Sr. Mary Murray, Msc

Sr.  Mary Murray, MSC (AKA, Sr. Celsus) was born May 30, 1929 at Dunmanway, County Cork, Ireland.  She died at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Nursing Home on September 3, 2021 at 6:04 A.M.

Sr. Mary was preceded in death by her father, James Murray and her mother, Mary Collins Murray; by her brothers:  John, Michael, James, and Patrick; and by her sisters: Kitty Crowley and Hannah Donovan.

She is survived by her sister, Sr. Nell Murray, MSC; several nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews and their families; as well as friends who journeyed with her throughout her life and in her varied ministries.

Sr. Mary entered the Congregation of the Marianites of Holy Cross on November 1, 1947.  She pronounced her perpetual vows on August 15, 1952.  She received her degree in education from Holy Angels Academy, Our Lady of Holy Cross College, and her certification as a Catholic Chaplain from St. Mary Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri.  She was involved in elementary education at several schools in the New Orleans area including:  St. Cecilia, St. Agnes, Holy Name of Mary, and St. Christopher.  She also taught at Opelousas Catholic; St. Edmund in Eunice; Immaculate Conception in Lake Charles; St. John in Plaquemine; and Sacred Heart in Ville Platte.

Upon completing her studies in St. Louis, she served as a hospital chaplain at Cabrini Hospital in Alexandria and University Medical Center in Lafayette.   In the following parishes – Sacred Heart in New Iberia, St. Rita in Alexandria, St. Peter and St. Theresa Mission in Pine Prairie, she was a member of the parish staff joyfully and generously assisting with all aspects of church life.

Sr. Mary moved to Opelousas in 2006 and began serving as a member of the pastoral care team at Prompt Succor Nursing Home.  During these years, she was dedicated to the preparation and implementation of all liturgical services and devoted to the residents and their families.  Her gentle and prayerful presence offered them steadfast hope and encouragement.  It was her great joy to be present as each one took their final step into eternal life.

Sr. Mary delighted in the simplicity and depth of the Lord’s revelations in creation as she sat amidst the flowers in the garden, as she enjoyed a specially-brewed cup of hot tea, as she shared the word of scripture with others.  Even as her bodily strength was declining, her spirit remained strong and resolute as she spent long periods of time in the chapel praying for the needs and intentions of others.  At the end of her mortal life and beginning of her eternal life, the spiritual treasures of her fidelity to prayer, devotion to family and friends, and dedication to her religious vocation are the pearls of great price which she generously offers to each of us.   We rejoice with you, Sr. Mary, as you enter eternal life and ask that you continue to pray in your special Irish brogue for each of us:

May the road rise up to meet you.  May the wind be always at your back.  May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields.  And until we meet again, may God hold us all in the palm of His hand.

Due to the COVID virus, a private funeral service will be held on Tuesday, September 7th at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Nursing Home chapel followed by burial in St. Landry Cemetery in Opelousas, Louisiana.

In lieu of flowers, the Marianites of Holy Cross request that memorial donations be made to the Marianites of Holy Cross Congregational Center at 21388 Smith Road, Covington, Louisiana, 70435.