Ossining, N.Y., Feb. 18, 2026 ── Sister Marie Rosso, M.M., a Maryknoll sister of 75 years with a passion for social work, died on February 8, 2026. She was 95.
Sr. Marie was born on Nov. 16, 1930, to Daniel and Anna Brennan Rosso in Philadelphia, Pa. She had five siblings, four of whom pre-deceased her, including Maryknoll Sister Dolores Rosso, M.M. Her younger brother, Thomas Rosso, currently resides in Maryland.
Sr. Marie graduated from the Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls in Philadelphia, Pa., in 1948. She entered the Maryknoll Sisters on Sept. 4, 1948, at the Venard in Clarks Summit, Pa. Sr. Marie pronounced her first vows on March 7, 1951, and her final vows on the same date in 1954. She received her Bachelor of Education degree from Maryknoll Teachers College in 1954, as well.
In 1954, Sr. Marie set out on her first mission, teaching for a year at the Transfiguration School in Chinatown, N.Y. She then taught eighth grade for five more years at St. Anthony’s of the Bronx, N.Y., before being called to teach in Honolulu, Hawaii. Sr. Marie spent the next three years in Likiep of the Marshall Islands, serving as a teacher, principal and house superior. She would spend the next decade teaching in the Kalihi neighborhood, before becoming the regional superior in 1976.
In 1979, Sr. Marie joined the Hale Kane integrated prayer community of Kihei, Maui, to share ministry and prayer, detaching from material things and deepening her trust in God. In 1982, Sr. Marie began her next role, working within the Treasury Department in Honolulu, before serving as the wage and benefit consultant for the Catholic School Department in 1986.
Following her passion for social work, Sr. Marie’s next roles allowed her to provide support for women in many ways. She joined Walking with Women to assist women fleeing violence, as well as the Home for the Rebirth of Women and Sisters Offering Support, offering help to women leaving prostitution. In 2000, Sr. Marie worked as the house manager at a transition house for abused women, operated by the United Church of Christ. Additionally, she often gave homilies for the Dignity Honolulu Faith Community, in support of the gay and lesbian struggle for recognition. She received the St. John Award for this work in 2000.
By 2006, Sr. Marie was assigned to Monrovia, where she managed human resources for lay employees, while serving with the Interfaith Council of Monrovia, acting as secretary for the California Corporation and working with the finance committee. She returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center in Ossining, N.Y., in 2018, where she remained until her passing.
A wake for Sr. Marie was held on Feb. 11, 2026, in the Annunciation Chapel of the Maryknoll Sisters Center in Ossining, N.Y. A Mass of Resurrection was said on Feb. 12, 2026, also in the Annunciation Chapel.