Sister Barbara D’Auria, IHM
Sister Barbara Lorraine D’Auria, IHM, (formerly known as Sister M. Darius) of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on Sunday, February 3, 2019 at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton, PA.
She was born on October 4, 1933 in Nyack, NY. She was the daughter of the late Samuel Michael and Florence Josephine Natale D’Auria. She entered the IHM Congregation on September 8, 1951, made her temporary profession of vows on August 2, 1954, and her final profession of vows on August 2, 1957.
Sister Barbara served as a teacher at the following schools: St. Rita Elementary School in Dundlak, MD, from 1954 to 1956; St. Patrick Elementary School in Olyphant, PA, from 1956 to 1957; Sacred Heart of Mary Elementary School in Jermyn, PA, from 1957 to 1961; St. Anthony Elementary School in Portland, OR, from 1961 to 1967; All Saints Elementary School in Masontown, PA, from 1967 to 1971; St. Paul Elementary School in Scranton, PA, from 1971 to 1974; Holy Trinity Elementary School in Poughkeepsie, NY, from 1974 to 1983; Most Holy Rosary Elementary School in Syracuse, NY, from 1983 to 1984; Our Lady of Perpetual Help Elementary School in Rocky Mount, NC, from 1984 to 1985; St. Thomas Aquinas Elementary School in Archbald, PA, from 1985 to 1986; St. John the Evangelist Elementary School in Bellefonte, PA, from 1986 to 1987; and Nativity of Our Lord Elementary School in Scranton, PA, from 1987 to 1988.
Sister also served as instructor in the IHM Educational Enrichment Institute at the IHM Center in Scranton, PA, from 1989 to 1991 and 1993 to 2012. She was parish minister at St. Joseph Parish in Portage, PA, from 1991 to 1992; and instructor at the Educational Enrichment Institute in Pittsburgh, PA, from 1992 to 1993.
From 2012 until the time of her death, Sister Barbara was a prayer minister at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton.
She received a Bachelor of Science degree in education from Marywood College.
She was preceded in death by a sister, Carol A. Sullivan, and a brother, Peter.
She is survived by three brothers, John of Lakeland, FL, David M. of Columbia, MD, Samuel of West Henrietta, NY, a sister, Deborah of North Carolina, a brother-in-law, Cornelius Sullivan, of Ayer, MA, nieces and nephews. She is also survived by the members of the IHM Congregation.
The funeral will be Thursday, February 7, 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 Wednesday, February 6, 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 Thursday 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/120058199
Vespers: https://video.ibm.com/recorded/120050005
Reprinted from "In Memoriam" section of Journey, Spring 2019 issue
Reflection given by Sister Ellen Maroney, IHM Congregation President
Sister Barbara D'Auria, Funeral February 7, 2019
To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.
Thomas Campbell, Hallowed Ground
Based on the wonderful spirit of joy and laughter present here yesterday as some great stories about Barbara were shared during the wake service, I have no doubt that she is indeed forever alive in the hearts of her wonderful family and countless friends with whom she shared her life. It was a great tribute to this special woman who touched us with her goodness, kindness, and humility. But I have to say, Dave, that after your stories yesterday about how you and your brothers would play practical jokes on Barbara, I hope you realize that she is now in a great position to get even—so watch out! So we gather today with hearts filled with gratitude for Barbara’s life. In this sixty-fifth year of her profession as an IHM, we give thanks for her gracing us, our church, and innumerable young children with her faith-filled and generous service.
Barbara’s joyful, humble, and welcoming spirit came from her deep inner trust and faith in a God she loved unreservedly and who loved her in the same way. That spirit was nurtured in her early years by a loving and supportive family. At fifteen, Barbara left her home in Nyack, NY and journeyed to Scranton for her final two years of high school at Marywood Seminary in the Motherhouse. That was providential because following graduation, she entered the IHM congregation, so it was a very short move for her to the other side of the Motherhouse. But Barbara’s life of service as an IHM was never about shortcuts. She was unwavering in her love and commitment to teaching, calling it “a great honor.” She taught for over fifty-six years in elementary schools in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Oregon, New York, and North Carolina and in Educational Enrichment programs in Pittsburgh and at
the IHM Center. So many young children benefitted from her bright mind, her joyful spirit, and wonderful patience. She also was a parish
minister and when asked to list what her responsibilities were, she wrote: “I taught second grade, fifth grade and tenth grade CCD classes, taught
in the Renew and RCIA program for adults, visited the homebound, scheduled the parish masses, and did some work in the rectory.” She ended with
this understatement, “It was a time of growth for me.” That same humility was evident later when, asking for a return to full time ministry after an
illness, she wrote, “I don’t have many talents, but I work hard at what I do, and I do it to the best of my ability.” No one ever doubted those words.
Throughout Barbara’s life, we witnessed her genuine kindness and concern for others, her generosity and compassion, her gentle humor and innate goodness. Until her illness, she had the most beautiful voice and loved to teach her students lively, new songs to sing and also gave piano lessons after school. I’m told she could often be heard singing as she did her charge in the convent and was quick to lead a sing-along at any time. Her spirit was infectious—that seems to be part of the family DNA, as we’ve seen these past two days.
Barbara absolutely cherished the members of her family and loved when they called or came for a visit, even if she did worry if they were even a minute late in their expected arrival time. We are grateful today for her parents, Florence and Samuel, her first teachers who passed on to her and her siblings their deep faith in God. They no doubt led the great welcome for her in heaven last Sunday, joined by her sister, Carol, and brother, Peter. What a wonderful reception that surely was for Barbara! We pray today for all who have been touched by her life, especially her brothers, John, Dave, and Sam, her sister, Deborah, her sisters-in-law, Carol and Mary, her brother-in-law, Cornelius, her nieces, nephews, and cousins, her IHM sisters, especially her Band members and those in Household 1C, and all those who were fortunate to share life with her here on earth.
Barbara trusted her God throughout her life. As Sister Nancy wrote in the prayer yesterday, “It was love for God and God’s people that drew her to the IHMs, and now that same love calls her home for all eternity.”
Barbara’s brother-in-law, Cornelius, will now place the scriptures on Barbara’s casket, for she heard the Word of God, she staked her life upon
it and received life to the full... the Word now beckons her home.
