Sister Ann Marie O’Brien, IHM, (formerly known as Sister M. Mercita) of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on Thursday, Sept. 8, at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Sister Ann Marie was born on July 18, 1929, in Avoca, Pennsylvania, the daughter of the late John Earl and Mary Lizak O’Brien. Sister entered the IHM Congregation on February 2, 1947, made her temporary profession of vows on August 2, 1949, and her final profession of vows on August 2, 1952. Sister Ann Marie received a Bachelor of Arts degree in education/Spanish from Marywood College and a Master of Arts degree in Spanish from the University of Notre Dame.
In addition to serving many years at various schools in Pennsylvania, Sister Ann Marie also served as a teacher at St. Ephrem Elementary School in Brooklyn from 1964 to 1967 and Maria Regina Diocesan High School in Uniondale, New York, from 1967 to 1982. She also served as vice-principal at Maria Regina Diocesan High School from 1978 to 1982.
She served as dean of students at Marywood College in Scranton, Pennsylvania, from 1984 to 1988; vice-president director of academic affairs at Holy Cross High School in Delran, New Jersey, from 1988 to 1996; director of ministry resources for the IHM Congregation in Scranton, Pennsylvania from 2006 to 2014; and support services at the IHM Center from 2014 to 2018.
From 2018 until the time of her death, Sister Ann Marie was a prayer minister at the IHM Center and Our Lady of Peace Residence, both in Scranton, Pennsylvania. She is preceded by three brothers, Joseph, Patrick, and John, and a cousin, Sister Daniela McCarthy, IHM. She is survived by nieces and nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews, cousins, and by the members of the IHM Congregation.
Interment will be at St. Catherine’s Cemetery in Moscow, Pennsylvania. Because of restrictions related to the coronavirus, the funeral mass and graveside service are private.
Sister Maureen Rosearita Heegan (formerly known as Sister Mary Jeromita) entered into eternal life on Aug. 25 after 70 years as a Sister of Saint Joseph.
Maureen and her brother grew up in Saint Thomas Aquinas Parish in Flatlands, and she graduated from Stella Maris High School. As a Sister of Saint Joseph, Sister Mary Jeromita began her educational ministry as a first-grade teacher in Saint Cecilia’s and then went on to teach the eighth grade in Visitation, St. Thomas Aquinas (on 4th Avenue), Saint Matthew, St. Clare, St. Robert Bellarmine, St. Augustine, and St. Athanasius Schools.
She earned a degree from Saint John’s University, was trained as an EKG technician, and pursued studies in scripture, theology, and catechetics.
Sister Maureen focused on religious education as she ministered to parishes in the Diocese of Brooklyn as a member of the Department of Religious Education. She went on to spread her love of the gospel and passion for evangelization in the Dioceses of Omaha, Nebraska; Anchorage, Alaska; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and Springfield, Illinois.
Returning to New York, Sister Maureen ministered in the field of adult education at Our Lady of Snows Parish in Queens and then went on to be a lively part of the communities at Sacred Heart and Saint Joseph Convents.
Her remains will be buried in Calvary Cemetery in Brentwood at a future date.