Sister Mary Mahony

In Memoriam
1916 – 2010

Born in Ballydonoghue, County Kerry, Ireland on May 3, 1916, the daughter of Maurice and Ellen Mahony, Mary was one of six children, including Maurice, Martin, John, Bridie, and Con.
 
When she was sixteen years old, Mary crossed the Channel and entered the novitiate of the Marianites of Holy Cross in Précigné, France, on June 19, 1932.  The following year she received the holy habit and was given the name Sr. Mary Finian.  Sister pronounced temporary vows on May 10, 1934.  There she spent the first twenty-seven years if her vowed life working in the Admission Office.
 
On May 10, 1937, at French Hospital, Sister Finian made her perpetual profession as a Marianite.  She had turned twenty-five just one week earlier.  A happy person, outgoing and friendly, Sister remained attached to her family in Ireland as well as to her Marianite community.
 
In 1963, Sr. Finian was missioned to Our Lady of Princeton Guest House where she spent seven happy years.  Well-liked by all who knew her, Sister had friends everywhere and kept in touch with them over the years.
 
Assigned in October of 1970 to Mater Dei Nursing Home in Newfield, New Jersey, Sister Mary (who had gone back to her baptismal name) began the longest ministry of her religious life.  At Mater Dei, she served on the staff in various roles: as sacristan, patient visitor, and sometimes as a worker in the purchasing office of the nursing home.
 
After thirty-three years of service at Mater Dei, Sister finally retired and entered McAuley Health Care Facility in Watchung, New Jersey on  November 5, 2003.  Never one to sit around and do nothing, Sister Mary quickly became involved in all the activities of the home.  She loved to participate in parties, pageants, plays, and anything that brought joy to other people.
 
A woman of prayer and devoted to her congregation, Sister Mary made several trips to Ireland to visit her family.  She was especially close to her nephew Maurice, his wife Ann and their five sons, as well as to her nieces and nephew in Ireland and in London.  Maurice and Ann visited Sister Mary several weeks before her death.
 
Mary went peacefully home to God on January 19, 2010 at 1:30 a.m. with the night nurse at her side.  On Saturday, January 23, a viewing and prayer service were held at McAuley Health Care Center from 9:30-10:30 a.m. At 10:30 Mary’s funeral Mass was celebrated by the Benedictine chaplain of the nursing home.  Present at the service were Mary’s niece and nephew, several of her Marianite sisters and four Kenyan sisters who had worked with Sister Mary at Mater Dei in the early 1990s.  An especially touching moment during the Mass was the singing of the hymn to Our Lady of Knock.
 
Following the Mass, the sisters and Mary’s friends accompanied Sister’s body to the Marianite cemetery at Our Lady of Princeton in Princeton, New Jersey, where she was laid to rest. The sisters and residents at McAuley were all saddened by her death. 

May her soul rest in peace.