Mother M. Marcella Gill, IHM

Mother M. Marcella Gill, IHM, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on Wednesday, September 14, 1955, at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Carbondale, PA.

She was born on December 22, 1877 in Parsons, PA, and given the name Katherine. She was the daughter of the late John and Maria Nolan Gill. She entered the IHM Congregation on July 2, 1896 at St. Rose in Carbondale, received the religious habit on February 2, 1897, and made profession of her vows on July 15, 1899.

Mother Marcella served as a teacher at Holy Rosary High School in Scranton, PA.

Mother Marcella served as principal at the following schools: St. Joseph High School in Williamsport, PA; St. Joseph High School in Renovo, PA; Most Holy Rosary School in Syracuse, NY, from 1920 to 1926, and St. Dominic School in Oyster Bay, NY.

From 1940 to 1943, Mother Marcella served to complete Mother Josepha’s term as Superior General of the IHM Congregation. In 1943, she was elected as the Superior General, which she held for two terms until 1955. During her tenure 21 new missions were opened and 4 new buildings were opened at Marywood College: Fine Arts Building, Physical Education Building, Immaculata Residence Hall, and Science Building.

She was preceded in death by two sisters, Margaret Mahon and Anna McGeehan.

She is survived by a sister, Sister M. Ricarda, IHM, of Scranton, PA; two brothers, Thomas and Richard, both of Wilkes-Barre, PA; and several nieces and nephews, including Sister M. Marita Gill, IHM of Kingston, PA, and Reverend Nicholas Gill, CP, of Union City, NJ.

The funeral will be Friday, September 14 at 9:30 am in the IHM Motherhouse Chapel at Marywood College in Scranton, followed by interment at St. Catherine’s Cemetery in Moscow, PA. Diocese of Scranton Bishop Jerome D. Hannon will celebrate the funeral mass.

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Below is a prayer from Sister Marcela’s funeral:

“To live in the hearts of others is not to die.”

This thought is ours as we live the loving memory of the life of our revered Mother Mary Marcella and her holy death. Certainly, the Church for which she labored so long and so zealously, spared no tribute of respect and gratitude. May her holy memory be with us always, to lighten and to hearten the path laid out for us by our Constitutions, so that we may, like her, be true Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. May God rest her loving soul.