen was an employee of the New York Telephone Company for eight years before she entered the Maryknoll Sisters Congregation in Maryknoll, NY on September 2, 1961 from her home parish of St. Nicholas of Tolentine, New York City.  She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on June 24, 1964 in Topsfield, MA and her Final Vows on July 4, 1971 in Taiwan.

In 1965, she received her first mission assignment to Taiwan.  She studied the language for one year and then worked with young girls in correctional centers in Miaoli and Taipei. She was also was involved in parish ministry in Miaoli.  Later she taught English at the National Taiwan Normal University until 1974.

Sister Maureen returned to Maryknoll, NY for Congregational Service in 1974 and did Promotion on the West Coast until 1976.    In 1980, she was Supervisor of English as a Second Language Program at the Maryknoll Seminary, Maryknoll, NY.  During this time, she was also involved in the Fourth World Project in NYC.

From 1985 to 2007, Sister Maureen taught English at several universities in China, most notably Northwest University, Xian where she was involved in English languages programs for 12 years.

Due to age restrictions in China, she retired from teaching in 2007 and later volunteered at the Holy Spirit Study Center, in Hong Kong, a research institution, where she remained until 2014.

In 2017, Sister returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY to retire.

Funeral Services:

 A Vespers Service will be held for Sister Maureen Corr, M.M. on Thursday, March 9, 2023 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, March 10, 2023 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Sister Meg Gallagher , M.M. Maryknoll Sister for 80 Years, Dies

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Rose Bernadette Gallagher died on February 9, 2023 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY.  She was 100 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 80 years.

Mary Ellen Gallagher was born on September 12, 1922 in Providence, Rhode Island to Elizabeth Mary (Byrne) Gallagher and John Francis Gallagher.  She had seven siblings: six brothers: Daniel, Francis, John, Rev. Joseph, Rev. William, and Vincent. She had one sister Catherine. All have pre-deceased her.

Meg (as she was known) attended Aldrich High School in Lakewood, RI from 1935 until her graduation in 1940. She then attended St. John’s University, New York in 1973 and then on to Mundelein College where she received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theology in 1975. Sister received a certificate from the Yale-Asia College in Hong Kong in 1978 studying Chinese Literature and Culture.  In 1980, she earned her Master of Arts Degree in Political Science from the University of Chicago, Department of Political Science, specializing in Modern China Studies.

Sr. Meg entered Maryknoll on September 7, 1943 Maryknoll, NY and made her First Profession of Vows on March 7, 1946 at Maryknoll, NY receiving the name Rose Bernadette.  She made her Final Vows in China on March 7, 1949.

Sister’s first assignment was to Wuchow, China in 1948, which was a very turbulent political period.  The years, 1951-1976 in Hong Kong were helping men, women and children, who fled to safety to Chai Waan, a refugee settlement, with basic needs for food, clothing and shelter. The settlement had other programs: rebuilding confidence and dignity, training programs for leadership and microfinance.

In 1976, Sister came back to Maryknoll, NY to serve in Congregational Service on promotion until 1977.

From 1982 to 1985, she taught at Xian Jiaotong University teaching English teaching skills with student professors.  In 1985 until 1987, she taught at Beijing University helping student to master research methodology and writing skills.  Transferring to the Eastern US Region in 1988, Sister taught foreign students at Towson University near Baltimore, MD.  She also taught at Notre Dame College.  Assigned to Bangkok, Thailand in 1992, she directed a Maryknoll Safe Shelter for women who had been trafficked, sold to prostitution and children left homeless.  The shelter offered counseling services, education for children and medical assistance.  The program was turned over to local personnel in 2005.

In 2006, Sister was assigned to the Sudan in Nanyangachor to mission with the Toposa tribal people where poverty was very evident.  She was only there a short while, when she had to return to the Center.  Here she was involved in Social and Global Concerns, working with the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns. Her focus was the empowerment of women in all phases of her life, protection for the girl/child against violence and human trafficking.

Sister retired to the Maryknoll Sister Center in 2013 where she has remained until her death. Sr. Meg has so graciously donated her body to science.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service will be held for Sister on February 23rd 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 February 24th at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Sister Marie Crowley, M.M. Maryknoll Sister for 67 Years, Dies

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Marie Crowley died on January 30th, 2023 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY.  She was 95 years old and had been a Maryknoll Sister for 67 years.

Marie was born on April 18th, 1927 in Boston, MA to John Crowley and Ellen (Conalty) Crowley.  She had two sisters, Jean and Anne who have both predeceased her.

In 1945 she graduated Tewksbury High School, Tewksbury, MA and then studied nursing from 1946-1949 at St. Elizabeth Hospital, Brighton, MA where she obtained an R.N.  Marie then enlisted in the U.S. Air Force where she served from 1952-1954.  In 1954 she studied at the Catholic University in Washington, D.C. where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing in 1956.

On September 2nd, 1956 she entered the Maryknoll Sisters Novitiate from (St. William’s Parish in Tewksbury, MA). Sister Marie made her First Profession of Vows on June 24th, 1959 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY and was then assigned to Pusan, Korea in 1960. She made her Final Profession of Vows on June 24th, 1965 in Seoul, Korea.

From 1960-1967, Sister Marie served as a clinic nurse in Pusan, worked in public health in Kang Hwa and spent a year in Vietnam working with Catholic Relief Services Hospital Medical Team.  She then returned to Kang Hwa, Korea in 1968 to work as Assistant Clinic Director and Nursing Supervisor in the Public Health Program for two years at Christ the King Clinic.

In 1972 Sister Marie served as Assistant Director, Supervisor of Nurses and Supervisor of the Treatment Room at the Maryknoll Clinic in Jeung Pyeong, all while preparing the Korean staff to take over operations. In 1975, she returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY and worked in the Promotion and Mission Education Department in the Chicago area from 1975-1977.

In 1978 she returned to Korea, working as Administrator of the Maryknoll Clinic in Jeung Pyeong and as Physician’s Assistant for its Skin Clinic until 1990 when she moved to Mapogu, Seoul, South Korea.

In 1992, Sister Marie returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY to work as Assistant Administrator and Assistant Director of Nurses for the Maryknoll Sisters Nursing Home until 1997 when she was assigned to Chukudum in the South Sudan. There she served in the Sisters clinic until the civil war seriously disrupted the lives of civilians and the Sisters were forced to leave in 1999.  Once again, she returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY where she worked in the Congregation’s Outpatient Clinic.

In 2006, she served in family ministry for one year before returning to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY to work as a relief nurse until her retirement in 2014.  Sister Marie was assigned to the Maryknoll Sisters Home Care Unit where she remained until her death.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Services will be celebrated for Sister Marie on Tuesday, February 7th at 4:15 P.M in the Sisters Main Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, New York.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, February 8th at 10:00 A.M. also in the Chapel of the Annunciation followed by interment of Sister’s body in the Maryknoll Sisters’ cemetery.

Sister Patricia O’Mera, M.M. Maryknoll Sister for 74 Years, Dies

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Patricia O’Mera died at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY on January 13th, 2023. She was 95 years old and had been a Maryknoll Sister for 74 years.

She was born in Seattle, WA on April 18th, 1927 to Irving O’Mera and Kathryn Scanlon O’Mera and was their only child.

In 1945, Patricia graduated Holy Names Academy in Seattle, WA and then attended Seattle University.  She entered the Maryknoll Sisters Novitiate at the Maryknoll Sisters Center in Maryknoll, NY on September 4th, 1948.

She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on March 7th, 1951 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY and her Final Vows on March 7th, 1954 in Chile, South America.

From 1950-1952, Sister Patricia studied at the Maryknoll Teachers College (located on the property of the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY) and graduated with a Bachelor of Education Degree. She then received her first overseas mission assignment to the Chile Region in the rural town of Curepto where she began with studying the Spanish language. She then served as a teacher and taught first and second grade until 1956 when she was assigned to Buzeta, Santiago to teach third grade at a parish school. In 1957, she was re-assigned to San Vicente parish school in Chillán, Chile where she taught grades first through fourth and English in the high school. In 1965 she returned to Santiago to work with adult religious formation groups.

Sister Patricia was elected as Delegate for the Maryknoll Sisters General Assembly in 1968 and was part of the Implementation Team. She was responsible for carrying out decisions, changes and communicating pertinent information to the entire Congregation.

In 1970, she relocated to San Diego, CA to study Adult Education at San Diego Community College and was assigned to the U.S. Western Region in 1974.

From 1971-2004, Sister Patricia taught Adult Education, an Amnesty Program and did volunteer work ministering to the ill and elderly.

In 2006 Sister Patricia retired to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll. NY. She volunteered and helped wherever she was needed around the Sisters Center and remained there until her death.

Sister Patricia has generously willed her body to medical science.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service will be held for Sister Patricia on Monday, January 23rd, 2023 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 Tuesday, January 24th, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. also at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.