Sister M. Basil McLane, IHM
Sister M. Basil McLane, IHM, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on Monday, March 22, 2010, at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton, PA.
She was born on October 2, 1906 in Archbald, PA, and given the name Margaret. She was the daughter of the late John and Bridget Cawley McLane. She entered the IHM Congregation on September 8, 1925, made her temporary profession of vows on December 27, 1927, and final profession of her vows on July 31, 1931.
Sister Basil served as a teacher for more than forty years at the following schools: St. Patrick Elementary School in Spangler, PA, from 1928 to 1929; St. Paul High School in Scranton, PA, from 1929 to 1931; St. Basil High School in Dushore, PA, from 1931 to 1932 and 1950 to 1956; St. Joseph High School in Williamsport, PA, from 1932 to 1934; St. Mary of the Mount High School in Pittsburgh, PA, from 1934 to 1936 and 1948 to 1949; St. Patrick High School in Olyphant, PA, from 1936 to 1942; South Scranton Catholic High School in Scranton, PA, from 1942 to 1948; St. John High School in Pittston, PA, from 1949 to 1950; All Saints High School in Masontown, PA, from 1956 to 1957; St. Leo High School in Ashley, PA, from 1957 to 1962; and at Bishop Klonowski High School in Scranton, PA, from 1969 to 1971. She served as principal at Immaculata High School in New York, NY, from 1962 to 1969.
Sister Basil also served as administrator at the IHM Center in Scranton, PA, from 1971 to 1978; and assistant administrator at the Marian Convent in Scranton, PA, from 1978 to 1986.
From 1986 until the time of her death, she served as a prayer minister at the Marian Convent and Our Lady of Peace Residence.
She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in education from Marywood College, and a Master of Arts degree in education from Villanova University.
She is preceded in death by four sisters, Mary McLane Lally, Agnes, Sister de Neri, IHM and Sister Agnes Teresa, SC; two brothers, John and Joseph; and an aunt, Sister Mary Martin Cawley, IHM.
She survived by nieces Claire Paiko of Manlius, NY, and Ann Lally of Archbald, PA; several grandnieces and grandnephews.
The funeral will be Thursday, March 25 at 11:00 a.m. with Mass of Christian Burial at Our Lady of Peace Residence, 2300 Adams Avenue in Scranton. Interment will be at a later date at St. Catherine's Cemetery, Moscow, Pa. Friends may call at Our Lady of Peace Residence on Wednesday, March 24, between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. A prayer service will be held at 4:30 p.m.
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.
Reprinted from "In Memoriam" section of Journey, Fall 2010 issue
The deep, raspy message of the voicemail played back, “Maria House, how can I ever thank you? I love you. I pray for you every day.” That is the Sister Basil we knew and loved. We, her Sisters at Maria House, had the honor of being in a special relationship with Sister Basil. She was our adopted Sister at Our Lady of Peace Residence, and what a mutual blessing it was!
From her we learned that the most important thing in life is to rely on Divine Providence and to embrace Mary as our model of a life rooted in God. Sister Basil lived a simple lifestyle and drew her strength and determination from her prayer and fidelity to God. Profound gratitude was at the heart of Sister Basil’s life. No matter how great or small the favor we did for her, she always had to thank us more than once with an added promise to keep us in her prayers.
Although physically fragile, Sister Basil enjoyed celebrating her birthdays with us and her local community at Our Lady of Peace. Other guests, who always brought the cake and ice cream, included students she had taught, now in their seventies. On her one hundredth birthday, Sister Basil delighted in receiving a manicure as one of her gifts. To her amazement, she could not believe that she had to be one hundred to receive her first manicure. Her longevity surprised her and with the passing of her last few birthdays she expressed her readiness to return to God. Because we have the example of her life of faith, we are ever more convinced that, as she promised us in life, her prayers for us continue through the communion of saints.
by Sisters Ann Walsh, Jean Louise Bachetti and Amanda Del Valle
