Sister M. Gonzaga Walton, IHM
Sister M. Gonzaga Walton, IHM, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on January 30, 1908 at Mount St. Mary's in Scranton, Pennsylvania, after a brief illness.
She was born on on January 23, 1861 in Hawley, Pennsylvania, and given the name Elizabeth Gonzaga. She was the daugther of the late Michael and Catherine Caveney Walton and was one of four sisters to enter the IHM Congregation. She entered the IHM Congregation on October 2, 1888, received the religious habit on December 27, 1888, and made profession of her vows on August 2, 1891
Sister Gonzaga served as a teacher at St. Cecilia Academy in Scranton, PA, where she was in charge of the high school department. In 1907 she was appointed the examiner of all the schools of the Immaculate Heart Sisters in the Scranton diocese.
She was preceded in death by a sister, Sister M. Gonzaga, IHM.
She is survived, by three sisters, Sister M. Jerome, IHM; Sister M. Bertrand, IHM; and Agnes McAloon; four brothers, Michael W., Thomas A., John J., and James S.; nieces and nephews.
Interment will be at the Marywood College Cemetery, on the grounds of Marywood College in Scranton, 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.
"On January 30, 1908, Sister M. Gonzaga, Examiner of Schools, died at Mount Saint Mary's. Sister was conducting the mid-year examinations when she was suddenly stricken with pneumonia and died in a few days. Her sudden taking away in the midst of her work was a great shock and her loss was sincerely felt.
Sister M. Gonzaga Walton was one of four sisters who entered the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart. She was the second of the group to be called home. Most of her religious life was passed in Saint Cecilia's Academy in charge of the high school department. Sister M. Gonzaga was an educator in the broadest sense of the word. In her chosen profession she had made for herself a brilliant name in the world and had she remained there might have claimed its highest honors and emoluments. But with her the things of eternity counted more than the things of time, and she willingly sacrificed everything to labor for the salvation of others in the broader field of religious education. "
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, pgs.350. 351
