Sister Miriam Joseph Reinhardt, IHM

Sister Miriam Joseph Reinhardt, IHM, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on Thursday, October 9, 2025, at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton, PA.

Born on August 8, 1929, in Honesdale, PA, and given the name Josephine, Sister Miriam Joseph was the daughter of the late Herman and Katharina Thier Reinhardt. She entered the IHM Congregation on September 8, 1960, made temporary profession of her vows on June 26, 1963, and final profession of her vows on June 26, 1968.  Sister Miriam Joseph received a Bachelor of Music degree in music education from Marywood College, a Master of Arts degree in music education from Columbia University, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in music education from New York University.

Before entering the congregation, she was a music teacher in the Baltimore County Public Schools in Towson, MD, from 1951 to 1960. Sister Miriam Joseph served as a music teacher at the following schools: St. Clare Elementary School in Scranton, PA, from 1965 to 1966; and St. John the Evangelist High School in Pittston, PA, from 1966 to 1967.

At Marywood College/University in Scranton, PA, Sister Miriam Joseph served on the faculty of the Music Department, from 1969 to 2009.

Sister Miriam Joseph also served on the support staff at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton, PA, from 2009 to 2019; and instructor in the Everyday English for Adults Program in Scranton, PA, from 2009 to 2022.

From 2022 until the time of her death, Sister Miriam Joseph was a prayer minister at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton.

She was preceded in death by two brothers, Herman Jr. and William. Sister Miriam Joseph is survived by a brother, Henry of Westminster, MD; a sister, Rosanna LoPresti of Honesdale, PA; nieces and nephews across PA, MD, VA, NC and beyond: Frances Rickard, Nancy Reinhardt, Henry G. Reinhardt, Jr., James LoPresti, Katharina Lenz, Barbara Schaefer, Melvin Reinhardt, Jerome Reinhardt, Thomas Reinhardt;  godchildren: Lois Daniels-Beyer, John Shade Kuhn, Mallory Delaney; grandnieces and grandnephews; great-grandnieces and great-grandnephews; and extended family living in Germany and the Netherlands. She is also survived by the members of the IHM Congregation

The funeral will be Friday, October 17, at 11:00 a.m. with Mass of Christian Burial at Our Lady of Peace Residence, 1510 University Avenue in Dunmore, PA. Friends may call at Our Lady of Peace Residence on Friday, October 17, between 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. A prayer service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Interment will follow Mass on Friday at St. Catherine’s Cemetery in Moscow, PA.

Prayer and Funeral

Reflection

given by Sister Judy O’Brien, IHM Leadership Team Member

One of the well-known sayings by world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma is, and I quote:
“Good things happen when you meet strangers.”

Over the last three and a half years, Sister Miriam Joseph Reinhardt, IHM, and I become dear friends. Miriam was my very first call after I was elected to the Leadership Team. Her call was to tell me that she thought it was time for her to move here to OLP and that she wanted to begin the process. On a side note, she also thought that Sister Tarsicius should consider a move as well, and that I should call and initiate a conversation with her. Which I did, and they moved here together that August of 2022. Little did Miriam know that she was calling me forth into the reality of being an IHM Leader. I will always cherish the memories of those days and these three years that established a friendship held deep in my heart.

Miriam, as we knew her, was not your average Josephine (her actual birth name). Most would describe her as “a character,” and she was. Wearing most of her characteristics on her habit sleeve, she was intensely direct, honest, and stubborn, with a fierce love of life, family, and the Congregation. She was singularly devoted to Jesus, the love of her life. She expressed that love through years of teaching, mastering the cello, living a deeply disciplined and devotional spiritual life, and taking tremendous care of her physical body. This self-care began at 4:30 a.m.—maintaining a healthy diet, taking a nap from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., always choosing the stairs, and, up until a few weeks ago, you could find Miriam on the floor of her room at 6:00 p.m. doing her nightly exercises, which included about 25 sit-ups (and not the cheating kind!). By 7:00, she was tucked in, Rosary wrapped in her hand, ready for a good night’s rest.

I also had the privilege of seeing the other, less obvious, “Miriam ‘character’-istics.” She had a beautiful smile that she would share as I entered her room; there she would be, knitting or crocheting beautiful handmade creations to be given away or sold in Heartworks. She would tell me to sit down and, with a whisper, entrusted me with some of her needs and concerns—both personal and congregational. Occasionally, in those visits, she would tell me that she loved me. I would try not to act surprised and just thank her for that gift. How blessed I have been—how blessed we all have been—to share life with one of the many great elders we call sister.

Once again, in the words of Yo-Yo Ma: “Good things happen when you meet strangers.” Nothing could be truer for me than my meeting Sr. Miriam Joseph Reinhardt, IHM, three years ago—no longer a stranger, now a friend.

As we send you forward, Miriam, we thank you for being that wonderful character we call you. Amen.