Sister Agnes O’Keeffe,
Nurse and Administrator in Tanzania, Guatemala and the United States,
Dies at 90

Maryknoll, NY —  Sister Agnes O’Keeffe, MM, nurse and administrator in Tanzania, Guatemala and the United States, died July 18, 2015, at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Ossining, NY.  She was 90 years old.

Born in the St. Boniface district of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on August 12, 1924, to John Michael and Lucy Chatfield O’Keeffe, Sister Agnes entered Maryknoll on September 2, 1956, at its motherhouse in Ossining, NY, from Holy Cross Parish, Winnipeg, following graduation from St. Boniface Hospital School of Nursing.  She made her First Profession of Vows on June 24, 1959, at the motherhouse, and her Final Vows on June 24, 1965, in Guatemala.

Sister Agnes’ first assignment was working as a general staff nurse at Bethany House, a residence for elderly and infirm Maryknoll Sisters, located in Ossining, NY.

She received her first foreign assignment in 1960, when she was sent to Guatemala.  Following six months of language studies, she worked in a rural dispensary, then organized a health clinic for residents of San Miguel, Acatan, Huehuetenango, where she served until 1968.

Sister Agnes then returning to Ossining, where she again worked as a nurse at Bethany House for one year, then as assistant to Maryknoll Center Unit’s infirmary director until 1973.  She also work from 1969-1970 as a pediatric staff nurse at Bronxville Memorial Hospital, Bronxville, NY.

In 1973, Sister Agnes was sent to Tanzania where she served as administrator of a clinic in Bwirigi, a town in the Musoma Diocese.  Her primary work was training local health workers in preventing diseases, maternal child care and therapeutic medicine.

Sister Agnes then returned to the United States, where she worked in the Maryknoll Sisters Nursing home from 1989-1993. She then went back to Tanzania, where she served as medical supervisor for 300 boarding students at Kowak Girls Secondary School until 1997. She then returned to Maryknoll, where she was in residence until her death.

Sister Agnes is survived by her sister, Mrs. Anne Seigfreid of Green Bay, WI; her nieces, Karen Blahnik and Kathy Parker, of Green Bay. WI, and Patricia Goderis Saxton of Swan Lake, MB;  her nephews,  David Ronald O’Keeffe of Winnipeg, MB, Michael O’Keeffe of Winnipeg, MB, Ron Goderis of Minaki, ON, and Brian Seigfreid of Green Bay, WI, and numerous great nieces and nephews.

A vespers service was held for Sister Agnes on July 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 followed on July 21, 2015,  also at the Center. Interment was in the Maryknoll Sisters Cemetery on the Center grounds.

Sister Agnes Patricia Boland, MM,
Missioner to Panama, Mexico and the Eastern United States
Dies at 86

Maryknoll, NY — Maryknoll Sister Agnes Patricia Boland, a missioner to Panama, Mexico and the Eastern United States, died June 17, 2015, at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Ossining, NY. She was 86 years old.

Born on February 19, 1929, in White Plains, NY, to Patrick James and Mary Agnes McGuinn Boland, Sister Pat, as she was more commonly known, grew up in Brooklyn, NY, graduating from St. Rose of Lima School, Brooklyn, in 1943, and St. Brendan Diocesan High School, also in Brooklyn, in 1947.

She entered Maryknoll Sisters Congregation at the Venard, Scranton, PA, from St. Therese of Lisieux Parish, Brooklyn, on September 4, 1948, and was given the religious name Sister  M. Margaret Alacoque. She made her First Profession of Vows on March 7, 1951, and her Final Vows on March 7, 1954, both at the Motherhouse in Ossining, NY.

Following formation, Sister Pat enrolled at Maryknoll Teachers College, graduating with a bachelor’s in education in 1954.  She was then sent to Panama, where she taught Grades 1-7 at Colegio San Vincente, Ancon, Panama, from 1954-1958.

Toward the end of 1958, Sister Pat was sent to Mexico, where she served as assistant principal and English and math instructor at a high school in Merida, a town in the Yucatan, until 1961.

She then returned to Colegio San Vincente in Panama, teaching fifth grade for a few months until she was appointed religion coordinator for Santiago Junior High School, a position she held from 1962-1966.

Sister Pat then returned once more to Mexico, where she served as assistant principal, supervisor, teacher trainer and finally principal at an elementary school in Puebla from 1966-1971.

Later in 1971, Sister Pat returned to the United States, where she would serve for the rest of her years in active ministry.  Following completion of a master’s degree in education at St. John’s University, Jamaica, NY, in 1972, she served as a graduate student representative on the faculty council of the University’s School of Education, while completing studies for a professional diploma in educational administration and supervision at the school. She received that diploma in 1974.

Sister Pat then worked as a remedial reading teacher for troubled youth at Lincoln Hall, Lincolndale, NY, from 1974-1977. She then was sent to New Hampshire, where she again taught remedial reading, this time to disadvantaged youth, followed by teaching fourth grade in a local public school, from 1977-1980. In September 1980, she was appointed principal of the Main Street Public School, Exeter, NH, a position she held until 1984.

Sister Pat was then sent to Washington, DC where she worked as assistant director of Rachael’s Women’s Center, a day center for homeless women,  from 1984-1986.  Later in 1986, she moved to Albany, NY, where she worked as director of the U.S. Catholic Conference’s Refugee Resettlement Program until 1990, and taught English as a Second Language to homebound  Polish and Vietnamese women in the city. She then worked as a teacher in a public elementary school from 1990-1996.

Sister Pat also served as a pastoral volunteer at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Albany, where she was active in the ecumenical  and interreligious affairs program, and helped spearhead an outreach program that birthed a sister parish relationship between St. Vincent’s and the Maryknoll Sisters’ work in Darien, Panama. Sister Pat was also very involved in justice and peace issues, serving in a variety of organizations and on the congregation’s Social Concerns Committee.

A vespers service wwasheld for Sister Pat on June 22, 2015 in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center at Maryknoll, NY.  A Mass of Christian Burial followed on June 23, 2015 in the same location. Interment was at the Maryknoll Sisters Cemetery on the Center grounds.

Sister Joan Cordis Westhues, MM,
Missioner-Educator to the Philippines, the Marshall Islands and Bangladesh,
Dies at 91

Maryknoll, NY —  Sister Joan Cordis Westhues, MM, missionary educator and community health worker in the Philippines, Bangladesh and the Marshall Islands for over 50 years, died Saturday, June 13, 2015, at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Ossining, NY.  She was 91 years old and had been a Maryknoll Sister for 70 years.

Born on January 30, 1924 in Jefferson City, MO to Henry John Westhues and Helen Margaret  Roer Westhues, Sister Joan Cordis was baptized Marjorie Ann Westhues, attended Immaculate Conception High School and graduated from St. Peter’s Interparish High School, Jefferson City, in 1942. She entered Maryknoll at its motherhouse on September 6, 1944, from Immaculate Conception Parish in Jefferson City, MO. and made her final vows on March 7, 1950, at the Maryknoll Sisters’ motherhouse.  A 1965 graduate of the Asian Social Institute, Manila, Philippines, with an M.A. in socio-theological studies, she also held a B.S. in chemistry from Manhattanville College, Purchase, NY.

Sister Joan Cordis was first assigned to the Philippines, where she taught high school religion, English, math and science in Manila from 1951-1958. She was then sent to Yap in the Marshall Islands, where she taught grades 7-9 from 1958-1960.

In 1960, Sister Joan Cordis was appointed novice mistress of the Maryknoll Sisters Philippine Novitiate in Quezon City, a position she held for the next ten years.

Following a year working with the congregation’s retirement team in Valley Park, MO, Sister Joan Cordis was involved in catechetical education for the Diocese of Jefferson City, MO, then returned to the Philippines in 1972, where she taught theology and English in Lupon, Davao Oriental, from 1974-1976.

She then worked with the Community Extension Service Community-Based Health Program of Cotabato City, Philippines, from 1976-1977 and 1980-1981, during which time she also trained local health workers to use a microscope and setting up community laboratories in nine community-based health programs in the Kidapawan Prelature.

From 1981-1985, Sister Joan Cordis served as assistant coordinator of the Health and Development Program’s Mindanao Regional Office in Davao City, Philipppines.  She then worked for the same program, this time in District III, serving five parishes in the Ipil Prelature, Philippines, from 1985-1992.

In 1993, Sister Joan Cordis was called to Bangladesh, where she worked at the Center for Women with Addictions in Dhaka, opening BACHA (the Bangladesh Alternative Course for Human Advancement) Education for Life Center in 1995. In 1997 she began working with youth in Dhaka, as well.  Sister Joan Cordis also served as principal of BACHA English Medium School from 2001-2006. She returned from Bangladesh to the Maryknoll Sisters Center in 2013.

Sister Joan Cordis is survived by three of her sisters: Jane Schmidt of Phoenix, AZ, Marilyn Evans of St. Louis, MO, and Elaine Westhues of Mesa, AZ. Her sister Rosemary, Bebe and her one brother Msgr. John Westhues have predeceased her.

A vespers service was held June 14, 2015, at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Ossining, NY. A Mass of Christian Burial followed on June 15, 2015, also at the Center. Interment was in the Maryknoll Sisters Cemetery on the Center grounds.

Sister Teresita Rellosa, MM,
Missioner to Her Native Philippines,
Dies at 82

Maryknoll, NY — Maryknoll Sister Teresita Marie Rellosa, a missioner to her native Philippines for over 50 years, died on June 12, 2015, in the Philippines on their Independence Day.

Born on April 21, 1933, in Pangil Laguna, Philippines, to Esteban and Norberta De Ramos Rellosa,  and christened Eleonora Rellosa, Sister Teresita entered Maryknoll on June 1, 1962, at the congregation’s Philippine Novitiate, in Quezon City, and spent most of her 53 years with Maryknoll Sisters in her home country.

She was first assigned to work in Maryknoll College’s regional offices in Manila, then Baguio City, where she served from 1965-1970.  Then, on February 14, 1971, she made her Final Vows in Cateel, Davao Oriental, preparing the whole liturgy and even composing the lyrics and music of the entrance hymn used that day, “With Joy Let Us Walk to Our God.

Following her Final Vows, Sister Teresita was sent to Maryknoll High School in Cateel, Davao, where she taught math and served as the school registrar through 1972. After a year studying at Centro Escolar University, Manila, where she earned a B.S. in education and math, Sister Teresita spent a few years (1974-1983) as a school teacher and administrator, as well as parish worker, in Upi Cotabato and Quezon City. She was then assigned to pastoral work in the rural communities of Buug and Zamboanga del Sur, where she served from 1983-1991.

After three years working in the Development Department and Information Services Office at Maryknoll Sisters Center in Ossining, NY, she returned to the Philippines, where she worked as Finance Officer for the Institute of Formation and Religious Studies in Quezon City from 1995-1997. She then became involved with community and advocacy work in Quezon City, where she served until 2014.

“Immersing ourselves deeper into the life of these people is a continuous experience of self-emptying and personal remolding which I believe is consistent with the spirit and example of Jesus,” Sister Teresita once said. “It is like removing our sandals to be able to enter into the ‘sacred ground.’ It is an ‘Incarnation’ experience for me.”

A Mass of Christian Burial was offered for Sister Teresita on June 15, 2015, at Miriam College, Quezon City, Philippines.  She was laid to rest in the Maryknoll Sisters Mausoleum at Miriam College.

Maryknoll, NY —  Sister Alice Regina McGinn, MM, educator and pastoral worker in Bolivia, Peru and the United States, died May 27, 2015, at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Ossining, NY.  She was 93 years old and had been a Maryknoll Sister for 74 years.

Born on January 5, 1922, in Providence, RI, to James B. and Mary Frances Cummings McGinn, Sister Alice entered Maryknoll on July 2, 1940, following graduation from St. Mary’s Academy in Providence.  Even before graduation she had planned to enter Maryknoll. Her brother, Father John McGinn, was already a Maryknoll priest and Alice wanted to join the Sisters community to fulfill a hope “to go to the missions where I, too, felt called to go.”

Upon completing the novitiate, Sister Alice made her First Profession of Vows on March 7, 1943, and immediately after, was assigned to Los Altos, CA, where she worked with the Maryknoll Fathers in the kitchen at the minor seminary in Mountain View. It was there, three years later, that she made her Final Profession, and that same year, 1946, she received her first foreign assignment to Bolivia. “My first desire for mission had been for China, where my brother was,” Sister Alice commented. “South America was a place I had not thought about.”

Sister Alice studied Spanish in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and, a year later, went to the small town of Cobija, Pando, which is on the northernmost frontier with Brazil. There she helped in the parish primary school, learning while doing what seemed to come naturally to her: teaching. In 1954, she went to another frontier town also across from Brazil, Guayaramerin, serving as the principal of the parish primary school there.

Following a period of renewal in the United States in 1956, Sister Alice returned to Bolivia, becoming director of the catechetical program as well as a teacher in the parish primary school in Cochabamba. She returned to the States in 1964, where she continued studies for her bachelor’s degree in education at Maryknoll Teachers College, completing them in 1967.

Sister Alice then returned to South America, this time serving in the highlands of Peru.  In Puno and, later, in Capachica, she used her teaching skills with catechists, as well as her secretarial skills in the organization of much needed cooperatives. These cooperatives were a Christian response to the economic plight of the communities in that area. In Capachica, too, a creative response to small religious community living was experienced, as religious from different communities shared life, faith and ministry under the same roof. 

Sister Alice left Peru at the end of 1970, then sharing her South American experiences of 20 years with relatives and friends in the USA, as well as giving mission talks in parishes and schools in New England as part of the Maryknoll Sisters Mission Education Team.

Always eager for self improvement and learning new skills, Sister Alice studied the fundamentals in bilingualism at Boston State  Teachers College, then studied Latin American literature at Salve Regina College, Newport, RI, where she receive the Sigma Delta Pi Award. She also attended Sawyer School of Business, Providence, RI,  where she earned a career secretary diploma in 1974.

For the next two years, Sister Alice worked with the Maryknoll Fathers Development Team as secretary in their New York City office. In 1978, she attended Southeastern Massachusetts University where she earned credits in bilingualism-analysis of teaching foreign languages.

From 1979 until 1984 she taught in the Providence, RI, school system, then was involved in catechetics, as a Eucharistic minister and lector at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Providence from 1984 to 1994.  She then volunteered in various pastoral work in local parishes in Providence until 2008, when she retired. She returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center in 2013, where she lived until her death.

Sister Alice was the youngest and last of her siblings. She was predeceased by her brothers, Rev John A. McGinn, MM; Vincent P. McGinn; James D. McGinn; Edwin C. McGinn; Robert F. McGinn, and Joseph A. McGinn; and her sister, Mary C. McGinn O’Connor.  She will be deeply missed by her nieces and nephews, grand nieces and nephews, who continue to reside in Rhode Island.

A vespers service will be held for Sister Alice on Tuesday, June  2, 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, June 3, 2015, at 11 a.m. in the same location. Interment will be in the Maryknoll Sisters Cemetery on the Center grounds.

Sister Theresa Maksym,
Educator/Administrator in Guatemala and Mexico
Dies at 87

Maryknoll, NY —  Sister Theresa Marie Maksym, MM, missioner-educator in Panama, Guatemala and Mexico, died May 6, 2015, at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Ossining, NY.  She was 87 years old.

Born in Jamaica, NY, on January 7, 1928, to Konstanty and Janina Lazowska Maksym, Sister Theresa entered Maryknoll on October 5, 1946 at its motherhouse in Ossining, NY, from St. Joseph’s Parish, Jamaica, NY.  She received the religious name Sister M. Francis Christine, made her First Profession of Vows) on April 6, 1949, at the motherhouse, and her Final Vows on April 6, 1952, in Panama.

A 1945 graduate of Jamaica High School, Jamaica, NY, Sister Theresa also held a bachelor’s degree in education from Maryknoll Teachers College, earned in 1958, and attended Maryknoll Seminary in Spring 1976.

Sister Theresa’s first assignment was to Balboa, Panama, where she taught kindergarten, did catechetical work and home visitation, and ministered to youth from 1949-1953.  She then taught third graders in Ancon, where she was also involved again in catechetical work, home visitation and ministry to youth, from 1953-1957.

Sister Theresa was then sent to Guatemala, where she served as principal and teacher of Grades 2 through 6 at San Miguel Acatan, Huehuetenango from 1959-1965.  She also worked with women, did home visitation and catechetical work, as well as census work during that period.

Sister Theresa then was assigned to Mexico, where she would serve for the next 42 years.  From 1965-1974, she  served as principal and  taught sociology and religion to girls in the Commercial Department at Helena Herlihy Hall in Mexico City. Then, in 1974, she was put in charge of selling the property and phasing over the school to the administration of lay professionals.

In 1976, Sister Theresa was sent to the Yucatan, where she would serve for the next 31 years.  There she was an English teacher and engaged in pastoral ministry at Colonia Hidalgo de Chuburna, Merida.  She trained Mayan girls as catechists, coordinated catechetical programs, formed a pastoral team, started a computer school, developed support groups, offered leadership training classes, and encouraged the use of the Mayan language.

Sister Theresa is survived by a sister, Helen Golonka of Kew Garden Hills, NY, a brother, Carl Maksym of Yonkers, NY, and a niece.

A vespers service will be held for Sister Theresa on Thursday, May 14, 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, May 15, 2015, at 11 a.m. in the same location. Interment will be in the Maryknoll Sisters Cemetery on the Center grounds.

Sister Mary Clare Henry,
Missioner to the Philippines for over 50 Years
Dies at 87

Maryknoll, NY —  Sister Mary Clare Henry, MM, missioner to the Philippines for 54 years, died May 1, 2015, at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Ossining, NY.  She was 87 years old.

Born in Weehawken, NJ,  on September 5, 1927, to William G. and Anna Marie Weiss Henry, Sister Mary Clare entered Maryknoll at its motherhouse in Ossining, NY, in 1950 from St. Augustine’s Parish, Union City, NJ, and made her final vows on March 7, 1959, in Manila, Philippines. A 1945 graduate of St. Michael’s High School, Union City, Sister Mary Clare also held a B.A. in social science, with a minor in education from Notre Dame College, Staten Island, NY.   She also studied at Newark Teachers College in 1949 and Maryknoll Seminary in 1979.

Sister Mary Clare began her service in the Philippines with a year’s language study in Manila.  She then taught English and religion in Lipa from 1954-1956, in Pakil (where she also served as regional assistant superior in 1960 and superior in 1962) from 1956-1965, in Lucena from 1965-1968, and Cateel from 1968-1971.   She then taught religion and served as a supervisor for San Francisco del Monte  High School, a public high school in Malabon from 1971-1972, followed by nearly eight months in congregational service, assisting in housekeeping and with light repairs at the Maryknoll Sisters Center in Ossining.

Sister Mary Clare returned to the Philippines in 1976, working as a CCD coordinator in Malabon until 1979, then in Quezon City until 1983.  She then did pastoral work at San Isidreo Parish in Nuro, Upi, Mazuindanao, from 1985-1989.

From 1989-1993,  Sister Mary Clare worked again at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, this time serving as administrator and business coordinator for Maryknoll Mission Institute, as well as speaking about the work of Maryknoll Sisters at local parishes in 1992.

Following a period of ministry to her family, Sister Mary Clare returned once more to the Philippines, where she did pastoral work, volunteered with the National Vocational Rehabilitation Center’s literacy program, provided hospitality to those visiting the regional house, and tutored from 1998-2004.  She then taught English to several Sisters from Asia from 2004-2010.  She retired in 2011, residing at the Maryknoll Sisters Center until her death.

A vespers service will be held for Sister Mary Clare on Tuesday, May 5, 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, May 6, 2015 at 11 a.m. in the same location. Interment will be in the Maryknoll Sisters Cemetery on the Center grounds.

Sister Martha Getchell, MM,
Missioner to Peru for 50 Years,
Dies at 83

Maryknoll, NY —  Sister Martha Getchell, MM, missioner to Peru for 50 years, died April 25, 2015, at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Ossining, NY.  She was 83 years old.

Born in Minneapolis, MN,  on January 8, 1932, to George Edward and Mary Dugan Getchell, Sister Martha entered Maryknoll at its motherhouse in Ossining, NY, in 1954 from St. Peter’s Parish, Newark, NJ, and made her final vows on March 7, 1963, in Lima, Peru.  A 1954 graduate of Good Counsel College, White Plains, NY, with a B.S. in business and education, she served as president of the school’s Mission Society.

Following two years working as a secretary at Maryknoll’s St. Teresa’s Residence, Sister Martha was sent to Peru where she would spend much of her missionary life.  Her first assignment was teaching business subjects to students at Santa Rosa High School, the first parochial school ever established in Lima, from 1960-1967.  Sister Martha was one of 12 Maryknoll Sisters who staffed the school.

Late in 1967, she returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, and from 1968-1969 worked in the Maryknoll Fathers Comptroller’s Office. In 1969, she returned to Peru, where she was assigned to the Altiplano to work with Bishop Edward Fedders, MM, as secretary-treasurer of the Juli Prelature, a position she would hold until 1984.  During those 15 years, she also worked in the Office of Catholic Education, working with a program for formation of religious education teachers, as well as doing pastoral work.  She also served as regional coordinator of Maryknoll Sisters in Peru from 1978-1981.

In 1984, Sister Martha returned to the United States, working in the congregation’s Treasury and in the Employee Personnel office until 1988. She returned to Peru in 1989 where she was invited to join the team of Maryknollers serving in Tacna, on the southernmost border of Peru.  There she worked with a family catechetics program, involving both parents and children in religious formation.  She returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center in 2009, where she resided until her death.

“I thank God for the 50 wonderful years I spent in Peru,” Sister Martha reflected during an interview in 2010. “For me, mission is about being with people, growing and understanding each other; learning to stand back and let the people take over. Their love of God and their faith were always a light for me and they knew how to laugh and have fun.”

A vespers service will be held for Sister  Martha on Wednesday, April 29, 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, April 30, 2015 at 11 a.m. in the same location. Interment will be in the Maryknoll Sisters Cemetery on the Center grounds.

Sister M. James Florence Blanchard, MM, died Tuesday, April 14, 2015, at the Maryknoll Sisters Center.  She was 86 years old and had spent 22 years with the people of Tanzania, teaching various classes and learning and embracing their culture. “If you have been to someone’s village you are a friend for life,” she commented.

As an educator, Sister James affected and improved the lives of many, teaching them life skills, such as sewing, infant care, socio-economic values and the benefits of a good diet.

Born on September 22, 1928, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, to James Edward and Florence M. Gallant Blanchard, Sister James, or “Jamesy” as she was known by the other Sisters at Maryknoll, was christened Mary Florence Blanchard, attended the Notre Dame Academy in Charlottetown from 1943-1945, and graduated from Mount St. Vincent Academy, Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1947.

On September 6, 1947, she entered Maryknoll at their motherhouse in Ossining, NY, from St. Dunstan Parish, Charlottetown.  She made her first profession on March 7, 1950 at the Motherhouse and was employed in the kitchen for a year.

In 1952, Sister James received her first overseas assignment, in which she was sent to Africa. Following completion of  Kiswahili language studies in Kowak, Tanzania, she worked in a dispensary for over two years, making her final vows on March 7, 1953.  In 1955, she was assigned to Nyengina, Tanzania, where she taught second grade, did daily office tasks, and taught women how to sew, while also serving as superior of the Maryknoll Sisters in that region, until 1956. She then taught sewing and did office work in other Tanzanian communities, including Rosana from 1956-1962 and 1965-1971, Kinesi from 1962-1963, and Isango from 1963-1965.

Sister James was then sent to Tarime, Tanzania, where she served until 1974 in rural community development. Noting that the local women had no dresses or slips, she taught them how to make inexpensive clothing. She also educated the people on their diets, taught them to use their cattle as food rather than dowry, taught them reading and writing, health, socioeconomics and homecare.  “Twenty years ago, men were kings. Women didn’t have anything like their own money,” she noted in an interview during that time period. “Now they have their own gardens, bananas and cabbage. When they sell the produce, I try to make sure they keep what they earn.” Under her guidance, the men also became more willing to cooperate regarding health care, some of them even encouraging pregnant women to come in for an examination.

In mid-summer 1974, Sister James suffered a severe stroke and, once her condition stabilized, she returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center in Ossining.  There, she worked part-time in the Stamp and Mail Department until her death.

A vespers service will be held for Sister  James, who donated her body to science, on Monday, April 20, 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, April 21, 2015, at 11 a.m. in the same location.

Maryknoll, NY —  Sister Gemma Marie Berger, MM,  one-time regional spiritual director of the Worldwide Fatima Apostolate, Guadelupe, CA, died on April 12, 2015, at the Maryknoll Sisters Center. She was 89 years old.

Born on April 25, 1925 in Gardenville, NY, to Edward J. and Rose L. Karg Berger, Sister Gemma Marie was baptized Geraldine Margaret Berger and attended Fourteen Holy Helpers Parish, Gardenville, along with her parents and siblings, Edward, Eugene, Richard and Rosemary. A 1943 graduate of Mount Mercy Academy, Buffalo, NY, she also attended St. Nicholas High School, Buffalo, from 1939-1941.

Upon learning that she desired to become a missionary, Sister Gemma Marie’s pastor recommended Maryknoll, which she entered on September 6, 1944. She made her first vows on March 7, 1947 at the motherhouse and her final vows on March 7, 1950, in Mountain View, CA.  A 1958 graduate of Maryknoll Teachers College, Maryknoll, NY, with a bachelor’s degree in education, Sister Gemma Marie spent much of her missionary life as an elementary school teacher in Chinatown, Chicago, IL and San Juan Capistrano, CA.

Following work in the seminary kitchens at the Venard in Scranton, PA, and Maryknoll, NY, from 1947-1949, Sister Gemma Marie was sent to San Juan Capistrano, CA, where she taught CCD to migrant workers until 1950. Following a brief period in Mountain View, CA, where she made her final vows, Sister Gemma Marie returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, NY, where she worked in the Promotion Department from 1952-1958.

Sister Gemma Marie then taught third grade at St. Therese’s School in Chicago’s Chinatown from 1958-1969, and fourth grade from 1958-1959.  She was then sent to Guadelupe, CA, where she taught CCD to elementary school children at the Guadelupe mission from 1971 until the mission closed in 1977.  During this time, she also supervised lay teachers, engaged in assorted parish activities, organized the church choir, and served as regional spiritual director of the Worldwide Fatima Apostolate.  In 1977, she retired, living at the Maryknoll Sisters Residence in Monrovia, CA, where she engaged in a variety of volunteer works until 2009 when she returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center in New York.

Sister Gemma Marie is survived by her brother Richard E. Berger of Columbus, OH, and her sister, Rosemary Berger, of Orchard Park, NY, as well as an aunt, Sister M. Eugene Karg, SSJ, of Clarence, NY, and other relatives.

A vespers service will be held for Sister Gemma Marie on Tuesday, April 14, 2015, at 4:15 p.m. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center at Maryknoll, NY.  The Liturgy of Christian Burial will take place on April 15, 2015, at 11 a.m. in the same location. Interment will be in the Maryknoll Sisters Cemetery at the Center.