Age 87
A woman of God, Sister Mary Eileen met the health needs of others for over 35 years at Mercy Medical, Inc., in Daphne, Alabama, one of the largest faith-based providers of healthcare services in southern Alabama.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, she grew up in Mobile, Alabama, graduating from the former Convent of Mercy High School there in 1956. After high school, Eileen began her life-long ministry in health care, graduating from Providence School of Nursing in Mobile, Alabama, in 1959.
At the age of 24, Eileen entered the Sisters of Mercy in Baltimore, Maryland, followed later that year by her twin sister, Mary Ann, who entered in September. She was soon able to continue her preparation for ministry in healthcare by receiving a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Mount St. Agnes College in Baltimore, Maryland, and a master’s degree in business administration from George Washington University, in Washington, D.C.
In 1964, Sister Mary Eileen began her full-time ministry at Stella Maris Hospice in Baltimore, Maryland, and then at the former Villa Mercy, Daphne, Alabama, later to become Mercy Medical. After completing her studies in hospital administration, she returned to Villa Mercy, in 1969 as the administrator and later became president and chief executive officer.
In her many years of leadership in health care, the one experience that Sister Mary Eileen spoke of most often was the opportunity to meet and introduce the late Pope John Paul II, in her role as president of the board of the U.S. Catholic Health Association in 1987.
After retiring from Mercy Medical, Sister Mary Eileen and her sister relocated to Baltimore, where their lives as Sisters of Mercy had begun and they continued to minister in various ways, some health related and other new needs. In 2019, they decided to “come home” and reside at Convent of Mercy, Mobile. When the end neared for her, she called upon hospice, a gift that she and her sister had made available for so many others, to accompany her in her final journey.