Sister Helen Scheel, Maryknoll Sister for 69 YearsMaryknoll, NY – Sister Helen Scheel, an educator and social justice worker, died Monday, January 4, 2016, at Maryknoll Sisters Center, Ossining, NY. She was 87 years old.

Born November 30, 1928, in Baltimore, MD, to Joseph A. and Julia Hintenach Scheel, Sister Helen graduated from Shrine of the Little Flower School, Baltimore, in 1942, and the Catholic High School of Baltimore in 1946.  She then worked as a bookkeeper and stenographer at The Boone-Elder Company, Baltimore, for 15 months, prior to entering Maryknoll Sisters at their Valley Park, MO, novitiate on October 30, 1947.  She called Community of the Most Precious Blood Parish, also in Baltimore, as her home parish.

Following her entrance to Maryknoll, Sister Helen was given the religious name of Sister M. Paul Gerard.  She made her First Profession of Vows on May 8, 1950, at Valley Park, MO and her Final Vows at the Maryknoll Sisters Motherhouse (now the Maryknoll Sisters Center), Maryknoll, NY, on May 8, 1953.  She completed a bachelor’s degree in education at Maryknoll Teachers College in 1955.

Following her graduation, Sister Helen was assigned to the congregation’s U.S. Western Region.  She taught Grades 2-8 at San Juan Capistrano Elementary School in California from 1955-1962, then became the school’s principal from 1962-1966, after which she was appointed Assistant Juniorate Mistress at Maryknoll, NY, a position she held from the summer of 1966 to the summer of 1967.  From 1967-1973, she served as Local Superior at Monrovia, CA, and Regional Superior of the US Western Region. During this time, 1971-1974, she studied for a Master’s degree in adult education at California State University, Los Angeles, and worked as a teacher and coordinator of the Adult Basic Education Program for Monrovia Unified School District.

In 1974, Sister Helen was assigned to the congregation’s U.S. Eastern Region for family ministry in Baltimore, MD.  While there, she worked in the Adult Education Program of the Baltimore County Education Department until 1997. During this same period, she worked at the Alliance for Justice, a third world advocacy project in Baltimore, funded by the Medical Mission Sisters.

Following her retirement in 1998, Sister Helen continued her involvement with justice and peace work and tutoring on a volunteer basis, until her return to the Maryknoll Sisters Center in 2007, where she lived until her death.

Sister Helen is survived by her brother, Brother Nivard Scheel of Elm Grove, WI.

A vespers service will be held for Sister Helen on January 7, 2016, at 4:15 p.m. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center. A Memorial Mass will follow on January 8, 2016, at 11 a.m., also at the Center.

Sister Margaret Shepherd, Maryknoll Sister for 68 YearsMaryknoll, NY – Sister Margaret Shepherd, MM, who served for 41 years in Hong Kong, died December 6, 2015, at Maryknoll Sisters Center, Ossining, NY. She was 96 years old.

Born on August 13, 1919, in Havre, MT, to Oliver C. and Beatrice Boyle Shepherd, Sister Margaret was one of four children born to the couple. She attended Elementary School and Middle School in Havre, from 1925-1932; graduated  from Havre High School in 1936,  attended Northern Montana College in Havre from 1936-1937 and Kinman Business University, Spokane, WA, from 1937-1938.

She then worked as stenographer and clerical worker for Continental Coal Company, Spokane, from 1938-1939, Long Lake Lumber Company, Spokane, from 1939-1940, and the Social Security Administration, first in Washington, DC, from 1940-1942, then San Francisco, CA, from 1943-1947.

Sister Margaret entered Maryknoll Sisters at their novitiate in Valley Park, MO, on October 30, 1947 from St. Agnes Parish, San Francisco, CA, receiving the religious name, Sister Rose Martin.   Following formation, she made her First Profession of Vows on May 8, 1950, in Valley Park, then worked at the Maryknoll Sisters Motherhouse, Maryknoll, NY, from 1950-1952; at Bethany Convent, then the residence for elderly and infirm Maryknoll Sisters in Ossining, NY, from 1952-1957, and St. Teresa’s, another Maryknoll residence, from 1957 until 1959.  She made her Final Vows on May 8, 1953, at the Maryknoll Sisters Motherhouse.

Later in 1959, Sister Margaret received the appointment to Hong Kong which she had long desired, teaching at Maryknoll Convent School in Kowloontong from 1957-1968.  She then returned to the United States, where she completed her college education, receiving a B.S. in Education from Mary Rogers College, Maryknoll, NY, in 1970.

She then returned to Hong Kong where, following a year of language studies at the Hong Kong Government Language School, she taught religious education, English Language and Literature to secondary school students at Maryknoll Sisters School at Blue Pool Road, Hong Kong, until 1979. After serving in Congregational Services from 1980 to 1984, she returned to teaching at Maryknoll Convent School, Kowloontong, from 1989-1993.  She also facilitated a discussion group with young Chinese workers, and ran retreat and reflection days with Filipina domestic workers.

Then, from 1994-1997, as a member of the Prisoners’ Friends Association in Hong Kong, she made regular visits to Hong Kong’s maximum security prisons, where she shared the Gospel and Christian values with men from Kenya, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Germany, Lesotho and the Philippines.

Upon her retirement in 1998, Sister Margaret moved to the Maryknoll Sisters Convent in Monrovia, CA, where she resided and was involved with volunteer work, doing English testing from 1999-2003, then helping in various ways at Monrovia Community Services from 2004-2008. She then returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY, in 2009, where she was a member of the Sisters’ Eden Community until her death.

Sister Margaret is survived by three nephews:  Patrick Shepherd of Stockton, CA, Dennis Shepherd of Carmel, CA, and Bill Shepherd of Decorah, IA.  All her siblings have pre-deceased her.

A vespers service will be held for Sister Margaret on Wednesday, December 9, 2015, at 4:15 p.m. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center at Maryknoll, NY. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow on Thursday, December 10, 2015, at 11 a.m., also at the Center.  Interment will be in the Maryknoll Sisters Cemetery on the Center grounds.

Sister Catherine Heilig, Maryknoll Sister for 66 YearsMaryknoll, NY – Sister Catherine Heilig, MM, who served for 49 years in Bolivia, died December 2, 2015, at Maryknoll Sisters Center, Ossining, NY. She was 93 years old.

Born on October 6, 1922, in Brookville, NY, to Peter and Anna Heilig, Sister Catherine graduated from Hicksville High School in 1940, then worked for several years at Grumman Aircraft and the K & O Company, Bethpage, NY.  She entered Maryknoll on September 6, 1949 from St. Ignatius Parish, Hicksville, NY.

At her reception into the Maryknoll Community she received the religious name, Sister Maria St. Peter.  She made her First Vows on March 7, 1952, at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY, and worked in the congregation’s Promotion Department that year.

Her assignment to Bolivia came in 1953. Following one year of language study in Cochabamba, Sister Catherine taught first to fourth grade in Guayamerin, Bolivia, from 1955-1957. She was sent to Riberalta in the Bolivian jungle. She first did catechetical work among residents in Riberalta and surrounding communities. Except for three years working in Juli in the Altiplano of Peru, 1961-1964, and three years working in the Congregation’s Development Department, 1977 to 1980, sister served for 45 years in the jungles of Bolivia.  As a member of the Rural Pastoral Institute team, she was involved in Basic Christian Community work and in developing leadership and fostering continuing education of rural men. For her work with women along the rivers of the Beni, the Comite Civico Femenino gave Sister an award for her selfless and dedicated service. She was also given a Diploma of Honor from the Civic Regional Committee of Riberalta. She continued this work until her return to the Maryknoll Sisters Center in 2002.

Following her return to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, she spent hours each week in active ministry at a local food pantry in Ossining, NY, serving the needs of the Hispanic immigrant community. Along with other Maryknoll Sisters and lay volunteers, she helped distribute food to those seeking respite from the streets.   She also was active in prayer ministry on behalf of the work of Maryknoll Archives and the mission of Bolivia until her death.

A vespers service will be held for Sister Catherine on Tuesday, December 8, 2015, at 4:15 p.m. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center at Maryknoll, NY. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow on Wednesday, December 9, 2015, at 11 a.m., also at the Center.  Interment will be in the Maryknoll Sisters Cemetery on the Center grounds.

Sister Vera Krass, Maryknoll Sister for 60 YearsMaryknoll, NY – Sister Vera Krass, MM, a teacher, secretary, home visitor, volunteer in Tanzania and Hawaii, died October 14, 2015, at Maryknoll Sisters Center, Ossining, NY. She was 88 years old.

Born on August 22, 1927, in Jamaica, NY, to Theodore and Lydia Loffler Krass, Sister Vera entered Maryknoll on September 2, 1955 from Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Brooklyn, NY.

After graduating from Richmond Hill High School, Richmond Hill, NY, in 1945, she worked as a clerk at the Richmond Hill Savings Bank for three years, a secretary at Time, Inc. for a year, and a secretary in the advertising department at Fortune Magazine for a year. She also attended the Wittenberg College, OH, (1949) and the Grailville Community College, OH (1951-1953) before doing secretarial work for two years at the Missionaries of Saints Peter and Paul, MI.

Sister Vera made her First Vows at the Maryknoll Sisters Motherhouse on June 24, 1958, attained a B.S. in Education from the Maryknoll Teachers College, and began her first overseas assignment to Tanzania, where she made her final vows on June 24, 1964.

For the next five years, she taught English, biology, and history to students in Rosary College, Mwanza, and Marian College, Morogoro. Both schools were established by the Maryknoll Sisters. In addition, she worked at the Shinyanga Commercial School in 1966 where she taught typewriting and shorthand.

The following year, Sister Vera studied for four months at the Pitman College, London, UK, where she received a Shorthand Teachers Certificate. She then returned to Tanzania, serving there until she was called to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Ossining, NY,  in 1970. There, she did secretarial tasks for the President of the Congregational Leadership Team and for the Communications Department until 1973. She then studied at the Maryknoll Fathers Seminary, where she received her M.A. in Theology in 1974.

To polish her Swahili, Sister Vera attended the Makoko Language School for four months in 1975 before going to Nairobi, Kenya. In Kenya, she became Office Manager of the Secretary General’s Department and  Executive Secretary of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa “AMECA” from 1976 – 1980. Her work was an effort to assist the local church, supervise three junior staff members, and aid Bishop McCauley.

In 1981, Sister Vera was assigned once more to do pastoral work in Musoma, Tanzania. Four years later, she went back to the Center to do work in computer services before beginning her third career in 1991 as a home visitor in the Central Pacific Region in Honolulu, HI. With the Hana Like Home Visitor Program, Sister Vera advocated the prevention of child abuse and neglect. She also worked at the Homeless Solutions Transitional Shelter where she did social work with women and children.

In 1995, Sister worked with the Regional Governance Administration in Honolulu where she did clerical work. Two years later, she was called back to the Maryknoll Sisters Center to work as an office assistant at the Main House Council and a creative writer for the Development Department.

In 1999, due to the increasing vision problems, Sister Vera was assigned to Monrovia, CA, where she resided until returning, once more, to the Maryknoll Sisters Center in Ossining, NY, 2008.

Sister Vera is survived by her cousin, Hans-Hermann Speidel of Markgroningen, Germany, and her sister-in-law, Ann Krass of Port Jefferson Station, NY.  Her parents, stepmother, and brother George have all predeceased her.

A vespers service will be held for Sister Vera on Monday, October 19, 2015, at 4:15 p.m. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center at Maryknoll, NY. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow on Tuesday, October 20, 2015, at 11 a.m., also at the Center.  Interment will be in the Maryknoll Sisters Cemetery on the Center grounds.

Sister Sandra Galazin, Maryknoll Sister for 47 YearsMaryknoll, NY – Sister Sandra Anne Galazin, MM, a counselor and social worker in Hawaii , died September 26, 2015, at Maryknoll Sisters Center, Ossining, NY. She was 71 years old.

Born on January 5, 1944, in Wilkes-Barre, PA, to Chester and Elizabeth Kockel Galazin, eldest of three children.

A 1961 graduate of St. Vincent de Paul High School, Plymouth, PA, Sister Sandra earned a B.A. in English and History at Misericordia College, Dallas, PA, in 1965, then taught for three years at Woodbridge Junior High School, Woodbridge, NJ, before entering Maryknoll Sisters on September 7, 1968.

Her entrance occurred at a time when religious congregations were experiencing a reduction in membership and going through a period of renewal and adaptation to the modern world, yet Sister Sandra, inspired by the vision of Vatican II and the life of Martin Luther King, freely opted to join Maryknoll to live a vowed life in community in service to the mission of Jesus.

Sister Sandra received her mission assignment to the Diocese of Honolulu in Hawaii, where she would serve for most of her 47 years with Maryknoll, in 1969. Here, her attraction to Maryknoll in “working for peace and justice beyond cultural and national boundaries” was a lived reality.

After a year of teaching language arts in Maryknoll Grade School, Punahou, HI, Sister Sandra focused her ministry upon her commitment to action for peace and justice. Sensitive and thoughtful of other people’s needs, she began by working at Pastoral Counseling Service in Honolulu, where she was coordinator of a program of crisis intervention and personal counseling for residents of a low-income housing area of the city from 1970-1972.

She then joined the staff of Susannah Wesley Community Center, a comprehensive social services organization dedicated to helping and empowering, youth, adults and families who have great socio-economic challenges, move towards self-sufficiency and independence. There she coordinated the Hui Kokua, a program of skill building and leisure time activities for clients from 1973-1975.

Later in1975, Sister Sandra joined the staff of Catholic Social Services, where she was a case worker and coordinator for Operation Aloha, a program for resettlement of refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos until 1976 in the Diocese.

From 1977-1978, she worked for the Diocese of Honolulu as a consultant for Call to Action, diocesan hearing on social issues, as well as for Chaminade University of Honolulu, where she was a lecturer in the Theology Department and member of the campus ministry team.

From 1978-1985, Sister Sandra was privileged to work with the Hansen’s disease patients of Hawaii in their struggles for self determination and participation in living decisions that affect their lives. She staff the group of community supporters and people of good will in the Hale Mohalu Ohana (family), organized to join the Hansen’s Disease patients in their struggles via legislative advocacy and community organizing.

In 1980, she was named the Steering Committee Secretary for the Pacific Concerns Resource Center, a networking and action coordination Center for the Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific Movement in Honolulu and staff the Center re for the next five years.

In 1985, Sister Sandra returned to Maryknoll Sisters Center, where she served as director of Maryknoll Sisters’ Office for Social Concerns from 1985-1989 and manager of the Congregation’s Communications Office from 1989-1993. During that time, she was also part of the book committee coordinating the publishing of “Hearts on Fire”, the story of the Maryknoll Sisters by Penny Lernoux,

Since 1994, she returned to Hawaii, where she earned an M.S.W. at the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, in 1995. She then served for five years as the home visitor program coordinator for Hana Like Home, an organization which works to prevent the occurrence or reoccurrence of child abuse and neglect by strengthening families “at risk.”

During her last 12 years in Hawaii, Sister Sandra worked at Catholic Charities Hawaii, serving as program director of its Ka Malama ana I ka Punua program for families with infants at risk in the first five years of their lives. For the last three years, doing case management work and counseling outreach in parishes and the Diocese.  She returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center in 2012, where she volunteered for a time with the Development Department, writing biographies of Maryknoll Sisters.

Sister Sandra is survived by her sister, Nancy Orlowski of Harrisburg, PA, and her brother, John Galazin, of Brooklyn, NY. Sister has donated her body to the New York Medical School.

A vespers service will be held for Sister Sandra on October 30^st, 2015 at 4:15 p.m. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center at Maryknoll, NY. A memorial Mass will follow on October 31^st, 2015 at 11 a.m., also at the Center.

 

Sister Mary Louise Martin, Maryknoll Sister for 72 YearsMaryknoll, NY – Sister Mary Louise Martin, MM, a missioner, catechist and pastoral care worker in Mainland China and the British Colony of Hong Kong, died September, 25, 2015 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Ossining, NY. She was 89 years old.

Born on July 9, 1926, in St. Louis, MO, to Herbert C. and Elizabeth Linn Martin, Sister Mary Louise was one of five children born to the couple. She entered Maryknoll Sisters in 1943 from Nativity Parish, St. Louis, MO, shortly after graduating from St. Mark’s High School, St. Louis. She was given the religious name Sister Regina Marie, made her First Vows on March 7, 1946, at the Motherhouse and her Final Vows in China on March 7, 1949.

A graduate of Mary Rogers College, Maryknoll, NY, with a BA in community development and Mundelein College, Chicago, IL, with an MA in religious studies, Sister Mary Louise’s first assignment was to China where, following language study in Wu Chow, (Wuzhou ) she was involved in catechetical work. Expelled from China in 1951 by the new Communist regime, along with all other foreign missionaries, Sister Mary Louise came to Hong Kong. There she continued her catechetical and pastoral work  in Kowloontong,  at St. Theresa’s Parish and in the Social Service Center at King’s park in  Homantin,  from 1951-1971. She also worked at the Diocesan Catechetical Centre in Hong Kong from 1967-71.

Following the completion of her studies at Rogers and Mundelein Colleges, Sister Mary Louise returned to Hong Kong and to her catechetical work and at the Diocesan Catechetical Center. In 1982, Sister was recalled to the Maryknoll Center in New York. There she was appointed Director of the Maryknoll Mission Institute where she served until 1986. It was before completing this mandate that Bishop Wu, Bishop of Hong Kong, invited her to be part of a sensitive project he was setting up that would consist of three directors: a priest, a layman and a Sister. The project aimed at helping the Catholics in Hong Kong to be more ready for the political changeover of Hong Kong to the sovereignty of Communist China in 1997. He had chosen her from among all the women religious in Hong Kong for this work.  Upon her return to Hong Kong in 1986, she became a one of the directors of the Catholic Institute for Religion and Society, where she served until 2004. She then returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY, where she became part of the Chi-Rho residential community. She was assigned to the Eden Community at Maryknoll Sisters Center in 2009, where she was an active member until her death.

Sister Mary Louise is survived by her sister, Catherine Fogarty of Houston, TX, and her brother, Robert Martin of Omaha, NE.

A vespers service will be held for Sister Mary Louise on Wednesday, September 30, 2015 at 4:15 p.m. in the main chapel at Maryknoll Sisters Center. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow in the same location on October 1, 2015 at 11:00 a.m.   Burial will be in the Maryknoll Sisters Cemetery on the Center grounds.

Sister Maria Rosa Nakayama, MM,
Award-Winning Educator and School Administrator, Dies at 88

Maryknoll, NY — Sister Maria Rosa Nakayama, MM, an award-winning educator and school administrator who served as a Maryknoll Sister in Japan for 52 years, died September 15, 2015, at Maryknoll Sisters Center, Ossining, NY. She was 88 years old.

Born on February 20, 1927, in Tokyo, Japan, to Joseph Hisakichi Soma and Maria Ko Nakayama, Sister Maria Rosa, whose baptismal name was Rosemary Aiko Nakayama, was one of four children, two boys and two girls, born to the couple.

A 1944 graduate of Tamagawa Gakuen Girls High School, Tokyo, Sister Maria Rosa also attended the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Tokyo from 1939-1942.  She also received an R.N. from St. Luke’s College of Nursing, Tokyo, in 1948, followed by graduate work at St. Luke’s in 1948-1949, as well as at Catholic University, Washington, DC and the University of Maryland, Baltimore, also in 1949.

Sister Maria Rosa entered Maryknoll on September 1, 1952 from St. Ignatius Parish, Tokyo, made her First Vows on March 7, 1955, at the Maryknoll Sisters Motherhouse, Ossining, NY, and her Final Vows on March 7, 1961, in Japan.

Sister Maria Rosa credited her sister, Hisako Nakayama, with bringing the Catholic faith to the family, Sister Maria Rosa herself being baptized when she was 11 years old. She came to know Maryknoll while studying at the University of Maryland when friends invited her to accompany them on a visit there.  “When I saw two novices kneeling in chapel in adoration,” she later recalled, “I felt God’s call to Maryknoll.”

Following her First Vows in 1955, Sister Maria Rosa was sent back to Japan, where she did art work and pastoral ministry in Kyoto, Ise and Sai-in for six years, then began her work as an educator, school principal and administrator in Yokkaichi, where she would serve for the next 44 years.  Her work, which would also include serving as chairman of the School Board of Directors, collaboration with the Catholic School Association and attending meetings of the City Social Education and Mayor’s Commission, would be recognized publically on November 14, 2003, when Japan’s Ministry of Education and Science gave her an award for “distinguished service in the promotion of community-based education.”

Sister Maria Rosa’s final five years in Japan were spent ministering to the sick and elderly at three care centers in Yokkaichi.  She returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center in 2008, where she lived until her death.

Sister Maria Rosa is survived by her sister, Hisako Nakayama, of Tokyo, and her nieces, Haruo Hatakeyama of Tokyo and Ruriko Imamusa of Kamagawa-Ken, Japan.

A vespers service will be held for Sister Maria Rosa on Monday, September 21, 2015 at 4:15 p.m. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center at Maryknoll, NY.  .  A memorial Mass will follow on Tuesday, September 22, 2015, at 11 a.m., also at the Center. Sister Maria Rosa donated her body to science.

Brooklyn-Born Sister Julia Hannigan,
Missioner to China with Martyred Bishop,
Dies at 99

Maryknoll, NY — Sister Julia Hannigan, MM, a missioner to China, died August 15, 2015.  She was 99 years old, and just six and a half weeks shy of her 100^th birthday.

Born September 30, 1915 in Brooklyn, NY, to John A. and Julia McCleary Hannigan. Christened Julia Regina Hannigan, Sister Julia was one of five children, three daughters and two sons, born to the couple.  All members of her immediate family have pre-deceased her.

Sister Julia joined Maryknoll Sisters on December 8, 1933, with a passion to minister in China, a calling she fulfilled through work in teaching, catechetics and counseling in Tung Shek, Hingning, and Kaying, South China.

Following her final vows on June 30, 1939, Sister Julia was first sent to China, where, following a year of language study, she worked in direct evangelization in Hingning from 1941-1946 and Kaying City, from 1948-1951. Placed under house arrest in 1950, and taken with other Maryknollers including martyr Bishop Francis Xavier Ford to a Canton prison in 1951, Sister Julia was deported by the Communist regime to Hong Kong. Three months later, in September 1951, she went the island of Mauritius, off the African coast, having been requested to help in the evangelization of the Hakka Chinese flocking there to escape the Communist regime.

Sister Julia then did promotion work at the motherhouse in Ossining NY, from 1952-55, was engaged  in catechetical and parish work in Walterboro, SC, in 1955, then in visiting patients and instructing catechumens at Queen of the World Hospital, Kansas City, MO, from 1956-58.

Returning to Hong Kong in 1964, Sister Julia worked in parish ministry for the Catholic Welfare Center teaching religion to refugees at the Hong Kong Refugee School until 1971. She then taught CCD classes at a government school in Kowloon, where she also organized a children’s recreation center, serving at both from 1971-74.

In 1974, Sister Julia returned to the United States, where she worked with refugees and taught English as a second language in Boston, MA, New York City and Monrovia, CA, from 1975-81. She then worked in a Chinese church and school in Philadelphia, PA from 1984-85.

She returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center at the end of 1985, where she assisted in the house pharmacy, with clothing detail, and in the Sisters’ International Gift Shop, which she managed in 1986. She has been part of the Chi Ro Community at the Center since then.

Sister Julia is survived by her nieces, Mary Staab of Howard Beach, NY, and Julia Wachter and Ann Wagner of Glendale, NY; a nephew, John McShane of Howard Beach, NY; as well as several cousins and other family members including James Kearney of Bronxville, NY; John T. Kearney of Vienna, VA; Kevin Kearney of Belle Harbor, NY;  and Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Ridge of Brooklyn, NY.

A vespers service will be held for Sister Julia on Thursday, August 20, 2015 at 4:15 p.m. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center at Maryknoll, NY.  A Mass of Christian Burial will follow on Friday, August 21, 2015, at 11 a.m., also at the Center.  Interment will be in Maryknoll Sisters Cemetery on the Maryknoll Sisters Center grounds.

Sister Bernice Babin, MM,
Nurse at Queen of the World Hospital, Kansas City and in Central and South America,
Dies at 99

Maryknoll, NY — Sister Bernice Florence Babin, MM, a nurse who served at one of the first racially integrated hospitals in the United States, as well as in several South American countries, died August 9, 2015, at Maryknoll Sisters Center, Ossining, NY.  She was 99 years old.

Born on August 5, 1916, in Plaisted, ME, to Joseph and Eulalia Labbe Babin, Sister  Bernice graduated from Our Lady of Wisdom Academy, St. Agatha, ME, then worked for several years as a bookkeeper and stenographer before entering Maryknoll Sisters from St. Lucy’s Parish, Frenchville, ME, on August 5, 1941, at their motherhouse in Ossining.

Following formation, she made her First Vows on March 7, 1944, receiving the religious name, Sister Rose Claire.  Following completion of studies in catechetics and religious education at Maryknoll Teachers College, Ossining, NY, in 1945, Sister Bernice was sent to Bolivia, where she worked at a clinic in Riberalta from 1946-1953.  She then worked with Mexicans in Houston, TX, the bulk of whom attended St. Patrick’s and St. Stephen’s Parishes in the city,  where her catechetical studies formed the basis for her ministry to these oft-migrating parishioners until 1956.

Sister Bernice was then sent to Queen of the World Hospital, one of the first interracial hospitals in the United States, located in Kansas City, MO.  There she completed studies in licensed practical nursing, serving at the hospital until 1957.  That year, she returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, where she worked with elderly and infirm members of her congregation at Bethany House, Ossining, NY, until 1959.

Sister Bernice was then sent to Chicago, IL, where she worked with the Puerto Rican community until 1965, when she was sent to Guatemala, working in Guatemala City in 1965 and Huehuetenango from 1966-1967.

In 1968, her major work began, when she was sent to Chile.  There she worked in local parishes in Licanten, then Rauco, doing pastoral work, ministering in women’s groups and Christian formation, as well as with parish deacons and their families.

She returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center in 2007, where she lived in retirement, engaged in assisting various offices at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, as well as serving in active prayer for the mission sites where she served. Sister Bernice donated her body to the New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, as a final act of service.

Sister Bernice is survived by two sisters, Mrs. Rita McGary of Reno, NV, and Mrs. Irene Meissner of Reston, VA.

A vespers service will be held for Sister Bernice on Wednesday, August 12 , 2015 at 4:15 p.m. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center at Maryknoll, NY.  A memorial Mass will follow on Thursday, August 16, 2015, at 11 a.m., also at the Center.

Sister Eileen Brady
Host of Archdiocesan Program “Let’s Talk About God,”
Dies at 80

Maryknoll, NY — Sister Eileen Brady, MM, one of two Maryknoll Sisters who hosted the Archdiocese of New York television program, “Let’s Talk About God” in the early 1960s on NBC, died August 2, 2015, at Phelps Hospital, Ossining, NY.  She was 80 years old.

An educator and social worker who served in both the United States and Southeast Asia, Sister Eileen was born in New York City on May 12, 1935, to John and Jule Mona Brady.  She entered Maryknoll on September 2, 1957, from St. John the Baptist Parish, Yonkers, NY, one year after graduating from Marymount College, New York, NY with a B.S. in chemistry. She received the religious name Sister Maureen John, by which she was known on the TV program, making her first vows on June 24, 1960, at Maryknoll, NY, and her final vows on June 24, 1966, in the Philippines.

Sister Eileen’s first assignment was as a member of the faculty at Maryknoll Teachers College, where she taught from 1960-1963, working on “Let’s Talk About God,” a puppet program for children, on weekends.  Then, following completion of an M.S. in Science at St. Louis University in Missouri, she was sent to the Philippines, where she taught at Maryknoll College, Quezon City, from 1963-1969.

Sister Eileen then returned to the United States, where she was enrolled at Fordham University, Bronx, NY, beginning in 1970, earning a master’s degree in social work in 1972.

She then served as Treatment Supervisor at The Children’s Village, Dobbs Ferry, NY, a residential treatment center for troubled boys, age 6 to 13, as well as working in marital and family therapist, with special certification in human sexuality training, from 1972-1996.

Sister Eileen then worked as a child and family therapist at Hallen Center for Education in New Rochelle, NY, from 1996-2000, before being sent to serve on the island nation of East Timor in 2001.

On East Timor, Sister Eileen worked with children and families who were struggling, following the hard-won independence of their nation. She offered Capacitar Training, which teaches holistic health practices, a program supported by a Timorese non-governmental organization.  Special seminars followed for leaders, forming “Trainers of Trainers,” who were to spread the message of trauma relief and wellness to others.

Sister Eileen, who returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center in 2013, is survived by several cousins, including Anita and Bob Arnold, Peekskill, NY; Marilyn and Frank Arnold, Valley Stream, NY; Linda and Bill Denninger, Hauppauge, NY; and Helen Wells, Corona del Mar, CA.

A vespers service will be held for Sister Eileen on August 6, 2015 at 4:15 p.m. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center at Maryknoll, NY.  A Mass of Christian Burial will follow on August 7, 2015, at 11 a.m., also at the Center. Interment will be in the Maryknoll Sisters Cemetery on the Center grounds.