Sister Eleace King, IHM

Until now, these profiles have focused on residents and staff at OLP. However, this month we are focusing on our evolving relationship with our Sisters of St. Casimir in Chicago, and our focus will be on Sister Eleace King, IHM, Pastoral Visitor for the SSC sisters residing at Franciscan Village in Lemont, IL.

Eleace was born in Greenport, LI. Her pastor and assistant pastor both had sisters who were Scranton IHMs and they asked that sisters be sent to Greenport. While the IHMs never came, Eleace did come to Marywood, where she met Sister Marguerite Kelley. After two years, she entered the Congregation.

Eleace is the daughter of Alice and Gerald King. Her father opened his own luncheonette in Greenport. All of the King family worked there – which included Eleace’s older sister, Geralyn, and her brother, Greg.

After one year teaching in an elementary education classroom, Eleace headed to New York City to teach in the Cardinal Spellman Special Education Program of the NY Archdiocese, which was located in St. Stephen School.  

She also earned her MS in Special Education from Yeshiva University while she was there.

She was then stationed at Marywood College for five years before heading to Johns Hopkins University to pursue a doctorate in Human Communication and Its Disorders. After completing her degree, she returned to Marywood for three years as Assistant Professor before taking a two-year leave of absence at St. Dominic’s Monastery to discern her future ministry.

Eleace spent a fascinating six years at CARA (The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate) conducting research on religious congregations, diocesan presbyterates, and various projects for the USCCB. By then, she was ready to return to working with people with disabilities as the Director of Special Education/Assistant Superintendent of the Diocese of Bridgeport, CT.

In order to be closer to her parents, she accepted a position at St. Joseph’s College on Long Island, where she worked with Sisters Marie Lourdes Vanston and Beth Pearson. After the deaths of her parents, Eleace moved to Wilkes-Barre, where she directed the McGlynn Center, a safe haven for children living in the city’s public housing. Six years later, she moved to Scranton and coordinated the IHM Congregation’s Everyday English for Adults program.

Now, as most of us know, she is in the middle of a three-year contract serving as Pastoral Visitor for the Sisters of St. Casimir. When asked what that means, she replied that she strives to meet the needs and wants of the sisters. This includes activities such as visiting hospitalized sisters, driving sisters to appointments, visiting them in their rooms, praying and celebrating with the sisters, and sadly, making funeral arrangements.

Once this assignment is completed, I suspect Eleace will be waiting to see what new adventure awaits.