Sister M. Anselm McShea, IHM
Sister M. Anselm McShea, IHM, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on Saturday, October 9, 2021, at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton.
She was born July 7, 1931 in Lynbrook, NY, and given the name Nancy Aline. She was the daughter of the late William J. and Anita Aline Marquis McShea. She entered the IHM Congregation on September 8, 1951, and made her temporary profession of vows on August 2, 1954, and her final profession of vows on August 2, 1957.
Sister Anselm served as a teacher in the following schools: Our Lady of Peace Elementary School in Clarks Green, PA, from 1954 to 1960; Little Flower Elementary School in Bethesda, MD, from 1960 to 1965; Kingston Central Catholic High School in Kingston, PA, from 1965 to 1970; St. Mary of the Mount High School in Pittsburgh, PA, from 1972 to 1974; St. Mary High School in Manhasset, NY, from 1974 to 1983; and Bishop Hannon High School in Scranton, PA, from 1988 to 1989.
Sister also served as a faculty member at Marywood College in Scranton, PA, from 1970 to 1971; formation team member at the IHM Center in Scranton, PA, from 1971 to 1972; graphic designer at Marywood University in Scranton, PA, from 1989 to 2008; and artist in the Communications Office at the IHM Center in Scranton, PA, from 2008 to 2012.
From 1983 to 1987, Sister Anselm lovingly cared for her aged mother in Lynbrook, NY.
From 2012 until the time of her death, Sister Anselm was a prayer minister at the IHM Center, and at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton.
She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in art from Marywood College, and a Master of Arts degree in art from the University of Notre Dame.
She was preceded in death by two brothers, John and Jerome, and a sister, Lois Carley.
She is survived by a sister-in-law, Nancy Gill McShea, nieces and nephews, and by the members of the IHM Congregation.
Interment will be at St. Catherine’s Cemetery in Moscow, PA. Due to restrictions related to the coronavirus, the funeral mass and graveside service are private.
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.
Vespers: https://video.ibm.com/recorded/131026088
Funeral Mass: https://video.ibm.com/recorded/131030210
Sister M. Anselm McShea, IHM
Funeral Eulogy, October 15, 2021
by Sister Ellen Maroney, IHM, Congregation President
“Who is wise and understanding among you?
Let them show it by their good life,
by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”
James 3: 13
There are many words that come to mind when I think about Anselm: dedicated; creative; generous; humble; grateful; and so many more, but I think that quote from St. James captures her well. Anselm was an amazingly gifted person and artist and also one of the most unassuming people I’ve ever known. She did not speak of her accomplishments or her art work unless she was directly asked, and even then, she would quickly turn the conversation to a different topic. She is considered one of our best artists, but we would never know that from any conversation with Anselm herself. To know her was to know that she was never about herself, always about others. In fact, I’m sure she’s getting ready to pull the plug on this mic from up in heaven to keep me from saying any more about her! Our sister, aunt, teacher, artist, colleague, mentor, and friend would much prefer, I think, that we remember her, not for all her artistic talent and abilities, which were many, but for who she was as a loving aunt and faithful Sister, Servant of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In truth, she was a gracious and gentle person, kind, with a grateful heart and a dry sense of humor, a deeply spiritual person with great devotion to Mary, a person her nieces and nephews often called their ‘spiritual director” because of her gentle wisdom.
For twenty-eight years, Anselm dedicated herself to the art and profession of teaching with steadfast passion. She taught in schools in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New York, and at each of these schools, she left a tradition of excellence, caring, patience, and generous commitment. She brought those same qualities to Marywood College (now University), where she ministered for twenty years. A superb teacher, Anselm was praised by students and teaching colleagues alike for her patient demonstrations and lectures on fundamental art techniques and her encouraging and compassionate regard for her students. She taught not only by word but by example as well. She gave special attention to students who may not have had a great natural ability in art but who had a desire and persistence to create beauty. Artist Sydney Clemens wrote, “Art has the role in education of helping students become like themselves instead of more like everyone else.” Anselm appreciated that creative freedom in her own work and I think reveled in that spark of unique creativity in her students.
In the midst of her years of teaching, Anselm was asked by the congregation to serve for a year as interim novice director. As Sister Redempta said yesterday, that was a time when formation programs were in the midst of great change and there was no “how to” manual for Anselm to follow! But she courageously accepted the position and shared her love of the congregation and its charism with the novices.
Anselm also ministered in our IHM Communications Office at the IHM Center where she generously created beautiful designs for many of our publications. I love that Eleanor Mary has one of Anselm’s paintings as the cover for our mass booklet this morning. When she moved here to Our Lady of Peace in 2019, she continued her ministry of prayer for the congregation and for her family.
As we heard yesterday – and I want to thank Sister Redempta for her beautiful and heartfelt words at the wake service – family was so valued by Anselm. She so looked forward to their visits here and to hearing form them throughout the year. That love was mutual, as we see today by the presence of many nieces and nephews. In the 1980’s, when her mother became ill and needed assistance at home, Anselm requested family ministry and lovingly cared for her mother until her death. We remember very specially today her mother, Anita Aline, and William, her father, her sister, Lois, and her brothers, John and Jerome, and her dear friend, Sister Marilyn, who have gone before her and with whom she is celebrating a truly joyous reunion in heaven today.
The great Leonardo da Vinci wrote, “The artist sees what others only catch a glimpse of.” I think that is true of Anselm. Her artwork certainly captured our imagination, inspired us, and lifted our souls in ways that words can’t express. But I think that beyond her artwork, Anselm’s presence in our lives witnessed those same qualities. She was a quiet, faithful witness of God’s grace and love among us. Her gentle and grateful heart showed us the beauty and peace of a deep trust in her God. That peace was so evident last Saturday as Anselm gently drew her last breathe and was embraced in God’s eternal, loving arms.
We pray today for those people whose lives were touched by Anselm’s gentle compassion and dedication, especially her nieces and nephews here with us today and her sister-in-law, Nancy, and other family members, her Band members, her Marywood University friends, and her IHM sisters. We hold in our prayer, too, the administrators, sisters and staff at Our Lady of Peace and Sacred Heart Hospice.
I now ask Mary Elise to place the scriptures on Anselm’s casket, for she heard the Word of God; indeed, she staked her life upon it and received life to the full …the Word now beckons Anselm home.
