Age 90
Sister Mary will be well-remembered for her energy, her dedication, outreach to those in need and love for each and every person in her wide, wide circle.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, she attended St. Teresa of Avila and St. Brigid grammar school and Mercy Juniorate High School. She entered the Sisters of Mercy in Syosset, New York, at the age of 18. She held a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from St. Francis College in Brooklyn, New York, and a master’s degree in elementary education from St. John’s College in Queens, New York.
For 27 years, she mostly taught first graders in the Brooklyn and Rockville Centre dioceses. Always interested in improving children’s educational opportunities, Mary pursued advanced certificates in childhood education which trained her in the Montessori method of teaching.
She founded the Mercy Montessori School in Brooklyn, New York, where she ministered for 20 years. Mary later worked as an education director at the Foundation Center, the Growing Assets Child Development Center, and the East Brooklyn Living for the Young Family through Education program, bringing countless blessings to all she served.
Throughout these years, Mary also found time to work with Mercy Associates, men and women who wished to participate in the life of Mercy by sharing in the Sisters of Mercy prayer and ministries. Then, in 2004, Mary moved from Brooklyn to eastern Long Island and found new ways to minister with immigrants, many of whom were from Spanish-speaking backgrounds.
Mary concentrated on how she could work with others to create a more loving and mercy-filled environment. In her last months, she moved to the Convent of Mercy in Whitestone, New York and enjoyed sharing community with other retired sisters.