Maryknoll Sisters

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Rose Marie Guercio, M.M. died on June 9^th, 2020 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, New York. She was 95 years old and had been a Maryknoll Sister for 72 years! Rose was born on December 31^st, 1924 in Astoria, NY to Margaret (Vitale) Guercio and Charles P. Guercio. She had one sister, Josephine and two brothers, Paul and Vincent; all of whom have pre-deceased her.

In 1943, Rose graduated from Freeport High School in Freeport, Long Island, NY.  Following graduation, she worked as a Patent Clerk for Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc. until 1947. Rose then entered the Maryknoll Sisters Novitiate in Maryknoll, NY from (Holy Redeemer Parish, Rockville Centre, NY) on September 6^th, 1947. She made her First Profession of Vows at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY on March 7^th, 1950 and her Final Profession of Vows on March 7^th, 1953 in Valley Park, MO.

From 1950-1952, Sister Rose worked at the Maryknoll Fathers Seminary and at Bethany (the Maryknoll Sisters Nursing Home) located on the property of the Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She then studied at St. Mary’s Hospital School of Nursing in Rochester, MN graduating as a Registered Nurse in 1955.

In 1955, Sister Rose received her first overseas mission assignment to a government hospital in Kandy, Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka) until 1959. She was then assigned to Pusan, Korea to serve as the Pusan Clinic Supervisor and Assistant Administrator until 1967.  In 1967, she relocated to Seoul, Korea where she studied at Yonsei Language School and did the regional bookkeeping. In 1968, she served as a Delegate to the Congregation’s Special Chapter of Affairs and in 1969 returned to Korea to begin her work at the Maryknoll Fathers Okchon Clinic in Chung Puk Do. There, she initiated maternal/child healthcare programs and served as supervisor/administrator. In recognition of her work, she was awarded a Civil Merit Medal as an “exemplary health worker.”

In 1970, Sister Rose returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY for the Congregation’s General Assembly, as Korea’s Regional Delegate. In 1972, she was assigned to Jeung Pyeong, Korea to work as Administrator of the Maryknoll Clinic and draft plans for greater public health facilities.

From 1975-1979, she founded the Medical Health Insurance Cooperative, with this new endeavor she was able to provide families with health insurance at affordable rates. The Governor of Jeung Pyeong recognized her important work and made her an Honorary Citizen of the Province.

In 1979, Sister Rose returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll NY to serve as Assistant Treasurer until 1984 when she was again elected as Delegate to the Congregation’s General Assembly. She then returned to Seoul, Korea to work for the Korean Bishops Conference in the National Catholic Justice and Peace Commission.

In 1990, she returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY to work as a member of the task force planning for the 1991 General Assembly. From 1991-2000, she volunteered in the Development Department and Planned Giving Office at the center.

She then returned to Seoul, Korea once again in 2000. This time she took over the Ilsan Bible Study Class and became English Editor at the Coalition for Economic Justice. She was also Editor of the English edition of Civil Society Magazine while also serving as a Eucharistic Minister in the Kayang Parish.

In 2006 Sister Rose returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center to fully retire.

Sister Rose’s body was interred in the Maryknoll Sisters Cemetery on June 10, 2020. An outdoor memorial service was held for her on Sunday, June 14^th.

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Mary Lee Englerth, M.M. died on May 31^st, 2020 at the WellSpan Hospital in York, PA. She was 83 years old and had been a Maryknoll Sister for 46 years.

Mary Lee was born on February 4^th, 1937 in Harrisburg, PA to Winifred C. (Gillen) Englerth and Charles L. Englerth; she was an only child.

In 1954, she graduated from Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg, PA and immediately entered the Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Immaculata, PA. Sister Mary Lee then attended the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music during the summers from 1957 – 1961 and Immaculata College from 1963 – 1968, earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music. She also spent a few months on mission in Peru in 1962.

On August 10^th, 1973, she transferred to the Maryknoll Sisters Congregation and entered at the Maryknoll Sisters Formation House in St. Louis, MO. Sister Mary Lee soon joined the Maryknoll Community at the Maryknoll Sisters Center in Maryknoll, New York.  She spent the next two years, studying at the Maryknoll School of Theology (located on the Sisters Center property) and earned a Master of Arts Degree in Religious Studies.

On June 8^th 1975, she made her Final Vows at the Maryknoll Sisters Center and was then assigned to Peru. She served at the San Miguel Parish, Ilave, in the Juli Prelature working as a member of the pastoral team. They ventured to rural communities to promote health education; high school sacramental preparation and worked with local women’s groups.

In 1979, Sister Mary Lee returned to St. Louis, MO and enrolled at St. Louis University to become a Physician’s Assistant. She earned her certification in 1981 and returned to Peru to serve as a Health Coordinator in the Juli Prelature. There, she taught health courses and trained several healthcare workers until 1987, when she returned to the U.S. to care for her elderly mother in PA.  She was appointed as Center Administrator at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY from 1989-1991.

Sister Mary Lee then returned to PA and became a member of the Maryknoll Sisters Eastern Region in 1998. During this time, she also become Director of the State Migrant Program, served as a Member of the Migrant Clinicians Network and worked as Coordinator of the Keystone Health Center for Migrant Care programs and Clinical Quality Control Programs until 2003.

In 2003, Sister Mary Lee was assigned to the rural mountain area of Guatemala, there she did primary care and trained healthcare workers in the parishes of Concepción and Sipacapa.

In 2007, Sister Mary Lee returned to the U.S. to serve on the Maryknoll Sisters Eastern U.S. Region Team at the Keystone Center once again. She served the migrant workers in 32 counties of Western Pennsylvania until her retirement in 2019.

Sister Mary Lee’s work was recognized and deeply appreciated among the migrant community.  In 2018, she was presented with the Living the Dream Award, given annually to a person who best exemplifies the ideals of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.!

Funeral Services: She will be buried at the Maryknoll Sisters Center. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, funeral services will be scheduled for a date in the future when group gatherings are deemed safe. Sister Mary Lee’s family and our community remember her soul in prayer during this difficult time.