Age 73
Sister Barbara’s gentle spirit, patience, and devotion to her students left a lasting impression on generations of young learners.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, in a close-knit Catholic family, Sister Barbara attended St. Jerome Elementary School, followed by Catherine McAuley High School, both in Brooklyn. She continued her education at Georgian Court College (now University) in Lakewood, New Jersey, where she earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in elementary education and later a master’s degree in theology.
A second-grade teacher at Whiting Elementary School in Whiting, New Jersey, for 25 years, she also taught religious education classes at St. Luke’s Parish in Toms River, New Jersey, for more than a decade. In 1999, at the age of 47, she entered the Sisters of Mercy in Watchung, New Jersey, beginning a new chapter of service and spiritual commitment. She began her life in Mercy with the sisters in Bradly Beach, a time Barbara remembered fondly.
She completed her novitiate at the House of Mercy in St. Louis, Missouri, and later ministered as a teacher at McAuley School in North Plainfield, New Jersey. She brought her teaching talents to third graders at St. Joseph School, Keyport, for one year, then for four years to second graders at Our Lady of Victories School, Sayreville, where she also taught the first Communion class.
Sister Barbara found joy in playing the piano and listening to music, simple pleasures that brought her peace and renewal. Her life of mercy extended beyond the classroom. She lovingly cared for her parents, even moving home for several years to help them when their health was failing. In recent years Sister Barbara was part of the community at St. Ann’s in Keansburg, before her illness brought her to McAuley Hall in Watchung, New Jersey.