Sister Margaret Mary Finley, CSJ, formerly Sister Maria Jerome, 86, a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood for 68 years, died Feb. 19, in Maria Regina Residence.

She entered the congregation from Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish, Richmond Hill, in 1940.

After earning her bachelor’s degree in Manhattan College in 1955, she began her studies in Deaf Education in Western Maryland College while becoming certified in Elementary and Secondary Education of the Deaf.

Her early teaching experience was in St. James, Brooklyn, 1942-45; St. Angela Hall Academy, Brooklyn, 1945-47; Holy Cross, Flatbush, 1947-48; St. Augustine, Park Slope, 1948-53; St. Camillus, Rockaway Beach, 1953-61; St. Clare, Rosedale, 1961-65; and Holy Name of Mary, Valley Stream, 1965-69.

She utilized her skills as a teacher of the deaf in St. Francis de Sales School for the Deaf in Brooklyn, from 1968 to 1979. She then was assigned as a bookkeeper in the Academy of St. Joseph, Brentwood, and later served as manager of the Pine Craft Shop at the motherhouse.

She is survived by her sister, Mary J. Nooney.

Sister Mary Rita Cullen, CSJ, 79, a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood for 61 years died March 2, in St. Joseph Convent, Brentwood.

She entered the congregation in 1947 from Holy Cross parish, Flatbush.

She taught in the primary grades in Our Lady of Victory, Bedford-Stuyvesant, 1950-54; St. Teresa of Avila, South Ozone Park, 1954-57; St. Francis of Assisi, Crown Heights, 1957-60; and St. Benedict Joseph Labre, Richmond Hill, 1960-62.

She moved to the Rockville Centre Diocese in 1962 where she taught in St. Martha’s, Uniondale, 1962-68, becoming assistant principal there from 1968 to 1975. From 1975 to 1992, she served at Most Holy Trinity, East Hampton, as assistant principal.

She is survived by her three brothers John, Ronald and Frank.

Sister Jane Phyllis Reilly, CSJ, formerly Sister M. Anita, 73, a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood for 55 years died March 3, in Maria Regina Residence, Brentwood.

She entered the congregation in 1953 from St. Francis parish, Brooklyn.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in English from St. Joseph’s College she concentrated on secondary education and theology. She earned three master’s degrees from Queens College (1973) and St. John’s University (1982-1985).

From 1956 to 1972, she taught at St. Martin of Tours, Bushwick, 1956-58; Epiphany, Williamsburg, 1958-60; St. Clare, Rosedale, 1960-61; St. Michael, Sunset Park, 1961-65; and Blessed Sacrament, Cypress Hills, 1965-72.

In 1972, she was assigned as principal at St. Joseph, Pacific St. and in 1973, she became principal at St. Gabriel, East New York. She also was co-principal in Holy Name, Park Slope, 1974-84, and St. Teresa of Avila, Sterling Pl., 1974-89.

After working as a patient representative in St. John’s Hospital, Far Rockaway, she once again became principal in Infant Jesus, Port Jefferson, 1990-93. From 1993 to 2006, she taught in Our Lady of Perpetual Help H.S., Sunset Park, and then in Bishop Kearney H.S., Bensonhurst.

She is survived by her sister, Judith Brett.

Sister James Liguori Short, CSJ, 93, a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood for 75 years died March 4, in Maria Regina Residence, Brentwood.

She entered the congregation in 1933 from Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Sunset Park.

With the exception of her two years teaching in St. Frances de Chantal, Wantagh, L.I., 1956-58, her years as a first-grade teacher were spent at Transfiguration, Williamsburg, 1935-39; Immaculate Conception, Maujer St., 1939-47; SS. Peter and Paul, Williamsburg, 1947-52; St. Benedict Joseph Labre, Richmond Hill, 1952-54; St. Ann, Flushing, 1954-56; St. Patrick, Long Island City, 1958-59; St. Matthew, East New York, 1959-63; Our Lady of Lourdes, Bushwick, 1963-69; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Long Island City, 1969-70; St. Malachy, East New York, 1970-82; and Ascension, Elmhurst, 1982-87, where she worked as religious coordinator.

Sister Mary Theresia Bednarik, SSND, 96, a member of the School Sisters of Notre Dame for 80 years, died March 3. Born Julia Margaret Bednarik in Manhattan, both of her parents were natives of Czechoslovakia.  After teaching in Baltimore and Bridgeport, she was assigned in 1955 to Holy Family (Slovak) School, Greenpoint, where she taught grades seven and eight, served as principal and was Superior of the house in which she lived. 

In 1961, she moved to Bohemia, L.I., where she taught at St. John Nepomucene School until 1982.  She was then assigned to St. Joseph, Ronkonkoma, where she was the librarian from 1982 to 1989, then served as an educational and library aide until 1989 before semi-retiring to a community service role at the school from 1992 to 2000. 

Sister Theresia retired to Villa Notre Dame in Wilton, Conn., in 2000.

Jesuit Father Walter Abbott, known for his work with the Second Vatican Council, ecumenical and interfaith relations, and biblical scholarship, died March 5 at the Jesuit infirmary in Weston, near Boston. He was 84.

A member of the Jesuits’ New England province, he spent his most notable years of priestly ministry at the Vatican.

Among his accomplishments was editing a book with the English-language translations of the Vatican II documents that included scholarly commentary. The 1966 paperback book, “The Documents of Vatican II,” with its familiar red cover bearing a coin with the likenesses of Popes John XXIII and Paul VI, remains a well-thumbed-through staple in many libraries.

Sister Marie Rooney, IHM, 94, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on Thursday, Feb. 28, at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton, Pa.

Born in Wilkes-Barre, she entered the IHM congregation in 1936 and made her temporary profession of vows in 1939. Her final profession was on Aug. 3, 1942.

She served on the faculty in the Home Economics Department at Marywood College from 1943 to 1981.

She also taught Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, Forest Hills, from 1942 to 1943.

She was a seamstress at the IHM Center in Scranton from 1981 to 1984. From 1984 until the time of her death she served as a prayer minister at the Marian Convent and Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton.
She is survived by two sisters, Sister Wilma, IHM, of Scranton and Peggy Ronky of Reading, Pa.; and a brother, Thomas of Wilkes-Barre.

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