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.

Sister Joanne Bastien, M.M. Maryknoll Sister for 69 Years, Dies

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Joanne Bastien died at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY on January 3rd, 2023. She was 91 years old and had been a Maryknoll Sister for 69 years.

Joanne was born in St. Cloud, MN on October 17th, 1931 to William Bastien and Magdalena (Arendt) Bastien. She had one brother, Joseph and three sisters, Florence, Marjorie and Rose; she is survived by her brother.

In 1949, Joanne graduated from St. Cloud Cathedral High School and then attended St. Catherine College of Nursing, MN from 1949-1952 where she earned an R.N. Certificate. On February 2nd, 1953 she entered the Maryknoll Sisters Novitiate in Valley Park, MO.

Joanne made her First Profession of Vows on September 8th, 1955, in Valley Park, MO and her Final Profession of Vows on September 8th, 1961 in Hong Kong.

In 1956, Sister Joanne received her first overseas mission assignment to Ceylon (Sri Lanka). However, she was reassigned to Hong Kong in 1957 when the Ceylon government refused to renew visas.

In Hong Kong Sister Joanne first studied language in 1957 and then was teaching and practicing nursing in the Kwun Tong area until 1963. She then returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY and was placed on medical leave until 1968.

Sister Joanne relocated to Chicago, Chinatown and was assigned to the Eastern, U.S. Region where she taught at St. Therese’s School until 1981. She once again returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY and became a member of the Center Community from 1981-2000. During this time, she served in various roles: volunteered in the Center Library, provided nursing services to Sisters in Rehabilitation and the Pain Management Program and served as Assistant Director of Activities in the Maryknoll Nursing Home.

In 2000, Sister Joanne retired to the Sisters retirement home in Monrovia, CA. She remained in California until 2012 when she returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY, where she resided until her death.

Sister Joanne generously willed her body to medical science.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers service was held for Sister Joanne on January 18th at 4:15 P.M. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY.

A  Memorial Mass was held on January 19th at 10:00 A.M., also at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Sister Teresita Perez, M.M. Maryknoll Sister for 55 Years, Dies

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Teresita Perez died on December 29th, 2022 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 83 years old and had been a Maryknoll Sister for 55 years.

On May 26th, 1939 Teresita was born in Altavas, Aklan, Philippines to Anacleto Perez and Placida (Santos) Perez. She had seven brothers: Ben, Ely, Nori, Oscar, Jesus, Cesar and Richard; she is survived by Cesar and Richard.

From 1952-1956, Teresita attended Altavas High School and F.G. Calderon High School in Manila, Philippines. She then attended the University of Santo Tomas in Manila where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education in 1961. Following graduation, Teresita taught high school until she entered the Maryknoll Sisters Novitiate in the Philippines on June 26th, 1967 (from St. Peter & Paul Parish, Makati, Metro Manila). She then continued her education and attended Maryknoll College in Manila from 1967 – 1969.

In 1969, she received her first mission assignment to the Bolivia/Peru Region. She first studied the language in Lima, Peru until her assignment in 1970 to Arequipa, Peru, there she taught English and Religion in high school and did parish ministry.  She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on June 29th, 1970 in Arequipa, Peru and her Final Vows on June 25th, 1975 also in Peru.

In 1973 Sister Teresita went to the Maryknoll Sisters Center in Maryknoll, NY for a reflection year, before making her Final Vows.  During this time, Teresita studied at the Maryknoll School of Theology and attended a CPE course at Central Islip Hospital in Long Island, NY.

She returned to Arequipa, Peru where she continued her ministry, teaching English and Religion in high school until 1976.  She also served as the Education Coordinator for the Peru Region from 1977-1979.

In 1980, Sister Teresita returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY where she served in Congregational Service for three years. She then returned to Lima, Peru once again where she worked in hospital chaplaincy, retreat and youth work as well as family pastoral work from 1984-1986.

From 1990-1991, Sister Teresita returned to the Philippines for home ministry and then did youth and pastoral work in Tacna, Peru until 1993.

She was then reassigned to the Philippine Region where she did youth and pastoral ministry in Quezon City until 2003. In 2004 she taught indigenous people of the Dumagat Tribe with the Foreign Language Department at Miriam College in Manila until 2006

Sister Teresita was again needed for Family Ministry from 2007-2009; she then did occasional retreat facilitation and volunteer work among street children.

In 2012, Sister Teresita returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She served in the Congregation’s Development Department working in Donor Services where she remained very active until her death.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service will be held for Sister Teresita on Tuesday, January 17th, 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 March 29th, 2023 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Sister Alice Cardillo, M.M. Maryknoll Sister for 57 Years, Dies

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Alice Cardillo, Registered Nurse, died on December 22nd, 2022 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 77 years old and had been a Maryknoll Sister for 57 years.

Alice was born in Sayre, PA on February 28th, 1945 to Joseph Cardillo and Jane (Kelly) Cardillo. She had four brothers: Joseph, David, Peter, and John, as well as two sisters: Mary and Jane.

In 1963, Alice graduated from St. Mary’s High School in Rutherford, NJ. She then continued her studies at Caldwell College in Caldwell, NJ from 1963-1964 and then entered the Maryknoll Sisters Novitiate in Topsfield, MA on September 2nd, 1965 (from St. Mary’s Parish, Rutherford, NJ in the Archdiocese of Newark, NJ).

Alice made her First Profession of Vows on June 24th, 1968 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY and her Final Profession of Vows on December 10th, 1978 in SoRok Island, South Korea.  She attended Mary Rogers College (located on the property of the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY) from 1968-1970, receiving her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Community Services.

In 1970, Sister Alice received her first overseas mission assignment to Seoul, South Korea where she first studied the language for two years. From 1972-1974, she worked in Pusan at the Maryknoll School of Nursing.  She returned to the United States in 1974 to study at Bergen Community College in Paramus, NJ where she earned an A.A. Degree in Nursing in 1976 along with her R.N. Registration from New Jersey and New York. She then practiced nursing at Hackensack Hospital in Hackensack, NJ from 1976-1977, before returning to Maryknoll Hospital in Pusan, Korea. She also worked at SoRok Island National Leprosy Hospital in Pusan from 1977-1978.

In 1979, Sister Alice’s ministry changed to pastoral work where she served those suffering with Hansen Disease in villages in the Pusan area until 1980. She continued doing pastoral work in Song Mo Won Village, Ko Chang, Korea, until 1988.

In 1988, she returned to the United States for family ministry, caring for her elderly parents for over a decade. She remained in the United States, ultimately transferring from the Korea Region to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY where she worked in Congregational Service in numerous positions: the Development Department; Congregational Health Department; the Maryknoll Mission Archives Office; and Social Services for the Maryknoll Sisters Home Care Unit. She was also a devoted pastoral volunteer at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx, NY.

Sister Alice remained an active community member until her death on December 22nd, 2022.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service was held for Sister Alice on Wednesday, December 28th, 2022 at the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY.

A Mass of the Resurrection was also held on Thursday, December 29th, 2022 also at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.  Interment followed at the Maryknoll Sisters Cemetery.

Sister Patricia Norton , M.M. Maryknoll Sister for 76 Years, Dies

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Mary Patricia Norton a nurse, teacher, and social worker died on December 1st, 2022 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY.  She was 94 years old and had been a Maryknoll Sister for 76 years.

Patricia was born in Milwaukee, WI on January 4th, 1928 to Harry Norton and Marion (Ducey) Norton. She had three brothers: Robert, Michael, and Terence. Her brother Robert has pre-deceased her.

In 1945, Patricia graduated from Holy Angels Academy in Milwaukee, WI. She then studied at Marquette University from 1945 – 1946 before entering the Maryknoll Sisters Novitiate in Maryknoll, NY on October 5th, 1946.

Patricia continued her studies after entering the Novitiate, she attended Maryknoll Teachers College in 1947 and from 1948-1952 studied at the College of Mount St. Vincent in Riverdale, NY where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing.

On April 6th, 1949 she made her First Profession of Vows at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY and her Final Profession of Vows on April 6th, 1952 also at the Sisters’ Center.

In 1952, Sister Patricia received her first overseas mission assignment to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) where she worked as a Nursing Supervisor in a government hospital in Kandy and later as a head nurse in Kundasale.  From 1962 – 1963, she returned to Maryknoll, NY to work at Bethany House, the Sisters’ nursing home.

In 1964, after earning her Master’s Degree in Surgical Nursing at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. she was assigned to Pusan, Korea where she served as Dean at the Maryknoll Junior College of Nursing. From 1966-1977, Sister Patricia led a nursing instruction team and was then Director and Chairperson of the Board of Public Health Cooperative in Hupo from 1978-1981.

In 1982, she returned to Maryknoll, NY once again this time to serve as Director of Nursing Services at the Sisters’ Nursing Home from 1982-1984.  Returning to Seoul, Korea in 1985, her ministry changed to social services and pastoral care with young women factory workers until 1995.

In 1996, Sister Patricia relocated to Jilin Province in China where she taught English as a second language until 2003 when she returned again to Seoul, Korea and re-entered the medical ministry as a Physical Therapist. There, she was one of two Maryknoll Sisters who founded the Miriam Center for Migrant Workers, which was recognized as one of the best practices of social integration in action by the U.N.’s Non-Governmental Committee on Social Development in 2010.

In 2006, Sister Patricia was assigned to the Maryknoll Sisters retirement house in Monrovia, CA where she was involved in many volunteer projects and served as house clinic nurse.  In 2018, she retired at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY.

Funeral Services:

Sister Patricia generously donated her body to science.

Sister Norma Valdemoro, M.M. Maryknoll Sister for 56 Years, Dies

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Maria Norma Valdemoro, teacher and pastoral care worker died on November 28th, 2022 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 87 years old and had been a Maryknoll Sister for 56 years.

Norma was born in Baleno, Masbate Province in the Philippines, to Filomeno Valdemoro and Amada (Laurio) Valdemoro.   She had four brothers: Huberto, Jose, Herminio and Rev. Filomino and four sisters: Teresita, Linda, Nimfa and Purita. Her brothers Hermino and Rev. Filomino have pre-deceased her.

In 1953 Norma graduated from Aroroy High School in Aroroy, Philippines. She then studied at Bicol Teachers College in Legaspi City, Philippines from 1953 – 1957 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education.  After graduation she worked as a teacher from 1959 – 1965 with the Bureau of Public Schools in Aroroyo and then at Maryknoll High School from 1965 – 1966.

On June 26, 1966 she entered the Maryknoll Sisters Novitiate in Quezon City, Philippines. She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on June 22nd, 1969 in Quezon City before moving to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, New York. Then she pronounced her Final Profession of Vows on September 2nd, 1972 in Chile.  In 1970, Sister Norma received her Master’s Degree in Education from Abad Santos Educational Institute in Manila, Philippines and later that year she was assigned to Chile, South America. After language study in Cochabamba, Bolivia she relocated to Talcahuano, Chile and taught in the parish elementary school from 1971-1972.  During this time, Sister Norma also conducted retreats for youth, taught religious education in the grade school and served as an advisor to youth leaders in the Parish Confirmation program from 1973-1979.

In 1980, she returned to the Philippines for one year to do mission education and then was assigned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY in 1981 to work in the Congregation’s Treasury Department until 1984.  She then spent 10 months at the Maryknoll Sisters Cloister before returning to Santiago, Chile in 1984.  After several months helping with administration in the Sisters’ Regional Center House and taking a course in family catechetics, Sister Norma moved to the Pudahuel section of Santiago in 1985 where she did pastoral work with basic Christian communities and led a support group for women until 1993. In 1994, she moved to a settlement in northern Santiago where she worked among the urban poor doing pastoral ministry with young married couples and training lay people for leadership roles in their local parish.

In 2010, Sister Norma returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY to retire, where she remained until her death.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service will be held for Sister Norma on Monday, December 5th, 2022 at 4:15 P.M. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY.

A Mass of the Resurrection will be held on Tuesday, December 6th, 2022 also in the Chapel of the Annunciation.

Sister Marlene L. Condon, M.M. Maryknoll Sister for 67 Years, Dies

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Marlene Louise Condon, M.M. died on October 9th, 2022 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 89 years old and had been a Maryknoll Sister for 67 years.

Marlene was born in Montevideo, MN on October 18th, 1932, to Frank Condon and Theresa (Rhode) Condon. She had two brothers, Douglas and Frank. Her brother Douglas has pre-deceased her.

Marlene attended Central High School, Montevideo, MN and graduated in 1950. She studied at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, MN from 1950-1953, where she received her Nursing Degree.

She entered the Maryknoll Sisters Novitiate at Valley Park, MO on February 1st, 1955 at St. Joseph Parish in New Ulm Diocese, MN. Marlene pronounced her First Vows on September 8th, 1957 at Valley Park and her Final Vows on September 7th, 1963 in Chile. In 1958 she was assigned to Queen of the World Hospital in Kansas City, MO, where she worked as a Nursing Supervisor.

In 1960 Sister Marlene received her first overseas assignment to Chile, South America. After a year of language study, she worked as a parish school nurse in Buzeta, a poverty-stricken area outside of Santiago. From March-December of 1964 Sister Marlene revalidated her nursing title at Catholic University of Chile, Santiago.

Once Marlene finished revalidating her nursing title she moved to the town of Pemuco. In 1969, she moved to the city of Hualpencillo where she served as a member on the Regional Formal Education Team and as a member of the Public Health team in government clinics until 1974. During that time, she also worked at a rehabilitation facility for alcoholics and did parish work.

From January-June of 1975 Sister Marlene attended Mayo School of Health Related Sciences in Rochester, NY where she earned a certificate as Pediatric Nurse Practitioner.

In 1975 she returned to Haulpencillo, Chile this time to serve as a public health nurse. For this role, she supervised student nurses and taught health education in public schools and within the local community.  On top of all of this she was also doing part-time work in the parish until the year of 1979.

In 1980 Sister Marlene returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY for Congregational Service where she served in the Sisters Nursing Home for three years.

In 1984 she returned to Chile where she did Community Health Nursing, taught health education, did pastoral work with Basic Christian Communities, and did service at a medicine bank for people unable to pay full price for medication. During these years, she was also active in Congregational positions and in 1990 was elected to serve as Vice President of the Congregation where she remained for six years.

In 1997 she was assigned to El Manatial, Flores, Guatemala where she worked on an AIDS Project until 2005. Then in 2006 she moved to Pajapita, San Marcos to assist in the opening of St. Mary’s Hospice for HIV patients.

In 2017 Sister Marlene returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY where she lived until her death. As a last act of service to humanity she has generously willed her body to science.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service was held for Sister Marlene on Wednesday, October 12th, 2022 at 4:15 p.m. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY.

A Mass of the Resurrection was held on Thursday, October 13th, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. also at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Sister Barbara Frances Barr, M.M. Maryknoll Sister for 75 Years, Dies

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Barbara Frances Barr, M.M. died on August 27th, 2022 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 94 years old and had been a Maryknoll Sister for 75 years.

Barbara was born in Ancon, Canal Zone, the Republic of Panama on August 12th, 1928, to Robert Barr and Mary Frances (Westberg) Barr. She had one sister, Helen and four brothers, Thomas, John, Francis and Peter; all of whom have pre-deceased her..

Barbara attended Balboa High School, and graduated in 1946. She then studied at the Canal Zone Junior College from 1945 – 1947, where she obtained an Associate of Arts Degree. She did this while working as a cashier for the Panama Canal Company. She then entered the Maryknoll Sisters Novitiate in Maryknoll, NY on September 6th, 1947 from Sacred Heart Parish in Panama City.

Sister Barbara pronounced her First Vows on March 7th, 1950 in Maryknoll, NY and her Final Vows, three years later on March 7th, 1953 in Bolivia. From 1949-1952, she continued her studies at the Maryknoll Teachers College (located on the property of the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY) where she earned a Bachelor of Education Degree. Her first overseas mission assignment was to Bolivia in 1952. There she studied Spanish in Cochabamba for six months and in 1953 was assigned to Guayamarin to serve as a substitute Principal for six months. She then transferred to San José and Riberalta in the Beni vicariate of Bolivia to teach short hand, typing and English to students.

In 1955 she was assigned to Lima, Peru where she taught 5th grade until 1959. In 1959 she returned to Cochabamba, Bolivia and taught 3rd grade at Santa Ana Parish School. During this time, she also taught High School Art until 1964. She then relocated to Cobija to teach 6th grade and was also in charge of the Youth Club for two years. In 1966 she returned again to Riberalta, Bolivia to serve as Principal of the Parish Primary School where she remained for the next four years.

In 1970 Sister Barbara returned to the United States where she did mission education and promotion work in Texas and Chicago for two years. She then went back to Guayarmarin, Beni, Bolivia where she served as the Primary School Principal. While there, she also worked with the Parent Teachers Association and began to do teacher training until 1979.

In 1979 Sister Barbara was assigned to Santa Cruz, Bolivia where she worked with Maryknoll’s “Evangelization by Radio” for rural areas, writing scripts for the programs and assisting in their production department until 1984. She was also doing religious formation in public high schools during this time. From 1984-1987, she served  in Montero, Department of Santa Cruz, working on the Rural Pastoral Project. In 1988 she began working with CEPRIFEM (Center for Integral Promotion of Rural Women).

In 1990 Sister Barbara returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY to work in the Communication’s Office as a writer for three years and served on the Congregation’s Center Council before returning to Santa Cruz, Bolivia to again work with CEPRIFEM until 1998.  She then retired to the Maryknoll Sisters Center where she worked as Mail Desk Supervisor in the Development Department until 2005. She remained at the Maryknoll Sisters Center until her death.

Funeral Service:

A Vespers Service will be held on Thursday, September 1st, 2022 at 4:15 p.m. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY.

A Mass of the Resurrection will be held on Friday, September 2nd, 2022 at 10:30 a.m. also at the Maryknoll Sisters Center. Burial will follow in the Sisters cemetery.