Obituary

 

Sister Mary Peter Doran, IHM

Sister Mary Peter Doran, IHM, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on Tuesday, February 1, 2011 at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton, PA.

She was born on September 2, 1919 in Philadelphia, PA, and given the name Alice. She was the daughter of the late Edmund and Alice Whalen Doran. She entered the IHM Congregation on February 2, 1938, made temporary profession of her vows on August 2, 1940, and final profession of her vows on August 3, 1943.

Sister Mary Peter served as a teacher for nearly fifty years. She served in the following schools: St. Mary Elementary School in Manhasset, NY, from 1940 to 1947; St. Ephrem Elementary School in Brooklyn, NY, from 1947 to 1953; Most Holy Rosary High School in Syracuse, NY, from 1953 to 1957; Cathedral High School in Scranton, PA, from 1957 to 1962; St. Dominic High School in Oyster Bay, NY, from 1962 to 1968; St. Mary High School in Manhasset, NY, from 1968 to 1974; and at Seton Catholic High School in Pittston, PA, from 1978 to 1988. In 1974, she served as principal at Archbishop Neale High School in La Plata, MD.

From 1974 to 1978, Sister Mary Peter served as a sector superior (leadership team member) for the IHM Congregation. She also served on the staff at the IHM Spiritual Renewal Center in Verona, NJ, from 1988 to 1994, and at Our Lady of Grace Center in Manhasset, NY, from 1994 to 1996.

From 1996 until the time of her death, Sister Mary Peter served as a prayer minister at the Marian Convent and Our Lady of Peace Residence, both in Scranton.

She received a Bachelor of Arts degree, a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Science degree all in education from Marywood College.

She is survived by a brother, Reverend Edward Doran, OSA, of Villanova, PA, and cousins, Walter and Mary Tigue of Avoca, PA.

The funeral will be Friday, February 4, 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, February 3, between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 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.


Reprinted from "In Memoriam" section of Journey, Spring 2011 issue
 
I first met Sister Mary Peter when she taught me in the fifth grade at St. Ephrem School in Brooklyn, New York. My sister, Elaine, had Sister Mary Peter two years earlier, and told me I would just LOVE her. “She is strict but funny and she’s a very good teacher,” she said. I discovered she was right on target.

Our paths crossed again many years later when we lived together at St. Mary’s Convent in Manhasset. During the next three years, Peter and I became friends, and I witnessed so many of her beautiful qualities as she interacted with more than thirty sisters in that local community. Recently, I thought of Peter when, during a reflection, Capuchin Father Scott Seethaler said: “Your interruptions ARE your ministry.” Peter believed that to be true, as no one was insignificant to her.

On the other hand, storytelling was her forte, and she loved to entertain. You could try to get a word in, but inevitably Peter would return to where she left off, without missing a beat! She loved people, loved life, loved God and found the positive side of every situation. Even after she had a stroke and lost most of her vision, she accepted her limitations and lived each day as a gift from God. I will always be grateful for Peter’s presence in my life, and I am sure that she is “Dancing with the Stars” right now!

by Jane Ellis, IHM