With an easy ability to learn names, each child was recognized and acknowledged individually. Her creative flair filled hallway spaces with seasonal decorations, making school a happy place. Praised as an excellent teacher and administrator, the Archdiocese of New York recognized her with the Elizabeth Seton Compassionate Educator award in 2004.
Sister Mary Catherine Cleary, Sister Lawrence Mary, was born January 29, 1941, in the Bronx, New York. She was one of three daughters and one son of Lawrence and Mary Lillis Cleary. Mary Catherine attended Our Lady of Solace Elementary School in the Bronx and Cathedral High School in Manhattan. She worked for one year before entering the Sisters of Charity of New York on September 8, 1959. Sister Lawrence earned a BA in History from College (University) of Mount Saint Vincent and an MS in Education from Fordham University. She earned New York State Permanent Certification for Grades N-6 and School Administration.
Sister Mary Catherine’s fifty-two years of active ministry were dedicated to education on the elementary level as teacher and administrator. Her assignments were to Holy Trinity, Manhattan, Saint Gabriel, Queens, where she served for sixteen years, Incarnation, Manhattan, Our Lady of Angels, for twenty-nine years, and Saint Raymond, both in the Bronx. When she retired in 2014, she remained a volunteer at Saint Raymond for eight years and lived in Rosary Hall, the Bronx. She later moved to Cabrini of Westchester, in Dobbs Ferry, where she resided when she died
July 7, 2026, in her 67th year of commitment as a Sister of Charity of New York. Sister Mary was very attentive to the needs of parents who wanted a Catholic education for their child. For working parents, she arrived early at the school to receive children who needed to be dropped off and provided after-school programs to keep them later for pick-up. With an easy ability to learn names, each child was recognized and acknowledged individually. Her creative flair filled hallway spaces with seasonal decorations, making school a happy place. Praised as an excellent teacher and administrator, the Archdiocese of New York recognized her with the Elizabeth Seton Compassionate Educator award in 2004.
Sister Mary found joy in life and in sharing good laughs with friends. She relished a chat whenever she met a former student, teacher, or parent. A trip to buy a book or a meal out with a friend were favorite ways to relax at the end of a school week. For her, family was important, marked by closeness to her sister, Sister Catherine, a member of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and her cousin Patricia Farrell. Even-tempered and with a “happy to help” approach, she was a good friend to many through the years.
Sister Mary, as the woman of worth in the Book of Proverbs, your hands are full of good works as you meet our loving God. Eternal life is the promise and God’s answer to the promise is always YES to those who remain faithful.
Date of Death
July 7, 2026
Age
85
Wake
Friday, July 10, 2026
9:00-10:30 a.m.
Prayer Service at 10:00 a.m. (Livestreamed)
Mount Saint Vincent Convent
venue.streamspot.com/217aa3db
Funeral
Friday, July 10, 2026
10:45 a.m. (Livestreamed)
Mount Saint Vincent Convent
venue.streamspot.com/217aa3db
Burial
St. Joseph’s Cemetary. 209 Truman Avenue, Yonkers, NY 10703
Missions
- Holy Trinity School, Teacher, Grade 3, New York, NY, 9/1/1962 – 8/1/66
- St. Gabriel School, Teacher, Grade 1, Queens, NY, 9/1/1966 – 8/1/73
- St. Gabriel School, Coordinator, Principal, Queens, NY, 9/1/1973 – 9/1/74
- St. Gabriel School, Coordinator, Principal, Queens, NY, 9/1/1974 – 9/1/82
- Incarnation School, Assistant Administrator, New York, NY, 9/1/1982 – 8/1/84
- Our Lady of Angels, Principal, Bronx, NY, 9/1/1984 – 8/1/2013
- St. Raymond’s School, Assistant Principal, Bronx, NY, 9/1/2013 – 6/30/14
- St. Raymond’s School, Volunteer, Bronx, NY, 9/1/2014 – 6/30/2022
Mary will be remembered as a gentle soul who had a life well lived .and touched many lives.
The world is a sadder place without her in it.
St. Mary was a caring person and role model. She was firm yet fair.she played a significant role in the lives of my children and for that I am grateful. May she rest in eternal peace.
Sr Mary took care of my family since 1985, when we were need at our lady of. Angel’s school. She was my brother’s, my son’s my nephew’s and my principal. She was tough but as fair and good to us. I am grateful for my time with her and may the lord welcome her with open arms.
May Sister Mary Rest in Peace. My husband Bill Walsh worked with her for many years at OLA. We were also neighbors on Webb Ave. Have many fond memories from activities at OLA.. Sorry I was unable to attend service and mass. Sister Mary will be in my prayers.
I am a retired history teacher living in Ireland. I was saddened to hear of the death of Sr Mary as I had the privilege of having her as my Principal when I spent a few years of my early teaching career in Our Lady of Angels (OLA) School in the Bronx. I wrote this piece in memory of her.
The summer of 1988 was hot in New York City. I was meeting friends in a bar on Bainbridge Avenue in the Bronx and I got chatting to a teacher from county Clare. She worked in a Catholic elementary school in the south Bronx and told me how to apply for jobs in schools all over the Bronx as there were many Irish teachers working everywhere. After a number of interviews, I was offered a job as a social studies teacher in OLA Catholic Junior High School on Claflin Avenue in the Bronx.
I was struggling but I had a guardian angel looking over me in the person of Principal Sr. Mary Cleary. She took me and another new teacher her wing and met with us once or twice a week to gently offer us advice and praise our little improvements. Every few weeks she gave us a short leaflet offering wonderful practical suggestions on how to become a better teacher. These were titled ‘The Master Teacher,’ and over 30 years later I still have them.
Sr. Mary wanted the best for all her students and had many interesting ideas for the school, all of which helped me to fit in. Big ideas such as insisting we take each grade level on a class trip every few weeks: The Natural History Museum in Manhattan; the Radio City Music Hall Christmas show in December; the South Street Seaport in February, the Bronx Zoo or Yankee Stadium in April.
Now retired, I look back on a teaching career spanning 35 years, which began on a warm September morning in the Bronx and ended on a sunny May afternoon in a Comprehensive School in West Donegal, Ireland. The influence Sr. Mary had on my teaching career will stay with me forever. I learned so much from her and she was always so generous in her support and gentle with her criticism!
May Sr. Mary rest in peace,