Sister M. Jamesina McMahon, IHM
Sister M. Jamesina McMahon, IHM, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on Thursday, December 15, 1960 at the Marian Convent in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
She was born on April 15, 1881 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and given the name Mary. She was the daughter of the late John Edmond and Bridget A. Rhen McMahon. She entered the IHM Congregation on August 15, 1902, received the religious habit on December 27, 1902, and made profession of her vows on December 8, 1904.
Sister Jamesina served as a teacher at the following schools: St. Paul Elementary School in Scranton, PA, from 1903 to 1914; St. John the Evangelist Elementary School in Scranton, PA, from 1914 to 1919; St. Rose Elementary School in Carbondale, PA, from 1925 to 1949; Sacred Heart of Mary Elementary School in Jermyn, PA, from 1949 to 1950; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Elementary School in Altoona, PA, from 1950 to 1951; and St. Mary of Mt. Carmel Elementary School in Dunmore, PA, from 1952 to 1959.
Sister also served in child care for resident children at Mount Saint Mary's Seminary in Scranton, PA, from 1919 to 1925.
From 1959 until the time of her death, Sister Jamesina served as a prayer minister at the Marian Convent.
She was preceded in death by three sisters, Elizabeth, Catherine, and Ellen McLane, and two brothers, Francis and Reverend James.
She is survived by a brother, Charles of Renovo, PA, a niece and three nephews.
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:
Thousands of little ones were taught by Sister M. Jamesina McMahon in her long experience as a primary teacher. She had "a little way" of her own in teaching the large classes which were usually assigned to her; and she necessarily developed some interesting techniques in her classroom procedures. In the several convents in which she resided, she was a cheerful, genial Sister, always willing to give a helping hand. Her characteristic sense of humor brightened many moments of community life. Sister M. Jamesina was a tireless teacher and a happy, fervent religious. In her last days at the Marian Convent, she longed to meet God, and frequently asked when His call might come to her. May God grant her the reward of her devoted service to His little ones.
"The first reception and profession held in the new mother house took place during the Christmas-tide. Three postulants. Miss Helen Smith as Sister M. Aloysius; Miss Mary McMahon as Sister M. Jamesina; and Miss Blanche Lavin as Sister M. Natalie received the holy habit. Two novices. Sister M. Nepomucene and Sister M. Redempta pronounced their holy vows. Twice a year since then the chapel of Mount Saint Mary's has been the scene of a like ceremony with ever-increasing bands of postulants and novices."
Excerpted from The Sisters of the I.H.M.: The Story of The Founding of The Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and Their Work In The Scranton Diocese by Sister M. Immaculata Gillespie, IHM, P.J. Kenedy & Sons, NY, 1921, p. 289
