Sister M. St. Mary Orr, IHM

Sister M. St. Mary Orr, IHM, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on Tuesday, March 5, 1996, at the Marian Convent in Scranton, PA.

She was born on October 4, 1899, in Scranton, PA, and given the name Mary. She was the daughter of the late Bernard J. and Brigid A. Graney Orr. She entered the IHM Congregation on September 8, 1918, made temporary profession of her vows on August 2, 1921, and final profession of her vows on December 8, 1930.

She was a member of Marywood’s first class and served as the college’s president from 1961 to 1970. During her presidency, Marywood became the largest Catholic women’s college in the country, received a universal charter, started a faculty exchange program, opened the Graduate School of Social Work, and joined the Lehigh Regional Consortium for Graduate Teacher Education.

Sister St. Mary’s leadership brought the college important citations for program excellence and accrediation from several groups, including the National Council of Accrediation for Teachers of Education, the National Association of Schools of Musicand the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Unders her administration, Marywood built its Learning Resource Center, the Nazareth Student Center, Madonna Hall, Emmanuel Hall and the campus expanded to 140 acres.

Besides serving as president, Sister St. Mary was at different times a dean of students, a psychology professor and director and co-founder of the Psycho-Educational Clinic.

Before moving to Marywood, she was a high school teacher at several Diocese of Scranton High Schools, including St. Paul High School, St. Patrick High School and Marywood Seminary. She served the I.H.M. Congregation as assistant to the Superior General from 1955 to 1961, as a council member from 1961 to 1970, as direcor of the Spiritual Renewal Program from 1971 to 1975, as counselor for the Marian Convent from 1975 to 1979 and as a core member of the I.H.M. Spiritual Renewal Center in Verona, N.J., from 1979 to 1990.

From 1990 until the time of her death, Sister St. Mary was a prayer minister at the Marian Convent.

She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Latin and English from Marywood College in 1919, a Master of Arts degree in psychology from the Catholic University of America, and a doctorate in psychology from Fordham University in 1942. She was a fellow of the American Psychological Association, a diplomate of the American Board of Examiners in Professional Psychology, a charter member of the American Catholic Pyschological Association, a member of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association, the Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Universities and the National Catholic Education Association. She was a registered clinical psychologist.

In 1967, Catholic University honored her with its Alumane Achievement Award. Marywood College honored her with its Presidential Medal in 1975.

She was preceded in death by a sister, Jule Orr Corcoran.

She is survived by a sister, Sister Maria Angela Orr, IHM, of the Marian Convent in Scranton, PA; nieces, nephews and cousins.

The funeral will be Saturday, March 9, at 10:00 a.m. at the I.H.M. Center in Scranton. Interment will follow at St. Catherine’s Cemetery, Moscow, PA. Friends may call Friday from 2:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Marian Convent.

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Archival Remembrance:
A remarkable woman of keen intellect, understanding, wit and wisdom, Sister St. Mary Orr left behind a rich legacy for Marywood College and the IHM Congregation that will be felt for many years. As a president of Marywood College, and a member of the IHM Congregation Council, she spearheaded visionary and courageous undertakings that have had lasting impacts. Her leadership brought the College important citations for program excellence and accreditation from several groups.