Sister Patricia Berliner, C.S.J., a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph for 66 years, died on May 14, while residing in Maria Regina Residence, Brentwood.
Sister Patricia entered the congregation in 1966. She ministered as a teacher, guidance counselor and in later years as a psychologist. She was an occasional contributor and columnist to The Tablet.
She is the author of “Touching Your Lifethread and Revaluing the Feminine: A Process of Psychospiritual Change,” Cloverdale Books (May 18, 2007).
She earned a BA in English/Psychology from St. Joseph College; an MA in Counselor Education and a Doctorate in Counseling Psychology from New York University. Her affiliations were with NYS Psychological Crisis Network, Cofounder /Director of Women for a New World, Advisory Board on the “Dr. Phil Show” and Offices of Emergency Management CERT program.
Her ministries included: Academy of St. Joseph, Brentwood (1968-1970); St. John of God, Central Islip (1970-1971); Most Precious Blood, Long Island City (1971- 1973); Bishop Kearney HS, Brooklyn (1973- 1979); Our Lady of Guadalupe, Brooklyn (1979-1982); New York University, New York (1982-1984); Michigan State Uni- versity, Michigan (1984-1985); St. John’s Hospital, Elmhurst (1985-1989); New Hope Guild Centre, Howard Beach (1989-1999); Private Practice, Ozone Park (1991-2007); RVC Diocesan Office (1991-1997); Private Practice, Richmond Hill (2009).
Sister Janice Heisey, I.H.M., formerly known as Sister M. Josefita, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on Nov. 30, at Region- al Hospital of Scranton, PA. She was 90.
Sister Janice was born on Sept. 28,1930, in Baltimore, MD. She entered the IHM Congregation on Sept. 7, 1948, and made her temporary profession of vows on May 8, 1951, and her final profession of vows on Aug. 2, 1954. She received a BA in chemistry and science/history from Marywood College and a MS in chemistry and physics from the University of Notre Dame.
Sister Janice served as a teacher and principal from 1951 to 1973. She was the coordinator of the medical clinic at Brook- lyn Health Center in Brooklyn, from 1984 to 1985; and dental coordinator at the Spanish Catholic Center in Washington, DC, from 1985 to 2015.
Her burial was held at St. Catherine’s Cemetery in Moscow, PA. Due to restrictions related to the coronavirus, the funeral Mass and graveside service were private.
Sister Lorraine Mahoney, O.P., formerly Sister Mary Espiritu, O.P., a member of the Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville for 74 years, died on Nov. 26. She was 98.
Sister Lorraine was born on March 23, 1922, in Brooklyn. She entered the Amityville Dominicans on Sept. 8, 1941, from Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, Sunset Park, and after a year, she received the habit and her religious name Sister Mary Espiritu.
In the summer of 1943, she made her first vows, and three years later, made a full commitment by taking her final vows on Aug. 24, 1946.
After three years of teaching elementary grades in St. Pancras School, Glendale, Sister Lorraine became a renowned figure in the Business Education Department at Dominican Commercial High School in Jamaica, New York, for sixteen years.
She was appointed principal at Cure of Ars School in Merrick from 1962 to 1968 and then returned to teaching at Dominican Commercial High School for six years.
She was administrator of Bishop Molloy Retreat House in Jamaica, New York (1974-85), and Secretary to the Congregation’s Ministry office, Amityville, (1985-97).
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Dec. 1, at 10:45 am in the Mother- house chapel, followed by burial at the Sisters’ Cemetery, Amityville.
Sister Rosario Maria Morales-Urrutia, C.S.J., a member of the Congregation of St. Joseph for 61 years, died on June 22. She was recuperating in Stella Maris Convent and officially resided in Puerto Rico, where she lived at Convento María Reina, Río Piedras.
Sister Rosario entered the congregation in 1959 and most of her religious life was spent in Puerto Rico where she was an educator in the various elementary schools and later served as principal at Academia San Ignacio in Rio Piedras.
She earned a BA in Education from the Catholic University of Puerto Rico in 1970 followed by an IVlA in Administration/Supervision in 1972.
Her ministries included: St. James, Downtown Brooklyn (1962-1965).
Her wake and funeral Mass were held in Sacred Heart Chapel followed by her interment in Calvary Cemetery, Brentwood.
Sister Joan Ann Rogers, C.S.J., formerly known as Sister Joseph Consilio, a member of the Congrega- tion of St. Joseph for 67 years, died on April 27 at Maria Regina Residence. She was 86. She entered the congregation in 1953 from St. Brendan’s parish, Brooklyn. Sister Joan earned a BA degree in Education from St. Francis College, followed by an MS in Counseling and Education from Fordham University.
Her ministries included: Our Lady of Victory, Floral Park (1955-59); Immaculate Heart of Mary, Windsor Terrace (1959-65); Visitation, Red Hook (1965-71); St. Angela Hall Academy, Clinton Hill (1971-80); Bishop Kearney HS, Bensonhurst (1981- 88); St. Athanasius, Bensonhurst (1988- 1990); Xaverian HS, Bay Ridge (1990- 92); St. Edmund HS, Homecrest (1992-93); St. Joseph HS, Downtown Brooklyn (1993-94); Our Lady of Perpetual Help HS, Sunset Park (1995-96); The Mary Louis Academy HS, Jamaica Estates (1996-2002).
A private graveside prayer service and burial was held on April 30, at 1:00 p.m., at the Sister’s Cemetery, Brentwood.
Sister Florence Therese Sarsfield, C.S.J., a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph for 71 years, died on April 25, at Maria Regina Residence. She was 89.
Sister Florence entered the congregation in 1949. She earned a BA degree in History from St. Francis College in 1962 and an MS in Reading from Brooklyn College in 1974, followed by permanent certification in Nursing, Edu- cation, Reading and Religious Education.
Her ministries included: St. Michael, Flushing (1951-53); St. Francis de Sales, Belle Harbor (1953-58, 1984-93); St. Thomas Aquinas, Flatlands (1956-60); Queen of All Saints, Fort Greene (1960- 61, 1979); Holy Name, Windsor Terrace (1961-63); Immaculate Heart of Mary, Windsor Terrace (1963-77); St. Agnes Seminary, Flatbush/Madison Gardens (1979-84); Maria Regina Residence, Brentwood (1993-95); College Building, Brentwood(1995-98); St. Joseph Renewal Center, Brentwood (1998-99); Academy of St. Joseph (1999-2009).
Sister Lorna Rita Strachan, C.S.J., formerly Sister Frances Assisi, a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph for 80 years, died on June 8, while residing in Sacred Heart Convent, Hempstead.
Sister Lorna entered the congregation in 1939 from Presentation of the BVM, Jamaica. She celebrated her 80th Jubilee this past September. She earned a BA degree in English from Manhattan College in 1952; an MA degree in English from St. John’s University, Middlebury, and Stony Brook University.
Her ministries included St. Benedict Labre, Richmond Hill (1941- 43); St. Agnes, Carroll Gardens (1943-50); St. Augustine, Park Slope (1950-52); St. Brendan HS, Mid- wood (1952-53); Our Lady of Sorrows, Co- rona (1953); St. Joseph, Prospect Heights (1952-55); Our Lady of Victory, Floral Park (1955-58); Bishop McDonnell HS, Fort Greene (1958-65); Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Sunset Park (1965-69); Academy
of St. Joseph, Brentwood (1969-75); St. Anthony HS, Huntington (1975-2004).
Among her achievements: NEH grant to study Chaucer in 1983; her induction into St. Anthony’s Hall of Fame in 1994; author of St. Anthony’s History (1934-1984).
At her request, Sister Lorna was cremated. A private gravesite prayer service was led by the members of the CSJ Leadership Team at Calvary Cemetery, Brentwood.
Mrs. Eleanor Zimmermann, wife of Deacon Walter Zimmermann, a retired deacon who was assigned to Our Lady of Lourdes, Queens Village, died Nov. 22.