Sister M. St. Rita O'Boyle, IHM
Sister M. St. Rita O'Boyle, IHM, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on Friday, September 4, 2009 at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton, PA.
She was born on December 25, 1918 in Akron, Ohio, and given the name Marie. She was the daughter of the late Hugh A. and Alice B. Duffy O'Boyle. She entered the IHM Congregation on February 2, 1947, and made temporary profession of her vows on August 2, 1949, and final profession of her vows on August 2, 1952.
Sister St. Rita served as a teacher for fifty years. She served in the following schools: St. Patrick Elementary School in Olyphant, PA, from 1949 to 1950; St. Thomas Aquinas Elementary School in Archbald, PA, from 1950 to 1951; Archbishop Neale Elementary School in La Plata, MD, from 1951 to 1956; St. Dominic Elementary School in Oyster Bay NY, from 1956 to 1961; St. Mary of the Mount Elementary School in Pittsburgh, PA, from 1961 to 1965; St. Bernard Elementary School in Hastings, PA, from 1965 to 1966; St. Agnes Elementary School in Lock Haven, PA, from 1966 to 1967; St. Rita Elementary School in Baltimore, MD, from 1967 to 1970; and St. John the Evangelist Elementary School in Silver Spring, MD, from 1970 to 1973.
Sister also served as the school secreatary at Archbishop Neale Elementary School in La Plata, MD, from 1973 to 1976; small group instructor at Little Flower Elementary School in Bethesda, MD, from 1976 to 1988. She was a library assistant at St. Mary of the Assumption Elementary School in Upper Marlboro, MD, from 1988 to 2000.
From 2000 until the time of her death, Sister St. Rita served as a prayer minister at the Marian Convent and Our Lady of Peace Residence, both in Scranton.
She received a Bachelor of Science degree in education from Marywood College.
She is preceded in death by five brothers, Gerald T., Hubert A., Donald P., Eugene T. and Robert M., and three sisters, Rita Potter, Alice McCafferty and Ann M. Lamb.
She is survived by a brother, Joseph V. of Bethesda, MD, and nieces and nephews.
The funeral will be Friday, September 11, 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 Cemetery, Moscow, PA. Friends may call at Our Lady of Peace Residence on Thursday, September 10, 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
I met Sister St. Rita for the first time when I was sent to teach fifth grade at Archbishop Neale Elementary School in 1974. At that time, Sister’s ministry was secretary for the elementary school. She was one of the first in our congregation to have permission for a car, and she drove that blue car everywhere. Sister St. Rita was family oriented, and on many weekends, she would visit her mother in the nursing home or visit one of her many brothers and sisters who lived in the D.C./Maryland area.
In 1992, I was missioned to teach fourth grade at St. Mary of the Assumption School. Sister St. Rita had come to the school in l988, working as a part-time assistant in the library. Cathy DeVaughn, the librarian, commented that Sister was nice to work with, a companion to talk to, a good worker, and a dear friend. Cathy related that Sister told the children how important books were and that it was their responsibility to take care of them.
Denise Jenkins, the kindergarten aide, remembers having pleasant conversations with Sister St. Rita as she passed through on her way to the library around 9:00 a.m. and again when she returned at noon.
On most weekends, Sister St. Rita drove to Hyattsville to visit her sister, Ann. They would go shopping and play bingo. It was a huge loss for Sister when Ann died in l994. The Knights of Columbus began bingo at St. Mary’s and Sister St. Rita’s sister, Alice, began coming to play. Sister would join her.
Besides shopping and playing bingo, Sister St. Rita also enjoyed reading the morning paper, particularly checking out the lottery numbers as well as stocks and dividends She also enjoyed Irish music. I heard beautiful music one Sunday morning coming from Sister’s room. I went to ask her about it, and she had found a station on the radio that played Irish songs for an hour. She also sang along.
In October of 1999, Sister St. Rita celebrated her golden jubilee with relatives and friends at Mass at St. Mary of the Assumption Church. A reception and dinner, catered by the Knights of Columbus, followed in the school hall.
Sister St. Rita’s health had been failing and in October of 2000, Sister was taken to the Marian Convent. It was very difficult for her to leave St. Mary’s and also to give up her car. In April of the following year, the principal of St. Mary’s, Patty Petruzzelli, invited Sister St. Rita back to St. Mary’s for “Sister St. Rita Day.” Students and faculty assembled in the school hall, while Sr. St. Rita sat in a special chair on the stage. The children sang a song and presented Sister with homemade cards and gifts. She sat there and smiled all the while. I think she is probably smiling now, too.
by Sister Myra Gilbart, IHM
