Age 91
A secondary school teacher, Sister Mary Catherine taught for over 40 years in the Metuchen, Trenton and Camden dioceses inspired by her motto, “Jesus, my strength and my joy.”
She first encountered the Sisters of Mercy at her elementary school, St. James in Woodbridge, New Jersey. In high school, she also was taught by the Sisters of Mercy in high school at St. Mary’s in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. So, it was no surprise that she chose Georgian Court College (now University) in Lakewood, New Jersey, to receive a bachelor’s degree in music.
After teaching elementary school for two years, she responded to a call and entered the novitiate in Watchung, New Jersey, at the age of 24. For eight years, she taught at Mount Saint Mary’s in Watchung, New Jersey. She continued to educate herself completing a master’s degree in secondary education and a master’s degree in English at Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania. She returned to Mount Saint Mary’s to teach for 15 years.
When she retired from teaching, she became the administrative assistant to the New Jersey Regional Community leadership team. She also ministered as the co-director of communications for that community. In June of 2008, she became a resident of McAuley Hall Health Care Center in Watchung, New Jersey, where she resided until her death.