Age 90
Competent and principled and extraordinarily loyal to the church, Sister Michaelinda lived a life of great faith teaching others with great kindness and concern.
Entering the Sisters of Mercy in Cumberland, Rhode Island, at the age of 20, she began preparation for a career in education both as a teacher and an administrator. For eight years, she taught in the elementary schools in the dioceses of Providence and New Bedford, both in Rhode Island. Next, she ministered as the procurator at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island and then as the coordinator and treasurer of Carter Day Nursery in Providence, Rhode Island.
Sister Michaelinda ministered as the principal of St. Mary School, Winchester, Massachusetts, for ten years. She earned a doctorate in education from Boston College in Boston, Massachusetts. Her dissertation researched the knowledge and attitudes of pastors, principals and laity toward the financial resources for parish Catholic elementary schools. Upon graduation she was appointed assistant superintendent of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Fall River. She served as president of the Principals Association of the Archdiocese of Boston and vice-president of the Mercy Elementary Education Network.
Upon retirement from education, she volunteered in the Department of Social Services in Boston doing foster care reviews. An active member of St. Theresa parish in Tiverton, Rhode Island, she cared for the altar preparation for liturgical celebrations. She also volunteered with the Tiverton Housing Authority.