Sister M. Hilary King, IHM

Sister M. Hilary King, IHM, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on Friday, November 15, 1940, at St. Agnes Place in Elmhurst, PA.

She was born on March 21, 1865 in Gleason, PA, and given the name Catharine (Kate). She was the daughter of the late Patrick and Bridget Dwyer King. She entered the IHM Congregation on April 10, 1889, received the religious habit on October 3, 1889, and made profession of her vows on August 2, 1891.

Sister Hilary served as a teacher at St. Cecelia Academy in Scranton, PA; Marywood Seminary in Scranton, PA; St. Joseph School in Renovo, PA; All Saints School in Masontown, PA; and St. Rose School in Carbondale, PA.

Sister also served as a volunteer in Throop, PA, during the Spanish Flu of 1918.

She was preceded in death by four brothers, Philip, James P., Dr. Francis and Matthew, and three sisters, Ellen King, Jennie Downs and Sister Mary Waltrude, RSM.

She is survived by a two brothers, Joseph of Washington, DC, and John of Walla Walla, WA; two sisters, Mary Louise McCarthy of Kane, PA, and Agnes Fulnecky of Frankfort, IN; nieces and nephews.

The funeral will be Monday, November 18, with Mass of Christian burial at 9:30 a.m. at St. Catherine’s Church in Moscow, PA. Interment will follow at St. Catherine’s Cemetery in Moscow. Friends may call on Sunday after 2:00 p.m. at St. Agnes Place, Elmhurst.

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“All Saints’, Masontown, was the second school opened in the Pittsburg Diocese by the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart. The school was opened September 25, 1911. Sister M. Pancratius was the first superior. With her were associated Sister M. Patricia, Sister M. Hilary, Sister M. Carmelita, and Sister M. Padua. Many of the students come in from the surrounding country places, walking long distances each day. They are rarely absent and their eagerness to learn makes the task of teaching them a delightful one. There is a large music class and these music loving children have organized among themselves a very creditable orchestra. The school is a recreational as well as an educational centre. There is a large auditorium perfect in all its appointments. Here the pupils give plays from time to time, that never fail to draw large audiences. Father Kolb has also installed a moving picture machine. Masontown bids fair to become one of the finest cultural centres in Pennsylvania.” 329

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, p. 327 and 329

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“The year 1918 will long be remembered for the terrible scourge that followed in the wake of the World War, the mysterious and dreaded Spanish influenza.

Mother at once telephoned to the different convents nearby to ask for volunteers to alleviate the sufferings of the poor in this public distress. From all directions came hearty responses of willingness to take up the work of charity. Like requests were sent to all the houses of the Immaculate Heart, and in every place where these houses were located, the sick and suffering poor had reason to bless the kindly ministration of the Sisters.

Sisters M. Hilary and M. Julia, of South Scranton, and Sisters M. Felix and M. Alonzo, of North Scranton, hastened to the help of the Sisters in Throop, whose heroic work there was earning commendation on all sides.”

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, p. 441 and 443