Sister M. Jeannine Parry, IHM
Sister M. Jeannine Parry, IHM, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on Monday, May 23, 2016, at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton, PA.
She was born on January 10, 1924, in Pittston, PA, and given the name Marion. She was the daughter of the late Henry and Rose Ann Donahue Parry. She entered the IHM Congregation on September 8, 1941, and made her temporary profession of vows on May 8, 1944, and her final profession of vows on August 2, 1947.
Sister Jeannine served as a teacher in the following schools: St. Mary Elementary School in Patton, PA, from 1944 to 1945; St. John the Evangelist Elementary School in Bellefonte, PA, from 1945 to 1948; St. Ann Elementary School in Scranton, PA, from 1948 to 1951; St. Ephrem Elementary School in Brooklyn, NY, from 1951 to 1957; St. Ann Elementary School in Nyack, NY, from 1957 to 1965 and 1976 to 1977; Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Elementary School in Forest Hills, NY, from 1971 to 1976; St. Mary Elementary School in Manhasset, NY, from 1977 to 1996 and 2000 to 2001.
Sister served as a principal in the following schools: St. Alphonsus Elementary School in New York, NY, from 1965 to 1967; St. Stephen Elementary School in New York, NY, from 1967 to 1971; and St. Mary Elementary School in Manhasset, NY, from 1996 to 2000.
She also volunteered at St. Mary Elementary School in Manhasset, NY, from 2001 to 2012.
From 2012 until the time of her death, Sister Jeannine served as a prayer minister at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton.
She received a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Science degree in elementary education from Marywood College.
She is preceded in death by a brother, Joseph.
She is survived by two sisters, Sister M. Celeste, IHM, of Scranton, PA, and Rose Ann McGrath and husband, Paul, of Edgewater, FL, a sister-in-law, Agnes Parry, of Dover, NJ, and nieces, grandnieces and grandnephews. She is also survived by the members of the IHM Congregation.
The funeral will be Friday, May 27, at 11:00 a.m. with Mass of Christian Burial at Our Lady of Peace Residence, 2300 Adams Avenue in Scranton. Friends may call at Our Lady of Peace Residence on Thursday, May 26, between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. A prayer service will be held at 4:00 p.m. Interment will follow Mass on Friday at St. Catherine’s Cemetery in Moscow, PA.
Memorial contributions may be made to support the retired IHM Sisters c/o the IHM Sisters Retirement Fund, IHM Center, 2300 Adams Avenue, Scranton, PA 18509.
Funeral: https://video.ibm.com/recorded/87430763
Vespers: https://video.ibm.com/recorded/87401044
Reflection given by Sister Ellen Maroney, IHM Congregation President
Sister Jeannine Parry, Funeral May 27, 2016
The Loving One says,“When you call Me, I will listen to you… when you seek Me with all your heart, you will find Me with you.”
Jeremiah 29: 12-13
These words of the prophet Jeremiah so aptly describe the earthly journey of Jeannine. Her entire life was one of seeking the loving God in all people and in all creation. Today we celebrate her joyful reunion with the One who heard her call and welcomes her home
into his loving embrace.
Jeannine walked among us with gentleness of spirit and graciousness of heart and touched countless hearts and lives, as we heard at yesterday’s wake service. Her prayer power as an advocate was renowned--if you had an intention and asked Jeannine
for prayers, you knew it was added to her list, and was not just part of a general prayer intention. As was shared yesterday, she prayed for each person by name, and once you were on her list, you were on it for life – and she never forgot a name on the list! I’m quite
sure when she arrived in heaven last Monday, she had a few words with God about her prayer list and their needs. Actually, given that it was Jeannine, it was probably quite a bit more than just a few words. In fact, if God is smart, (and I think that’s a given), Jeannine
has already been put in charge of the heavenly prayer list. And I’m pretty sure, you’re right at the top of that list, Celeste.
Jeannine was so genuine with all whom she met and her openness and sincerity invited us into her conversations and sharing, which she thoroughly enjoyed. Of course, as I mentioned yesterday, there was no such thing as a “brief” conversation with
Jeannine – ever! That was usually fine, because the conversations were never just about her. She was so interested in others and what was happening in their lives, and shared that interest and love, that you never left her without a smile on your face and a feeling of
being richly blessed by her humble goodness. However, when she was out on mission, Jeannine would usually rise around 4 am to pray, so by 6 or 6:30 am, when the other sisters would be just getting up and out to the kitchen for that first cup of coffee, Jeannine would
be there perky and cheery and wanting to engage in chatter. Needless to say, the sisters found a way to get their coffee and gently but quickly excuse themselves from the kitchen.
Jeannine’s ministry experiences as a teacher and principal in schools in Pennsylvania and New York spanned almost sixty-eight years of dedicated service. She thoroughly enjoyed her interaction with the students and their families. Her smile and eyes
that twinkled with delight brightened many a hallway and warmed countless hearts. Her presence and knowledge, compassion, and understanding were life-long lessons that she modeled for her students, and all of us, every single day. Jeannine’s entire life witnessed to
the incredible influence of a single life committed to the possibility, and reality, of love of God and all creation. She changed lives forever.
Jeannine’s goodness and deep faith were rooted in her close family ties. We remember her parents, Rose Ann and Henry, and her brother, Joseph, with whom she is rejoicing today in heaven. We pray for all those who will miss her caring presence, especially her
sisters, Sister Celeste and Rose Ann, and Rose Ann’s husband, Paul, and daughter, Mary Ann, who are not able to be with us today. We pray for her niece, Patty, and her husband, Charlie, and their children, Michele, Christine, and Paul, her niece, grandnieces
and grandnephews, and her cousins, Laurie and Lorraine, and her many Pittston relatives, and all their families. Our prayers are also with her many IHM friends, the sisters, staff, and administrators here at Our Lady of Peace, especially those with whom she
lived in Household 3-A, the caregivers from Hospice of the Sacred Heart, and all who knew and were blessed by her life.
We are consoled by the sure knowledge that Jeannine is once again back in her God’s embrace to enjoy the same love she so generously gave to the world through her life. Writer and poet, John O’Donohue, captures our thoughts best about Jeannine: “May there be a
beautiful welcome for you in the home you are going to, because you’re not going to somewhere strange, but you are going back to the home that you never really left.” (John O’Donohue, The Horizon Is In the Well).
I now ask Celeste to place the scriptures on Jeannine’s casket, for Jeannine heard the Word of God; indeed, she staked her life upon it, and received life to the full ... the Word now beckons her home.
