In Memoriam

Mary Roberta Dougherty, SHCJ (M. M. Roberta)
September 6, 1913 - April 13, 2012

Sister Roberta graduated from West Philadelphia Catholic Girls High School and entered the Convent of the Sisters of the Holy Child. In the Philadelphia area, she taught at St. Edward’s School, Holy Spirit, St. Lucy’s School, and St. Leonard’s Academy. She also taught at St. Ignatius in Chicago, IL; St. Mary’s in Melrose, MA; St. Elizabeth’s in New York City; and St. Rose in Portland, Ore.

She also served as Librarian at LaSalle High School in Portland, OR and at West Philadelphia Catholic Girls High School. Sr. Roberta was Director of Religious Education at parishes in New Rochelle, NY; West Linn, OR; and Fulton, MS. In her retirement years while living in Rosemont, PA, Sister Roberta took care of houses for local vacationers and later, using her scooter, delivered mail and smiles to the retired and infirm sisters living at Holy Child Center.

Kathleen O'Neill, SHCJ (M. M. Agatha)

May 4, 1927 - April 2, 2012

Sister Kathleen entered the Convent of the Sisters of the Holy Child in 1945 and began her ministry teaching at St. James Parochial School in Philadelphia from 1948-1952. Next, she taught at St. Mary’s in Melrose, Mass. from 1952-1954 and then at St. Rita in Portland, OR from 1954-1961. In 1961, she went to Takoradi, Ghana, serving as Vice-Principal of Holy Child Training College from 1961-1966 and Principal from1966-1971.

From 1972-1974, she served as the Assistant Director of Holy Child Center in Rosemont, PA, where retired and infirm Holy Child Sisters live. After earning her nursing license in 1975, she became a nurse at Holy Child Center from 1975-1978. From 1978-1993, she served as a nurse at the Convent of the Holy Child in Rye, N.Y.She was Director of Religious Education and the Coordinator of Senior Activities at Annunciation Parish in Washington, D.C. in 1993. In 2002, she was awarded the Archdiocesan Merit Medal for her service in the parish.

Elizabeth McNamara, SHCJ (M. M. Quentin)

October 31, 1913 - August 30, 2011

Born and raised in Melrose, Mass., Sister Elizabeth attended St. Mary's School. After graduating from Cheverus High School in 1931, she did office work for several years. But in 1937, that all changed. “There was something more. As a youngster, I had thought about being a nun,” Sister Elizabeth once said. In 1937, she entered the Society of the Holy Child Jesus.

In 1939, Sister Elizabeth began her educational ministry which ranged from elementary school teacher to archdiocesan administrator. Over the next 50+ years, she taught at the following: St. Walburga’s in New York, N.Y.; Holy Child Academy in Sharon Hill, Pa.; Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child in Summit, N.J.; School of the Holy Child in Rye, N.Y.; and St. Mary's in Melrose, Mass. Sister Elizabeth also served as financial aid officer at Rosemont College in Rosemont, Pa. In Washington, D.C., she was an Administrative Assistant at the Catholic School Office for 18 years.

Mary Rebecca Smith, SHCJ

July 18, 1927 - August 27, 2011

For 20 years, Sister Rebecca was a classroom teacher. She taught at St. Elizabeth’s in New York, N.Y.; St. Anastasia’s in Waukegan, IL; Our Lady of Lourdes in New York, N.Y., and West Philadelphia Catholic High School for Girls in Philadelphia, Pa. She also served in the office of St. Edward’s School in Philadelphia, PA.

In 1976, she began an entirely new ministry, that of Campus Minister at Lehman College in the Bronx, New York. She would be involved with this for the next 20 years. Besides the usual counseling and lecture-study projects, she introduced a number of innovative ones, including a community chorus and a performing dance group – a group that performed at Lehman, as well as at St. Paul’s Parish in Yonkers.

Dorothy O'Brien, SHCJ (M. M. Felice)

November 11, 1936 - August 27, 2011

Sister Dorothy taught for close to three decades, mostly in the Philadelphia area. She spent just two years outside of Pennsylvania teaching at the Connelly School of the Holy Child in Potomac, Md. In Philadelphia, she taught at St. Edward's School, St. James School, Assumption School, Prendergast High School, J.W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School, and West Philadelphia Catholic Girls High School.

For 25 years, Sister Dorothy was involved in varied ministries including community organizing with the Farm Workers Union, Admissions and Dorm Counselor at Rosemont College, staff member at Holy Child Center, a retirement community for Holy Child Sisters, and staff member at the Cornelia Connelly Center for Spirituality.

Kathleen Walsh, SHCJ (M. M. Macrina)
September 9, 1927 - February 5, 2011

Sister Kathleen was born and educated in Philadelphia. After graduation from West Catholic High School for Girls in 1944, she entered the Society of the Holy Child Jesus at Sharon Hill – the youngest of her set.

Sister Kathleen taught for more than 25 years. She served at St. Elizabeth’s, New York; St. Mary’s, Melrose, MA; St. Anastasia’s, Waukegan, IL; St. Lucy’s, Philadelphia; Holy Child Academy, Drexel Hill and Holy Spirit, Sharon Hill, PA. In 1974, her ministry reached beyond the classroom to Social Security work at New Sharon, Assistant Director of the Teacher Center of St. Gabriel’s, Philadelphia; and to Business Assistant at Rosemont College. For 17 years, she served at the Villanova University School of Nursing, both at their Media Center and for 10 years as Office Assistant.

Sister Kathleen held a bachelor’s degree in Education (1955), as well as two master’s degrees—one in Theology (1968) and one in Philosophy (1994). All three degrees were earned from Villanova University.

Aquilla Peterson, SHCJ
July 12, 1949 - December 21, 2010

Born in Philadelphia, Pa., Sr. Aquilla grew up in North Philadelphia in St. Elizabeth’s parish. As a child, she had tremendous faith in God and often wondered if she would have the courage to give her life to God. Many years later she found that courage. While studying for her master’s degree at Bryn Mawr College in 1997, Sr. Aquilla attended a life awareness weekend that was sponsored by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. She met Sr. Jeanne Marie Hatch, SHCJ, who was the Vocations Director for the Society of the Holy Child Jesus at the time, and in 2001, she entered the Society of the Holy Child Jesus.

In 2004, Sr. Aquilla professed her final vows in the Society of the Holy Child Jesus. Upon making her final vows, she said, “I am here because I want to make life better for others. I believe I can do that better by being joined with women who are actively seeking solutions to the needs of the world today." For all of her adult life, Sr. Aquilla was a mental health worker. Ministering to the mentally ill helped her to see the presence of God more clearly and she said that her ministry became one of helping others in God’s name.

Rosemary McHugh, SHCJ (M. M. Barnabas)
June 10, 1918 - December 14, 2010

Born in Melrose, Mass., Sister Rosemary attended St. Mary’s School, where the Holy Child Sisters taught. She entered the Society of the Holy Child Jesus in 1936.

Most of Sister Rosemary’s religious life was spent as a classroom teacher at both primary and secondary levels. Her ministry began in the East (St. Edwards, PA; Our Lady of Lourdes, NY; St. Mary’s, Melrose, MA) then moved to the Midwest (St. Veronica’s, Illinois; Holy Child Academy, Illinois) and then back to Suffern, NY, Melrose, MA and finally to Holy Spirit, Sharon Hill, where Rosemary volunteered in the library after teaching for several years.  She offered community service while living in Primos, PA and  in these later years at the Convent of the Holy Child in Rye, N.Y., where one of her responsibilities was to send emergency weekend notices to the province.

Nora Kelly, SHCJ (M. M. Zita)
October 31, 1930 - December 15, 2010

Born in Philadelphia, Sister Nora met the Holy Child Sisters when she attended West Catholic High School for Girls. Two years after graduation, Nora entered the Society of the Holy Child Jesus. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Villanova University and taught for more than 20 years in schools in the Philadelphia area: Holy Spirit, Sharon, St. Edwards, and St. Lucy’s. After gaining a Clinical Pastoral Certificate, Sr. Nora served on the staff of Holy Child Center in Rosemont for three years. Then, for 13 years, she worked for the Archdiocesan Catholic Social Services—five years as secretary for the Migration/Refugee Program and eight years as secretary in the Child Care Department.

Anna Daly, SHCJ (M. Thomas More)
September 16, 1925 – September 19, 2010

Born in New York, N.Y., Sr. Anna graduated from St. Walburga’s Academy. She entered the Society of the Holy Child Jesus in 1944 and served in the New York area for nearly 60 years.

She taught at St. Elizabeth’s School in New York City. Next, for more than 10 years, she taught English and Latin, while serving as the Librarian at the School of the Holy Child in Rye, N.Y. Then, for more than 30 years, she was the Director of Alumnae Relations at the School. Upon her retirement in 2001, she was appointed to the school’s Board of Trustees and served until 2008. Most recently, she had been working as the Archivist at St. Conrad’s Friary in White Plains, N.Y.

Sister Anna also taught at the Rosemont School of the Holy Child in Rosemont, Pa. from 1953-1958.

Muriel Ratigan, SHCJ (M. St. Agnes)
February 2, 1915 – September 17, 2010

Born in New York, N.Y., Sr. Muriel graduated from Villa Maria High School in 1932. She entered the Society of the Holy Child Jesus in 1947. Gifted in math, Sr. Muriel taught the subject at schools in New York, Pennsylvania, California, and Illinois.

She was also a member of the Provincial Council for the Society’s former Western Province from 1967-1973. In Rome, Italy, she was a member of the staff of the Society’s Generalate from 1982-1991.

From 1993-1997, she led classes for adults learning English at Providence Center in North Philadelphia. Providence Center was founded and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Child. From 1997-2006, Sister Muriel was a math tutor at St. Thomas/Our Mother of Good Counsel school in Bryn Mawr, Pa.

Mary Flavia Widmeier, SHCJ (M. M. Flavia)
November 17, 1915 – June 9, 2010

Born in Philadelphia, Pa., Sr. Mary Flavia graduated from J.W. Hallahan High School in 1934. After entering the Society of the Holy Child, she taught in schools in Illinois, New York, and Pennsylvania. She also served on the staff of Holy Child Center in Rosemont, Pa.

In 1952, Sr. Mary Flavia traveled to Calabar, Nigeria where she served for more than 10 years training young African women who were becoming teachers. She also served as Sacristan.

In her later years, Sr. Mary Flavia was responsible for taking Sisters who were unable to drive themselves to their doctors’ appointments and doing other errands such as picking up prescriptions and grocery shopping. She also did community service at St. Joseph’s Parish in Sea Isle City, N.J. From 1988-2001, she served as Sacristan in the New Sharon Chapel in Rosemont, Pa.

Ellen Hare, SHCJ (M. M. Damien)
November 14, 1907 – June 7, 2010

At 102, Sr. Ellen Hare was the oldest living Sister of the Holy Child in the American Province. Born in Suffern, N.Y., she graduated from Holy Child High School in 1925 and entered the Society of the Holy Child. She began her ministry teaching at Holy Child Academy in Cheyenne, Wyo. for two years. She also taught at Holy Child Academy in Portland, Ore., St. Walburga’s Academy in New York, N.Y., and at the former St. James School in Philadelphia, Pa.

In 1935, Sr. Ellen began more than three decades of service to Africa, specifically in Nigeria: she taught in Holy Child schools in Calabar, Lagos, and Ifuho and served as the Local Superior in Uyo, Ifuho, and Calabar.

Sr. Ellen returned to the United States in 1967, serving at the Convent of the Holy Child in Rye, N.Y. Later, she lived in Summit, N.J. where she continued her ministry in the Convent of the Holy Child and volunteered at St. Teresa’s Parish School.

Catherine Edgar, SHCJ (M. Robert Mary)
August 21, 1935 – May 11, 2010

Sr. Catherine’s 74 years took a number of unexpected turns. Born into a close knit Philadelphia family, she was able to assume, as her religious name, the names of both of her parents, Robert Mary.

Sr. Catherine entered the Society of the Holy Child Jesus in 1954. After profession, she proved herself a capable and well-loved teacher in schools in Philadelphia, Pa., Sharon Hill, Pa., Washington, D.C., and Portland, Ore.

During the renewal period following Vatican II, Sr. Catherine’s gifts of mind and heart enabled her to relate well to adults in programs at parish and diocesan levels in Oregon and Ohio. She was also called upon to fill administrative posts as local superior and as a member of two provincial councils.

Reluctantly, Sr. Catherine retired when there were early signs of Alzheimer’s. More care was needed with each stage of her diminishments. Through it all, she radiated the love “which surpasses all understanding.” Undoubtedly, Cornelia Connelly watched with understanding as Sr. Catherine was trimmed but never uprooted.