Age 86
Sister Marie Ellen strived to live simply out of a deep concern for Mother Earth and was passionate about social justice issues.
A native of Louisville, Kentucky, she entered the Sisters of Mercy at the age of 16 in Cincinnati, Ohio. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Edgecliff College and a master’s degree in early childhood education from Xavier University, both in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Initially Ellen ministered in elementary and Montessori education in Louisville and Cincinnati. She later served as chaplain at St. Joseph Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, for seven years and St. Vincent’s Infirmary in Little Rock, Arkansas, for four years. Ellen also served as a holistic care manager for Mercy Sacred Heart Village in Louisville, Kentucky, for seven years.
A licensed massage therapist and Healing Touch practitioner, she ministered at Heart and Hand Therapies in Louisville, Kentucky, for 18 years. She also used this expertise in various volunteer roles at Sacred Heart Village, Children’s Hospital, and Volunteers of America. She found deep support as a long-time member of the Community of St. William, a vibrant Roman Catholic peacemaking community which strives to live out the highest ideals of the Gospel of Jesus and the Second Vatican Council.