Sister M. Francesca Farrell, IHM
Sister M. Francesca Farrell, IHM, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on Friday, May 18, 1962.
She was born on June 30, 1874 in Bristol, Pennsylvania, and given the name Joan. She was the caughter of the late Patrick and Alice Doyle Farrell. She entered the IHM Congregation on October 2, 1902, received the religious habit on July 2, 1903, and made profession of her vows on August 15, 1905.
Sister Francesca served as a teacher at the following schools: St. Cecilia Academy in Scranton, PA; St. Ephrem School in Brooklyn, NY; Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary School in New York City, NY; and St. Rose School in Carbondale, PA.
She is preceded in death by a brother, Thomas, and three sisters, Sister Catherine, OP, Sister M. Inez, IHM, and Sister Michael, OP.
Interment is at St. Catherine’s Cemetery in Moscow, Pennsylvania.
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 Francesca Farrell was born on June 30, 1874 and came from a fine Catholic family which nurtured four splendid vocations to the Church. Two of her sisters entered the Second Order of Dominicans at Corpus Christi Monastery in New York. One of those cloistered nuns was a member of the group which founded Corpus Christi Monastery in Menlo Park, California. Our Sister M. Inez, another sister, will long be remembered in our community for her holy, cultured life and for her splendid work as an educator. Sister Francesca was an exceptionally fine teacher. At Saint Cecilia's in Scranton, St. Ephrem's in Brooklyn, and Sacred Hearts in New York City, she spent herself in giving to God's little ones some of her own mastery of the fundamentals of education. Nothing but the perfect was acceptable to her, and her pupils gloried in earning her praise for their achievements. In the mist of the fragile days of old age, her teaching skill was always evident; her mind was occupied with teaching.
In the nurseries of heaven, we can easily imagine our dear Sister Francesca whose life devoted to God's little ones must, we pray, have earned for her the reward God has promised to all who instruct others. May God rest her soul.
