Sister Margaret Aileen loved her work with the children she taught and counseled. She will long be remembered by her students for the knowledge which she imparted and the helpful advice she so kindly gave.
Sister Margaret Aileen Fennell (Sister Miriam Brendan) was born March 23, 1928 in New York City. She was one of five children, four daughters and one son, of Michael and Margaret Ryan Fennell. Margaret attended Saint Luke School in the Bronx and Cathedral High School, Manhattan, then worked for one year before entering the Sisters of Charity of New York on September 7, 1947. Sister Brendan received a BA in Spanish from the College of Mount Saint Vincent and an MS in Guidance from Fordham University. She later earned NYS Permanent Certification in Spanish and Guidance.

Sister Margaret Aileen’s first ministry assignments were in the field of elementary education. Sister taught at Resurrection School, Rye; Our Lady of Angels School and Saints Peter and Paul School, both in the Bronx; Saint Francis Xavier School, Saint Brigid School and Saint Patrick School, in Manhattan. In 1969, Sister Margaret Aileen became a secondary school guidance counselor. She served at the Academy of Mount Saint Vincent in Tuxedo Park; Saint Vincent Ferrer HS, Manhattan; Saint Barnabas HS, Bronx; Saint Joseph by-the-Sea HS, Staten Island; and Cardinal Spellman HS, Bronx. Sister remained in the Guidance Department at Cardinal Spellman for fourteen years. After her retirement from active ministry, Sister Margaret Aileen continued as a volunteer at Cardinal Spellman for many years. In 2003 she moved to Mount Saint Vincent Convent where she spent twelve years, then moved to Cabrini of Westchester, Dobbs Ferry, in 2015.

Sister Margaret Aileen loved her work with the children she taught and counseled. She will long be remembered by her students for the knowledge which she imparted and the helpful advice she so kindly gave. Sister was generous and kind, a faith-filled person whose love of God was apparent in her daily life. In a very quiet way, Sister Margaret Aileen would often help others, her kindnesses known only to the recipient and to God. She was always a good and loyal friend. We rejoice with her now as she stands before the God whom she served so long and so well. Rest in peace, Sister Margaret Aileen.