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Sister Mary Magdalen Barnes, FHM, joined our Lord on May 7, 2011 at the glorious age of 101.
Entering the Congregation in 1930, Sister Mary Magdalen was last to have known our Foundress, Mother Mary Theodore. Sister earned a BA from Manhattan College and also studied Gregorian Chant at Pius X School of Liturgical Music.
Among the many Ministries Sister Mary Magdalen worked as a teacher were:
St. Benedict’s Day Nursery
St. Mary’s Convent School, New York, NY
St. Benedict the Moor, New York, NY
Christ the King, Highpoint, NC
St. Cyprian, Georgetown, NC.
During the summer, she was also the Director of Camp St. Edward and also the Day Camp in St. Augustine’s parish, Bronx, NY.
Sister also served the Congregation as Novice Mistress, Local Superior in the Convents of St. Cyprian, St. Thomas & St. Benedict and as a member of the General Council.
In 2010, Sister Mary Magdalen celebrated her 80th Diamond Jubilee.
Sister leaves behind the love of the children whose lives she touched and her joy she brought to many by her devotion to God as she joins Him in Heaven. |
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Sister Mary Hyacinth Thomas, FHM, joined our Lord on May 15, 2011. A native New Yorker, Sister Mary Hyacinth joined the Congregation in 1944.
Known for her culinary skills, Sister Mary Hyacinth was assigned as Director of food services at the Mother Theodore Memorial Residence, the Motherhouse, St. Benedict’s Day Nursery, and the Novitiate on Staten Island. She also taught at St. Benedict’s Day Nursery as an Assistant Teacher. In 1960 until her retirement in 1997, Sister was the Director of the Elders’ Club, under the auspices of Catholic Charities.
In her golden years, Sister Mary Hyacinth served in the Ministry of prayer and as Minister of Communication by keeping the Community informed of latest local, national and international news.
Sister Mary Hyacinth joins our most gracious Lord, having nourished the bodies and souls of all who knew her, enjoyed her cooking and were taught by her. |
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Sr. Jacqueline Theresa Banks was born in Albany NY, October 9, 1933. Jacqueline entered the Congregation of the Franciscan Handmaids of the Most Pure Heart of Mary; received the habit and the name Sister Denis Marie, May 3, 1952; and her Final Vows August 22, 1960. After the changes of Vatican II, Sister Denis Marie resumed her Baptismal and Confirmation Names.
Sister served in the following teaching ministries over the past 59 years:
- St. Thomas and St. Mary Schools in Wilmington, NC
- Christ the King School in High Point, NC.
- St. Aloysius, New York, NY
- St. Cecilia, New York, NY
- Annunciation, New York, NY
- Our Lady Help of Christians, Staten Island
- St. Joseph of the Holy Family, New York, NY
Sr. Jacqueline was an excellent teacher, who cared for the individual needs of her students. Often she spent her “free” time tutoring those in need of extra help.
For the Congregation, she served for several terms on the General Council and as the Congregation Secretary. Sister Jacqueline was a Commissioner emeritus of the Office of Black Ministry of the Archdiocese of New York and a Core Member of the Women in Prayer of the Central Harlem Vicariate.
We praise and thank the Lord for the gift of the life of Sister Jacqueline Theresa Banks, FHM. |
Ciara Shillingford crowned the Blessed Virgin on May 23, 2010.