Sister Maria Lucian Convery, IHM

Sister Maria Lucian Convery, IHM, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, died Tuesday, May 11, 1982, at the Marian Convent in Scranton, PA.

She was born on July 16, 1902, in Rocktown, County Donegal, Ireland, and given the name Letitia. She was daughter of the late Bernard and Catherine McGurk Convery. She entered the IHM Congregation at Marywood on September 30, 1926, received the religious habit on December 29, 1926, and made profession of her vows on January 2, 1929.

Sister Maria Lucian served as a cook at the following institutions: St. Joseph Hospital in Carbondale, PA, for 19 years; St. Michael’s School for Boys in Hoban Heights, PA; and Most Holy Rosary Convent in Syracuse, NY. She also served at IHM Convents located in Ashley and Pittsburgh, PA, New York and Rhode Island.

From 1964 until the time of her death, Sister Maria Lucian served on the support staff and as a prayer minister at the Marian Convent.

She was preceded in death by a brother, Roger.

She is survived by three sisters, Rita Corr of Lapeer of Michigan; Mrs. John Hamill Davison of Michigan; Kathleen Christian of Ardglass, County Down, Ireland; and several nieces and nephews.

The funeral will be Friday, May 14 at the Marian Convent, with Mass of Christian Burial at 9:30 a.m. Interment will follow at St. Catherine’s Cemetery, Moscow, PA. Friends may call at the Marian Convent Thursday afternoon or evening.

The Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary benefited from the efforts to bring young women from Ireland to Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Over the years a total of sixty-five young women became professed IHM religious. Their services were received as far west at Coeur d’Alene, Idaho at the IHM Academy and at St. Edward School, Twin Falls, Idaho. The southern missions witnessed their dedication in Washington, Raleigh, and Rocky Mount, North Carolina. It was remarked that black children in some southern schools were speaking with an Irish brogue! The Sisters from Ireland also served in many locations in Pennsylvania, such as Dushore, Lock Haven, Exeter, Altoona, Pittsburgh, St. Michael’s School in Hoban Heights, Cresson, Pittston, Scranton, and Williamsport. New York and Rhode Island missions also received their services.

Excerpted from The Story of the Native Irish Sisters Who Entered the Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Scranton Pennsylvania by Sister M. Michel Keenan, IHM, 2006, p.18