Sr. Mary Sullivan, OSU M’72
Source: https://www.lloydmaxcy.com/obituaries/Sr-Mary-Sullivan-OSU?obId=49256631
Sr. Mary Sullivan OSU, formerly Sr. Karen, a beloved member of the Ursulines of the Roman Union Eastern Province USA went home to God on August 17, 2026, at Andrus on Hudson Nursing Home.
Sister Mary was born in the Bronx, New York on July 23, 1940, the oldest child of Katherine Cahill and Patrick Sullivan both from County Kerry, Ireland. She professed vows in the Ursuline Community on January 6,1963. Sr. Mary earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the College of New Rochelle and master’s degree in English from St. Michael’s College Colchester, Vermont. She began teaching at Blessed Sacrament School, New Rochelle, St. Jerome’s in the Bronx, Notre Dame, and St. Joseph’s Ursuline Academy in Malone, NY. She went on to serve on the Board of Trustees of the College of New Rochelle, Academy of Mount St. Ursula, and The Ursuline School. One of her fondest education ministries was teaching Peace Education at St. John Chrysostom School in the Bronx.
Responding to a new call, Mary pursued certification in Clinical Pastoral Education at Walter Reed Hospital and MemorialSloane/Kettering Hospital. She served in chaplaincies and pastoral care positions at Memorial Sloan/Kettering, Lincoln Hospital, St. Clare’s Hospital and Calvary Hospital in New York. Recognizing her gifts in pastoral care, Mary was appointed Assistant Director of Pastoral Care at Calvary Hospital.
Advocacy for justice was an integral part of Mary’s life. She was involved in the Ursuline Roman Union JPIC (Justice Peace and the Integrity of Creation) projects, demonstrations at the School of the Americas and initiating a Madeleva Reflection group which met regularly to reflect on the Christian feminist vision of full humanity for all persons and right relations among all creatures. As a member of the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility, Mary was invited to be part of the US delegation to serve as human rights monitors/observers of Orange Order parades held in Northern Ireland. She was assistant director of Siena House which provides transitional housing for pregnant women and young mothers. Her concern for immigrants led her to volunteer at Catholic Social Services in Laredo, Texas.
Within the Ursuline community Mary served in several leadership positions including provincial and local superior. Her gifts as a spiritual director were central in her role as director of all stages of Ursuline formation.
Mary will be remembered by her Ursuline sisters, her family and friends for her leadership, compassion, and vision of a future where all will be part of God’s peaceful kingdom.
She is predeceased by her brothers John and James and is survived by her sister Eileen Barrett and her sister – in- law Pam Sullivan, as well as many loving nieces and nephews.