Sister M. Josephus Bower, IHM
Sister M. Josephus Bower, IHM, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, died Monday, March 26, 1984 at the Marian Convent in Scranton, Pennsylvania, after an illness.
She was born on December 16, 1898 in Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of the late Jesse and Harriet Bapst Bower, and the step-daughter of the late Margaret Elizabeth Griffen Bower. She was a member of St. Luke's Parish in Jersey Shore. She entered the IHM Congregation on December 8, 1923, received the religious habit on August 15, 1924, and made profession of her vows on December 28, 1925.
Sister Josephus served as a cook at Marywood College in Scranton, PA; St. Alphonsus Convent in New York City, NY; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Convent in Asbury Park, NJ; Marywood Seminary and the IHM Motherhouse, both in Scranton, PA.
From 1967 until the time of her death, Sister Josephus served as a prayer minister at the Marian Convent.
She is preceded in death by four brothers, Fred, Gilbert, Clarence, and Eugene, and two sisters, Helen Kaufholz and Charlotte Sidler.
She is survived by several nieces and nephews.
The funeral will be Wednesday, March 28 with Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 a.m. at the Marian Convent Chapel. Interment will follow Mass on Wednesday at St. Catherine's Cemetery, Moscow, Pennsylvania. Friends may call at the Marian Convent Tuesday afternoon or evening.
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.
Archival Remembrance:
Sister Josephus Bower's many years of ministry in food service began in the Marywood College cafeteria in 1925. From there she went to St. Alphonsus Convent in New York City. In 1943, Sr. Josephus returned to Marywood to serve in the motherhouse kitchen, where she prepared meals for over one hundred Sisters as well as for the boarding students of Marywood Seminary.
