Sister Kathleen Alice Newett, IHM
Sister Kathleen Alice Newett, IHM, (formerly known as Sister M. Alicia) of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on Saturday, September 1, 2012, at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton, PA.
She was born on September 17, 1932, in Detroit, MI. She was the daughter of the late Leonard and Alice Higginson Newett. She entered the IHM Congregation on September 7, 1950, and made her temporary profession of vows on August 2, 1953, and her final profession of vows on August 2, 1956.
Sister Kathleen served as a teacher at the following schools: St. Mary of Mt. Carmel Elementary School in Dunmore, PA, from 1953 to 1957 and 1960 to 1964; St. Mary Elementary School in Avoca, PA, from 1957 to 1958; St. John the Evangelist Elementary School in Clinton, MD, from 1964 to 1974; and Little Flower Elementary School in Bethesda, MD, from 1974 to 1977.
Sister served as librarian at the following: St. Joseph’s Hospital in Carbondale, PA, from 1959 to 1960; Star of the Sea School in Indian Head Elementary School, MD, from 1977 to 1984; and St. Agnes Elementary School in Baltimore, MD, from 1984 to 1994.
She also served as receptionist at St. John the Evangelist Elementary School in Clinton, MD, from 1994 to 2007; and pastoral assistant at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Clinton, MD, from 2007 to 2010.
From 2010 until the time of her death, Sister Kathleen served as a prayer minister at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton.
She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in education from Marywood College.
She was preceded in death by a brother, George.
She is survived by two sisters, Ann Marie Wieman of Sarasota, FL, and Sister Mary, IHM, of Scranton, PA, a sister-in-law, Connie Newett of Silver Spring, MD, niece, Patrice Eller of Crofton, MD, and nieces and nephews.
The funeral will be Friday, September 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 Thursday, September 6, between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. A prayer service will be held at 4:00 p.m. Interment will follow Mass on Friday 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.
Reprinted from "In Memoriam" section of Journey, Fall 2012 issue
Recently I read that God needs images to bring God to life and be known to all. Sister Kathleen Newett, IHM, who died on Sept. 1, 2012, was that image of God’s love in our world. Her life was filled with love for her God, her IHM Community, her family and all she met along the way.
Sister Kathleen wanted to be an IHM and to serve God. Being a teacher was not her priority, doing God’s work was. How well she did that! No matter what was asked of her, she smiled and tried her best to accomplish the task. As a teacher she was remembered not for the English lesson she taught, but for the way she responded to the students in front of her. She reached out and touched them with her words, her compassion, and her laughter.
Life was not easy for Sister Kathleen. Her illness at an early adult age slowed her body down but not her spirit. Each time she was hospitalized, she ministered to the doctors, the nurses and the aides with her laugh and her determination to get back to “normal.”
When teaching became a burden physically, Sister Kathleen would sit at the reception desk in school and greet all who came through the
door with her smile and her love. She was a woman of prayer, love, joy and laughter. All who knew her were blessed. How well she was the
living image of her God. Her life ended as she lived — with a smile. Her request for her funeral Liturgy was that all would wear bright colors because we would rejoice that she was with her beloved.
by Mary Newett, IHM
