Maryknoll Sisters

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.

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.