In Remembrance: Sister Mary Catherine Cleary

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 67^th 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.