Age 85
Sister Ruth’s life as a dedicated vowed religious for over 60 years was marked by a broad expanse of service in various ministries in which she brought joy, generosity, and a heart of mercy to all she encountered.
Growing up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in a happy Irish clan, family and faith were an integral part of the life of Ruth and her five siblings. Attending Little Flower High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Ruthie first met the Sisters of Mercy. She responded to God’s call and entered the Sisters of Mercy at the age of 19 in Merion, Pennsylvania.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in humanities from Gwynedd Mercy College in Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania, and a master’s degree in religious studies from St. Charles Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For 15 years Ruth taught elementary school in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. For six years she ministered as the principal at St. Catherine of Sienna School in Horsham, Pennsylvania. Next, she served as the director of religious education at St. Joseph’s School in Sea Isle City, New Jersey, a position she would hold at four other parishes.
She also ministered as the director of volunteer services at Mercy Hospice in Philadelphia. A highlight for Ruthie was her two-year service as a team member at Mercy International Centre in Dublin, Ireland. She cherished her time at “Catherine’s House,” and her spirit of hospitality and willingness to attend to all tasks, great and small, are remembered with much gratitude.
Ruthie’s relationships with her family, friends, and sisters in the community can best be described as kind, gentle, faithful, fun-filled, uplifting, and memorable. Her unique, quick-witted humor was a gift to her band members and the sisters with whom she lived in community. Her contagious, iconic laughter brought sunshine to all who knew and loved her.