Age 97
A woman of deep faith, intellect, and creativity, Sister Maria Cordis was a beloved educator, leader, writer, and poet whose influence reached far beyond the classroom.
She entered the Sisters of Mercy in Watchung, New Jersey, at the age of 22. Sister Maria Cordis earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Georgian Court College (now University) in Lakewood, New Jersey, and a master’s and doctorate degree in English, with a concentration in Medieval and Renaissance Literature, from Fordham University in the Bronx, New York.
Initially she taught for five years at St. Mary High School in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, then embarked on a distinguished and enduring career at Georgian Court College in Lakewood, New Jersey, where she served as a professor of English and chairwoman of the English Department for 58 years. Her passion for literature was evident in both her teaching and scholarship. She also served as president of the college for six years, during which time she led the institution in establishing its first master’s degree programs, expanding its academic offerings, launching coeducational evening undergraduate programs, and approving several new academic majors.
A lifelong lover of language and beauty, Sister Maria Cordis found expression in her writing. She was the published author of Mercy 1873 to1973, a centennial history of the Sisters of Mercy in New Jersey. Her poetry appeared in respected journals including Sewanee Review, Continuum Quarterly, Mosaic, Sign Magazine, Sister Today, and The Catholic World, as well as in other periodicals throughout the United States, Ireland, and New Zealand.
An accomplished gardener, Sister Maria Cordis took great pride in cultivating beauty, with roses as her particular specialty. Those who knew her will remember her appreciation for color, language, and the simple yet profound joys of creation.
For the last 11 years, she resided at Gabriel Hall at Mount Saint Mary in Watchung, New Jersey in the very same building she lived in as a proud graduate of Mount Saint Mary Academy. In April she moved to McAuley Hall Health Care Center, where she spent her final days surrounded by compassionate care and the loving presence of her Sisters in Mercy.