Sister Miriam Anne Brennan was a Sister of Charity nurse, par excellence, who loved her work and all she served. She once spoke of herself as “an old shoe in the closet – one people turn to when they need comfort”.

Sister Miriam Anne Brennan, Miriam Theresa, was born May 2, 1920, in Manhattan, the only child of Thomas and Anna McCabe Brennan. Miriam Theresa attended Incarnation Elementary School and Holy Cross Academy, both in Manhattan, before entering the Sisters of Charity of New York on February 2, 1939. Sister Miriam Anne received a BS in Nursing from the College of Mount Saint Vincent, the Bronx, and an MS in Nursing Administration from Saint John University, Queens. Later, she merited New York State Permanent Certification in Nursing Home Administration.

Sister Miriam Anne’s first five years of mission were in elementary education at Saint Paul, Brooklyn, and Saint Margaret of Cortona, Bronx. After completing studies for her BSN in 1947, she devoted the next sixty-four years in various capacities to the healing ministry of nursing. Sister Miriam Anne’s first assignment was Saint Vincent’s Hospital, New York, where she worked over ten years as a nurse, Department Chair in Obstetrics, and Assistant Director of Nursing. She was then missioned to Saint Vincent’s Hospital, Staten Island, to serve as Director of Nursing and the first Director of the School of Nursing.  In 1966, Sister Miriam Anne became the first Health Coordinator for the Sisters of Charity, a position she held for four years, while also serving in the Archdiocesan Office of Education. She returned to the field of nursing administration with her appointment for eleven years as Director of the School of Nursing at Saint Joseph’s Hospital, Yonkers, and Assistant Director of In-Service Education for Nursing.

Over the following thirty years, Sister Miriam Anne devoted herself to serving the health needs of the Congregation in various roles: Administrator of the Convent of Mary the Queen, the Congregation’s skilled nursing facility in Yonkers, Health Coordinator for the general Congregation, and assisting with the health needs of the retired sisters at Mount Saint Vincent Convent. In 2009, she retired from full-time ministry, and later joined the Sisters of Charity at Cabrini of Westchester, Dobbs Ferry, where she died March 17, 2023, in the 85^th year of commitment as a Sister of Charity of New York.  

A dedicated and compassionate nurse, Sister Miriam Anne will be remembered for her excellent skills, warm heart, enthusiasm for life, and infectious smile. She was a Sister of Charity nurse, par excellence, who loved her work and all she served. She once spoke of herself as “an old shoe in the closet – one people turn to when they need comfort”.

Sister Miriam Anne, as you enter your eternal home, we rejoice knowing you are welcomed into the comforting arms of our loving God. Well done, good and faithful servant.  Be at peace!