Sister M. Agnella Murtaugh, IHM
Sister M. Agnella Murtaugh, IHM, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on Saturday, August 29, 2009 at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
She was born on October 4, 1913 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and given the name Mary Regina. She was the daughter of the late Francis P. and Agnes Kelly Murtaugh. She entered the IHM Congregation on September 8, 1932, and made her temporary profession of vows on April 30, 1935 and her final profession of vows on August 2, 1938.
Sister Agnella served as a teacher for more than fifty years. She served in the following schools: Our Lady of Mount Carmel Elementary School in Asbury Park, NJ, from 1935 to 1938; St. Ephrem Elementary School in Brooklyn, NY, from 1938 to 1956; St. Peter of Alcantara Elementary School in Port Washington, NY, from 1956 to 1957; Our Lady of Mercy Elementary School in Forest Hills, NY, from 1969 to 1973; and Sacred Heart Elementary School in Mount Holly, NJ, from 1973 to 1979.
Sister Agnella served as principal at Saint Joseph Elementary School in Danville, PA, from 1957 to 1963; Saint Matthew Elementary School in Wilmington, DE, from 1963 to 1966 and at Epiphany Elementary School in Sayre, PA, from 1966 to 1969.
Sister also served as a dorm receptionist at Marywood College in Scranton, PA, from 1979 to 1981; receptionist at the IHM Center in Scranton, PA, from 1981 to 1994; and receptionist at the Marian Convent in Scranton, PA, from 1994 to 2006.
From 2006 until the time of her death, Sister Agnella served as a prayer minister at Our Lady of Peace Residence.
She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in education from Marywood College.
She is preceded in death by a sister, Helen O’Boyle.
She is survived by four nieces, Ann Zelno of Narberth, PA, Jean O’Boyle of Narberth, PA, Fran Keating of Great Falls, VA, and Mary Pat Philhower of Windsor, N.Y.
The funeral will be Tuesday, September 1, 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 St. Catherine's Cemetery, Moscow, PA. Friends may call at Our Lady of Peace Residence on Monday, August 31, 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, Spring 2010 issue
Sister Agnella was born in Scranton as Mary Regina on October 4, 1913 and entered Eternal Life on August 29, 2009. Had she lived this year would be her 75th Jubilee year.
She spent more than fifty years as an elementary school teacher including a dozen years as a school principal.
I first came to know Sr. Agnella in her ministry as a dorm receptionist at Marywood. Had she pursued a different life vocation she would have made a wonderful grandmother. Many a college student truly valued both her welcoming spirit as well as her sincere interest in their personal lives.
Sister Agnella continued her hospitality ministry as a receptionist at both the IHM Center and at the Marian Convent. Her arrival or departure from the dining room at Our Lady of Peace almost seemed to be a continuation of that spirit as she always had time to stop and greet others.
Sr. Agnella was a strong advocate for Marywood Campus Ministry’s “Adopt a Grandparent” program. Long after her graduation, Christmas never seemed to arrive in Sr. Agnella’s room until her “grandchild,” Liz McKittrick, arrived to put out the seasonal decorations.
Family was very important to Sister Agnella and, no matter what her physical condition; a visit from them was a great source of joy.
An avid reader, Sister Agnella developed a friendship with the librarian of the Scranton Library’s Bookmobile and she often prepared for its monthly visit by taking trips to Borders making a list of the popular reading of the day. When her vision grew poor she took advantage of a volunteer reader at Our Lady of Peace and, ironically, the final book that was being read to her at the time of her death was Grisham’s Skipping Christmas.
My own friendship with Sister Agnella began in 2006 when, while I was recovering from surgery, she and I became members of the same household. Always wanting to have a “little something” to share with visitors, one of my favorite memories of our time together was a trip we took to get some supplies at Gertrude Hawk’s candy store. As we turned the corner she turned and said to me “I may not look it, but, I’m having a ball!”
One of the resources for prayer for Sr. Agnella was the daily meditation book Living Faith. Appropriately, the reflection she was reading two days before her death was titled “Awake to Life, Not Death.” She had a habit of underlining her favorite passages. Among other phrases perhaps none better reflects who she was than the line “If I stay awake to what happens in daily life, it will prepare me well for when my death comes.” Two days later that time came, and, when it did, it found her well prepared.
by Sister Patt Walsh, IHM
