Sister Maria Walter Cavanagh, IHM

Sister Maria Walter Cavanagh, IHM, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on Monday, March 28, 1994, at the Marian Convent in Scranton, PA.

She was born on November 4, 1898, in Scranton, PA, and given the name Anna V. She was the daughter of the late Patrick Aloysius and Mary Agnes Gorman Cavanagh. She entered the IHM Congregation on September 20, 1925, received the religious habit on December 28, 1925, and made profession of her vows on December 28, 1927.

Sister Maria Walter served as a music teacher at Marywood Seminary in Scranton, PA, and St. John High School in Pittston, PA. At Marywood College in Scranton, PA, Sister was a professor of violin and also the conductor of the college orchestra.

From 1974 until the time of her death, Sister Maria Walter was a prayer minister at the Marian Convent.

She was preceded in death by three sisters, Sister M. Patricia Cavanagh, IHM, Jean Gavin and Marie Cavanagh, and four brothers, Francis, Patrick Albert, Aloysius and Walter.

She is survived by several nieces and nephews.

The funeral will be Wednesday, April 6, at the Marian Convent, followed by interment at St. Catherine’s Cemetery in Moscow, PA. Friends may call on Tuesday at the Marian Convent.

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Archival Remembrance:

During Holy Week, Sister Maria Walter Cavanagh, a woman who embraced the Paschal Mystery in all its fullness, passed into eternal life. A faith-filled disciple of Christ, she died in her 96th year. Gifted with outstanding talent, Sister Maria Walter studied music at Marywood College, Julliard, Columbia University and the Eastman School of Music. As a violinist, teacher and conductor, she not only shared her talent in music and prayer, but also drew forth the giftedness of countless students. In 1974, Sister Maria Walter moved to the Marian Convent, where God drew her into another way of life — one devoted to total prayer and contemplation. Although her final years were marked with pain and suffering, she embraced the difficulties of her life with a willing and generous spirit.