Age 90
Sister Maris Stella Mogan was a Sister of Mercy for 68 years. In her earlier years, she served as a dynamic teacher and principal in elementary schools in Tennessee.
In 1987 she began her ministry at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, and in 1988, she became the Patient/Family Liaison in the Emergency Department. In that role, she not only comforted patients but relayed messages and encouragement to anxious friends and families in the waiting room. Sister Maris Stella became something of a celebrity when she was teamed up with former University of Tennessee and NFL MVP quarterback Peyton Manning in several award-winning commercials promoting the top-quality care patients received at the hospital she so greatly loved. In April 2006, the Knoxville community bid a tearful goodbye to her and her blood sister, Sister Thomasetta, as they prepared to move to Mercy Convent, Nashville.
Wherever she was, she had a special concern for those who were poor or homeless and made every effort to reach out to offer assistance. After retirement, she found the perfect opportunity at Catholic Charities as a Neighborhood Volunteer in Nashville, visiting and helping those in need. Of course, she also put energy into her community at Mercy Convent. Rooted in daily prayer, she was outgoing, caring, a good listener, and always willing to help. Sister was also intent on keeping up with current events in the world and in the larger Mercy Community and made it a point to set aside time for related reading. A true daughter of Catherine, may she “rest from her labors, for her deeds follow her.”