Maryknoll Sisters

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

She was born in Seattle, WA on April 18^th, 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 4^th, 1948.

She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on March 7^th, 1951 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY and her Final Vows on March 7^th, 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 23^rd, 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 24^th, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. also at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

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

Joanne was born in St. Cloud, MN on October 17^th, 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 2^nd, 1953 she entered the Maryknoll Sisters Novitiate in Valley Park, MO.

Joanne made her First Profession of Vows on September 8^th, 1955, in Valley Park, MO and her Final Profession of Vows on September 8^th, 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 18^th 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 19^th at 10:00 A.M., also at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

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

On May 26^th, 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 26^th, 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 29^th, 1970 in Arequipa, Peru and her Final Vows on June 25^th, 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 17^th, 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 29^th, 2023 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Alice Cardillo, Registered Nurse, died on December 22^nd, 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 28^th, 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 2^nd, 1965 (from St. Mary’s Parish, Rutherford, NJ in the Archdiocese of Newark, NJ).

Alice made her First Profession of Vows on June 24^th, 1968 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY and her Final Profession of Vows on December 10^th, 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 22^nd, 2022.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service was held for Sister Alice on Wednesday, December 28^th, 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 29^th, 2022 also at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.  Interment followed at the Maryknoll Sisters Cemetery.