Sister Mary Brigid O’Meara, CSJ, died on Aug. 29, one week shy of celebrating her 75th Jubilee as a Sister of Saint Joseph of Brentwood.

She grew up with her brother James Morgan and her sisters, Grace and Ann, in Immaculate Heart of Mary parish in Brooklyn. A graduate of St. Brendan’s High School, Mary entered the convent on Sept. 6, 1951. After her Novitiate, Sister Mary Brigid began her teaching ministry at Visitation Elementary School, followed by Saint Mary’s (Maujer St.), St. Frances de Chantal (Wantagh), St. Joachim, St. Francis de Sales, Saint Clare, and Blessed Sacrament.

From the very beginning, she involved herself in parish life as a catechist, with the altar boys, the sodality, the folk group, and CYO teams. She shared her caring, joyful manner as a visitor to the sick in St. Catherine’s Hospital and as a teacher to adults wanting to learn more about their faith. After earning a BA in English and an MA in future studies from Goddard College, she brought her skills and passion for learning to the young women at Bishop Kearney High School, The Mary Louis Academy, and Stella Maris High School.

A gifted English teacher, Sister Mary Brigid helped her students think, question, and explore possibilities while expressing themselves clearly and concisely. She mentored them as moderator of Students for a Better World, the school newspaper, the literary magazine, the Irish Club, and many other ways.

She served for a decade on the Sisters’ Senate for the Diocese of Brooklyn. She was active in congregational endeavors, particularly as a founding member of the ecology group Earth Matters. With a smile and a funny story, she brought home the need to care for the Earth and all of creation. While living in Saint Edmund of Canterbury Convent, she welcomed immigrant women in need of a home. In retirement, Sister Mary Brigid volunteered at Bishop Kearney High School, and after moving to Queens, she faithfully volunteered at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School. For the past six years, she lived at Villa Saint Joseph in Rockville Centre, sharing community with three congregations of religious women.

On Sept. 3, Sister Mary Brigid’s beloved nieces and nephews and their families gathered in Sacred Heart Chapel with sisters, friends, colleagues, and former students to remember her and the deep joy in God’s love that she so generously shared. Father Sean J. Gann celebrated the liturgy. Sister Mary Brigid chose to be cremated, so the burial will be at a later date in Calvary Cemetery on the CSJ campus.