Stories from the Archives
Twins in the Community
Read about the O'Malley twins, Sisters Mercedes and Raphael.
The concept of twins is both beautiful but also mysterious. Two people’s lives can
be so closely aligned and yet so different. One such set of twins is the O’Malley girls.
Rose and Nora O’Malley were born in Scranton on November 16, 1859. We do not
know which twin was born first.
Rose O’Malley entered the IHMs on March 30, 1883 and was received as Sister
Raphael on September 5, 1883. She was professed on August 25, 1885. Her twin, Nora
O’Malley, entered the IHMs on August 27, 1885 (two days after her twin’s profession
date) and was received on June 1, 1886 as Sister Mercedes. Sister Mercedes made her vows on July 12, 1888.
Sister Raphael was stationed in several convents in the Scranton area: she taught in St. John’s School, South Scranton; Holy Rosary School, North Scranton; St. John’s School, Pittston; St. John’s School, Susquehanna. Sister Raphael lived at St. Agnes Place in Elmhurst for several years before her death on February 5, 1948, and her funeral was celebrated at St. Agnes Place on Saturday, February 6. She was a member of the IHMs for 65 years before her death. Sister Raphael is buried in St. Catherine’s Cemetery in Moscow, PA.
Sister Mercedes was a member of the IHMs for only 33 years. She was superior at St. Joseph Convent in Danville, PA, Additionally she was stationed at St. John Convent, South Side Scranton; Mt. St. Mary’s, Scranton; St. Cecilia’s Academy, Scranton; as well as serving as examiner of various IHM schools in the Scranton Diocese. She became ill while stationed in Danville and she returned to Scranton where she died at Mercy Hospital on August 5, 1919. Newspaper accounts of her death state that she was stationed at St. John Convent in Danville, but there is no record of any such convent for either the IHMs or the Sisters of Sts. Cyril and Methodius. Sister Mercedes is buried here in the Marywood Cemetery.
Alike and yet so different; may they each pray for us as individuals as well as for us corporately.
The photo of Sister Mercedes, which was taken in 1908, is the only photo that Archives has of the twin sisters. Perhaps you can imagine what Sister Raphael looked like!
