Sister M. Alphonsine Kelly

Sister M. Alphonsine Kelly, IHM, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, died Sunday, March 22, 1992, at the Marian Convent in Scranton, PA, after an illness.

She was born on July 6, 1906 in Scranton, PA, and given the name Alice. She was the daughter of the late Hugh and Catherine McGowan Kelly. She entered the IHM Congregation on January 6, 1923, received the religious habit on August 15, 1923, and made profession of her vows on August 15, 1925.

Sister Alphonsine served as a Latin and French teacher at the following schools: St. Paul High School in Scranton, PA; St. Basil High School in Dushore, PA; St. John High School in Susquehanna, PA; St. Rose High School in Carbondale, PA; Most Holy Rosary High School in Syracuse, NY; and Sacred Heart School in LaPlata, MD. She also taught at high schools located in Pittsburgh and Williamsport, PA and in New York.

Sister also served as a clerk in the school office at Holy Rosary School in Scranton, PA.

From 1986 until the time of her death, Sister Alphonsine served as a prayer minister at the Marian Convent.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Latin/French at Marywood College, and went on to obtain a Master’s degree in education at Villanova University. She did further study at Laval University in Quebec, Canada, and at Western Reserve and Georgetown Universities.

She was preceded in death by two brothers, John J. and Hubert Thomas, and five sisters, Mary Higgins, Anna Kelly, Helen Cox, Catherine T. Murray, and Margaret M. Kelley.

She is survived by two sisters, Agnes Purcell of Elmira, NY, and Kathleen Kelly of Clark’s Summit, PA; nieces and nephews.

The funeral will be Wednesday, March 25 at 10:30 a.m. with Mass of Christian Burial at the Marian Convent. Interment will follow at St. Catherine’s Cemetery, Moscow, PA. Friends may call on Tuesday afternoon or evening at the Marian Convent.