After Sister Mary’s graduation from Archbishop Prendergast in1965, she attended Chestnut Hill College and earned her B.S. in Education. She continued her studies, earning her M.A. in Theology from St. Meinrad School of Theology.
Sister taught elementary schools, mainly grades 7 and 8 in a variety of places: St. Helena (Phila.); St. Phillip (Lafayette Hill); St. Charles (Phila.); and St. Helena (DE).
Sister Mary was a Theology teacher at St. Hubert High School, and Cecilian Academy and has done parish work at St. Timothy, Phila; St. Kevin, Springfield. Presently Sister Mary ministers at St. Anastasia, Newtown Square as Director of Parish Services. She has also ministered in Leadership for the Sisters of Saint Joseph.
How did your Catholic education shape your vocation?
I am proud to say that I am a 1965 graduate of Archbishop Prendergast Hight School. Prendie in the 1960’s was bustling with young girls. The school was large ( my class had nearly a thousand girls) but the atmosphere was friendly and nurturing. The faculty was composed of a variety of religious congregations and dedicated lay teachers. What I experienced were good teachers and equally good role models. This was important to me since my goal was to become a Catholic school teacher. A strong Catholic identity permeated the atmosphere of the classroom, activities, and even the hallways!
Every Thursday we had Benediction in our school chapel. The chapel was always packed and often we ended up kneeling outside the chapel and sometime even as far as the arcade for those of us coming from gym class. Attendance was not mandatory but so many of us attended because we wanted to be there. There was something special and sacred about that practice. Even today, although Benediction is not celebrated as frequently, that same feeling of special and sacred comes over me whenever I attend Benediction in the parish where I minister.
Share a memorable story.
As I moved through my Prendie years, I also became aware of a joyful spirit that seemed to permeate the lives of the women religious who taught me. The atmosphere of good teachers, good role models, and that joyful spirit all nurtured my openness to a call to religious life
My religion teachers stand out because they challenged us to think and to be open to the changes that were taking place in the church after the Second Vatican Council. I didn’t realize it at the time, but they were planting the seeds for my desire to be a part of the changing Church and to study Theology later on in my religious life. I was fortunate to have those sister teachers who were ahead of their time and instilled that desire for an openness to change in me. As a Sister of St. Joseph today, I look on those IHM, RSM, and SHCJ sisters with gratitude for all that they offered to me and all the girls sitting in those religion classes. They really did help to make me who I am today.
What is the most rewarding aspect of your vocation? What challenges have deepened your faith and commitment?
Although I experienced that joyfulness in the other communities of Sisters, I was drawn to the joy and the hospitable spirit of the Sisters of St. Joseph. After graduating, I worked for a year and then entered the Sisters of St. Joseph. I have served for over 58 years as teacher, formation director, in administrative work, and parish pastoral ministry. My many ministries and assignments have enabled me to meet and enter into the lives of so many people, young and old. For me, those relationships have been among the greatest gifts of my vocation.
Have you maintained ties with your classmates or found ways that your education continues to support your mission today?
I am grateful for my years of Catholic education, for the good times, for the many relationships formed then, some of which continue today. I am grateful for the way that those years helped to shape the woman religious I am today.
Looking back on your journey, what would you tell your high school self now?
To the current students of Bonner & Prendie I encourage you to enjoy your high school days. Have fun, make good friends, do the best you can academically, and most importantly be true to who you are so that you can be your best self – the person God made you to be, now and in the future that lies ahead of you.