Maryknoll Sisters

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Helen Marie Werner died on January 10, 2025 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 105 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 87 years.

On January 6, 1920 Sister Helen Marie Werner was born in Fowler, MI to Lena Motz Werner and Joseph Werner.  She had two brothers and five sisters; all have predeceased her.

From 1933 to 1937, Sister Helen attended Pubil High School and Holy Trinity, in Fowler, MI.   She earned her Bachelor of Education from Maryknoll Teachers Training College in 1944 in Maryknoll, NY.  She entered the Maryknoll Sisters at Maryknoll, NY on June 7, 1938 from her Holy Trinity parish in Detroit, MI.  She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on January 6, 1941 in Maryknoll, NY and her Final Vows on January 6, 1944 also in Maryknoll, NY.

In 1944, Sr. Helen was assigned to Balboa, Panama, where she taught children of Jamaican immigrants for ten years.  She was very aware of the poverty and dehumanizing conditions of the inner city.   In 1954, she made her Renewal at Maryknoll, NY, and during that time her request to enter the Maryknoll Cloister was honored.  She entered on August 15, 1954.

In 1984, the Maryknoll Sisters in Guatemala requested the Contemplative Community to begin a Prayer Presence in the El Quiche area of Guatemala, an area affected by violence during the years of the Civil War.  In 1985, Sr. Helen was one of the two chosen to do the research of the area, their report was very positive and Srs. Helen, Mary Ruth Riconda and Consuela Torrecer were in the first group assigned to Guatemala in January 1986.  After Language School in Cochabamba, Bolivia, Helen and her companions officially began the Prayer Presence in Lemoa, El Quiche, Guatemala.

Helen spent 35 beautiful years in Lemoa, outreaching and being touched by innumerable contacts.   In a reflection Helen wrote in May 2021, after she made her decision to return to Maryknoll, NY, she shared that the big YES in her life was to the invitation from the Maryknoll Sisters to come to Guatemala and to be open to all that would unfold in her 35 years there. There were many other “YES” moments, including to the Monte Maria Graduates, beautiful friendships and a “YES” to collaborate with Mark Ely, who was assisting the Methodist Orphanage in Lemoa, providing scholarships for the children.  Helen’s last “YES” was to the CALL back to the Sisters Center to join her Contemplative Community and to hold in her heart and prayer the people of Guatemala. It was not easy to leave Lemoa, where she experienced the fullness of her mission-contemplative vocation, living it out in the midst of the poor and knowing the love of the Sisters of the Guatemala Region.

Sr. Helen arrived at the Sisters Center in 2021, and during her almost four years in the Nursing Residence “Eden Community,” she participated in the prayer and activities there, keeping in touch with family and friends

On January 10, 2025, Sr. Helen went home to God.   As is our custom, our Maryknoll Sisters were by her side as we prayed together as Helen’s beautiful spirit gently took wing, entering into Eternal LOVE, as we hold forever her sacred presence in our hearts!    Helen gave her body for medical science,

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service will be held for Sister Helen Werner on Thursday, January 23, 2025 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, January 24, 2025 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Theresia Elizabeth Braun died on January 16, 2025 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 93 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 69 years.

On December 10, 1931, Theresia Elizabeth Braun was born in St. Gallen-Rossruti, Switzerland to Louise Frafel Braun and Paul Braun.  She had four brothers and three sisters; her brother Joseph who lives in Switzerland, and her niece, survive her.

From 1943-1946, Sister Bernadette attended St. Catherine High School in Switzerland.   She received a business degree from the KJM Berufsdule, in Wilmette in 1950.   She attended Sacred Heart College for Women in Chun Cheon, Korea where she received a B.S. in Social Work in 1972.  At the completion of her studies, she was assigned to the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., where she completed her Masters degree in Social Work in 1975.

She entered the Maryknoll Sisters at Valley Park, MO on December 30, 1956, from her St. Jerome Parish, Milwaukee, WI.  She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on August 22, 1959, at Valley Park, MO, and her Final Vows on August 22, 1965, in Korea.

In 1960, she received her first mission assignment to South Korea. Here she worked at the Maryknoll Hospital in Pusan in the maintenance department.  Returning to Korea, she worked with Holt Children’s Service, Seoul, as the International Adoption Case Supervisor for five years.  In 1980, she moved to Kwangju, Korea where she was a Counselor at the St. John of God Psychiatric Clinic for seven years.  Her final assignment in Korea was to three Islands in the South Sea, off the southwest coast of Mokpo, Korea, doing Pastoral Ministry, village Bible study, home visiting, and gardening.

From 2000 to 2002, Sister Bernie was in Tansen, Nepal, as Social Service Director at the United Mission to Nepal Hospital.

In 2002, she returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center in Maryknoll, NY due to health issues.  In 2003, she returned once again to Korea and worked at the St. Joseph Clinic for the homeless in Seoul until 2009.

She retired in 2009 and joined the community in Monrovia, CA where she lived until 2018, when she decided to join the Maryknoll Center Chi Rho Community. When she needed more assistance meeting her health needs, she requested a transfer to Eden Community in 2020.  She was a member of the Eden Community until her death on January 16, 2025.

Sister Bernie was an avid student, speaking German, French, Korean, and Nepali, in addition to English. She was so quiet, listened more than spoke and had great energy, determination, and commitment to whatever was asked of her.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service will be held for Sister Bernadette Braun on February 5, 2025, 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 February 6, 2025, at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Marilyn Jean Graf, M.M. died on December 20, 2024 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 97 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 68 years.

On February 1, 1927, Marilyn Jean Graf was born in Joliet, IL to Margaret Passinger Graf and Aloysius Graf. She had one younger sister, Joan who has predeceased her; her three nephews, Michael, Paul and Thomas Pejsa, survive her.

From 1940-1944, Sister Marilyn Jean attended St. Francis Academy High School in Joliet, IL. She earned a certificate from the Field Business School at Oak Park, IL in 1946 a three-month secretarial program.

She entered the Maryknoll Sisters at Maryknoll, NY on September 2, 1956 from St. Alphonsus Parish in Lemont, IL. She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on June 24, 1959 at Maryknoll, NY and her Final Vows on June 24, 1965 at Colegio Monte Maria in Guatemala.

For one year in 1959-1960, she used her secretarial skills in Central Administration at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.  In 1960, she received an assignment for the Mexico-Guatemala Region for Colegio Monte Maria in Guatemala where she taught commercial subjects until 1965.  From there she did office work at the Maryknoll Society for four years. Sister’s next assignment was to Koror, Palau to the Mindszenty High School where she taught five classes a day of English and religion plus commercial subjects until 1973.

From 1973 to 1978 she was in a secretarial position at the Maryknoll Society. She returned to Guatemala to the Colegio Monte Maria to teach once again and to serve as homeroom teacher for the junior class from 1979-1988.  In February 1989, Marilyn Jean asked for Family Leave to care for her ailing mother, in Lemont, IL.

In 1990, Marilyn Jean was happy to accept an offer to manage the secretariat at Maryknoll Sisters Center in a secretarial capacity. Her next assignment was to the Diocese of Udon Thani in Thailand as secretary for English language to Bishop George Yod Phimphisan, C.SS.R. and the diocese for eleven years from 1993 – 2004.

Returning from Thailand, Sister Marilyn Jean served the Congregational Leadership Team with her extraordinary executive secretarial skills from 2005 – 2007. She then spent three years in Monrovia, California in semi-retirement where she served as a coordinating team member from 2007–2010.

In 2014, she returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center and joined the Chi Rho Community but continued to serve the Congregational Leadership Team in the Secretariat until she definitively retired in December of 2020.  Sister asked to transfer to the Eden Community when she felt her health seriously declining.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service was held for Sister Marilyn Jean Graf on Thursday, January 9, 2025 at 4:15 p.m. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY.

A Memorial Mass was held on Friday, January 10, 2025 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Anna Maria Hartman died on December 28, 2024 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 96 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 78 years.

On August 23, 1928, Sister Ann Maria Hartman was born in Watertown, Wisconsin to Edminnie Schrap Hartman and George Hartman.  She had six brothers and three sisters; her sister-in-law, Marilyn Hartman and many nieces and nephews survive her.

Sister Anna Maria attended St. Mary’s Academy High School in Milwaukee, WI from 1942-1946.   She earned her Bachelor of Education degree from Maryknoll Teachers College in 1952 in New York. She attended Montclair State College and graduated in 1984 with a Master of Arts in Teaching, specializing in the teaching of philosophy for children.

She entered the Maryknoll Sisters on October 5, 1946 in Maryknoll, New York from Immaculate Conception Parish in Juneau, WI.  She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on April 6, 1949 in Maryknoll, NY and her Final Vows on April 6, 1952.

In 1953, she received her first mission assignment to Guatemala City.  Her long teaching career began as a founding member of what would become Colegio Monte Maria in Guatemala City with a kindergarten class until 1955.  She moved on to second grade, and later moving to upper primary. She moved to the Jesuit Boys School in 1964 and taught secondary English.   From 1965 to 1972, she was principal of a school in the Villa de Guadalupe area, founded by the Maryknoll Fathers.  She also did weekend catechetical work in Jacaltenango, Guatemala.  In 1973-77, she was a Parish Minister in El Salvador.

From 1982-84, while earning her Masters at Montclair State College she taught young people how to do critical thinking. She did teacher-training workshops in Chile two months of the year while working in Direct Mail at the Maryknoll Sisters Center in New York and then led the Philosophy for Children program until 1987, writing articles and giving seminars on the subject in Chile.

In 1988, she was assigned to Nepal and immediately began teaching in the English Language Institute (1988-1993), worked with Bhutanese refugees (1994), joined the Jesuit Formation Team for their candidates (1994-1999), and offered English workshops for teachers at St. Mary’s School and the Marianist Brothers from India (1997-1999).  Anna Maria was not only a superbly gifted teacher, she was a mentor and friend to those with whom she worked over the years, both in Latin America and in Nepal, and they never forgot her.

In 1999, Sister transferred to West Haven, CT where she taught Spanish to the permanent deacon candidates and English to many classes of adult Hispanic people in the parish until 2002.   Due to declining health issues, she returned to the Center and the Development Department’s Office of Creative Productions where she worked until 2006. From 2006 until 2014, Anna Maria was a volunteer and she worked tirelessly opening, sifting, and routing all incoming mail in the treasury department.

Sister Anna Maria moved to the Chi Rho Community in 2017 and then to the Eden Community in 2022 where she lived until her death on December 28, 2024.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service was held for Sister Anna Maria Hartman on Thursday, January 2, 2025 at 4:15 p.m. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Friday, January 3, 2024 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Elizabeth Ann Erbland died on October 11, 2024 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 89 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 61 years.

On April 1, 1935, Elizabeth Ann Erbland was born in Fairport, NY.  She had eight brothers and two sisters; she is survived by many nieces and nephews.

From 1949-1953, Sister Elizabeth attended Fairport High School in Fairport, NY.   She earned her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education at Genesee State Teachers College in Genesee, NY.  She then attended Mary Rogers College from 1965-1966.  She entered the Maryknoll Sisters at Maryknoll, NY on September 2, 1963 from Our Lady of the Assumption, Fairport, NY.  She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on June 24, 1966 in Maryknoll, NY and her Final Vows on September 24, 1978 in Watch Hill, Rhode Island.

In 1971, she received her first mission assignment as a teacher to Davao, the town of Panabo in the Southern Philippines.  Then she became Directress and Coordinator of Department Heads. Due to family illness, she returned to Fairport, NY where she taught in 1972 and 1973.  From 1973 to 1977, she worked at Maryknoll in the Development Office on Foundations and as part of the World Awareness Team.  She then moved to Rochester, NY from 1977 until 1984 as Assistant Superintendent for Urban Education and Special Education. Coming back to Maryknoll, NY in 1985, she was Director of the Development Department until 1989.

From 1990 to 1999, Sr. Elizabeth lived in McAllan, TX doing pastoral work with the Spanish community and was Director of Religious Education at St. Joseph the Worker Parish followed by teaching special Education in nearby Mission, TX.   For the next eight years, she took care of her brother Walter in Temporary Family Residence in Warren, PA.  In 2009, Sister was assigned to the Eastern US Region where she worked for Catholic Social Services in Asheville, NC, then returning to Maryknoll for part-time services at the Ossining Food Pantry until 2012.

Sister was assigned to the Rogers Community at Maryknoll, NY in 2012 and then to the Eden Community in 2024.  She was known for her humor and sense of fun, kindness and commitment to peace and justice.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service was held for Sister Elizabeth on Thursday, October 18, 2024 at 4:15 p.m. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Friday, October 19, 2024 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Maryknoll, NY: Sister Jean Marie Maloney died on November 28, 2024 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY. She was 94 years old and a Maryknoll Sister for 74 years.

On January 16, 1930, Jean Marie Maloney was born in Syracuse, NY to Elizabeth David Maloney and Michael Maloney.  She had a twin sister, Joan, who predeceased her; her nieces, Elizabeth Regulbuto and Jean Getsy, survive her.

From 1943-1947 Sister Jean attended Cathedral Academy High School in Syracuse, NY.   She earned her R.N. at St. Joseph’s School of Nursing, Syracuse, NY in 1950.  She entered the Maryknoll Sisters at Maryknoll, NY on September 6, 1950 from her parish Cathedral, Syracuse, NY.  She pronounced her First Profession of Vows on March 7, 1953 in Maryknoll, NY and her Final Vows on March 7, 1959 in Pusan, Korea.

In 1953, she received her first mission assignment to Pusan, Korea, nine weeks after the beginning of the Korean War.  Ministering to the thousands of refugees, sick and homeless, during the three years of war. In 1956, she started a new clinic in Cheong Pyeong in the rural center of the country.  In 1966, she continued her nursing ministry in a second clinic begun on the historical island of Kang Hwa.  In addition to her nursing activities, Jean was active in the pastoral ministries of teaching religious education, the Legion of Mary & the JOC (Young Christian workers).

By 1973 in Korea, amid its own Industrial Revolution, working conditions were unsafe and abusive. To respond to this need, Jean and Sister Mary Lou Herlihy joined a group of women factory workers who wished to live in community and devote their lives to God in the Labor Ministry.

In 1976, Sr. Jean came home to New York and was asked to serve on the Congregational Orientation Team until 1979.

Returning to Korea in 1980, Jean served on various committees working for Justice and Peace.  This led her to become aware of the life of women in the sex industry and the establishment of Magdalena House, a shelter for women trying to move out of the life.  Jean continued in this work for seventeen years.   She then completed her bachelor’s degree from Maryland University (1997) and her Masters in Creation Spirituality at Naropa University in Oakland, California (1999).

On June 18, 1994, Jean Maloney received a “Gratitude Plaque “from the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs in Korea. The plaque noted that “since Sr. Jean Maloney arrived in Korea in 1954, she has given comfort and courage for life to the poor and alienated people for 40 years, especially giving service with devotion and self-sacrifice to unfortunate women,”

In 2007, Sr. Jean again served on the Congregational Orientation Team until 2009.

Returning to the Center and transferring to the Chi Rho community in 2022, she wrote:

“Mission is a total way of Life.  Wherever I am is Mission.  It is my life, my love, to show forth God’s love and care for all”.

Needing increased support, Jean transferred to the Eden Community in 2023.

Funeral Services:

A Vespers Service will be held for Sister Jean Maloney on Monday, December 9, 2024 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 Tuesday, December 10, 2024 at 10:00 A.M. at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.