Sister Maureen Therese Brennan

Sister Maureen Therese Brennan

“Shout to God with joyful praise!” — (Psalm 47:1b)

“Psalm 47 was read at the Liturgy on Jan. 22, a few hours after Sister Maureen Therese Brennan saw her God face to face. At first, it seems so unlike Sister Maureen Therese, the soft-spoken gentle woman for whom the word ‘shout’ applied to a stain remover. But after 95 years of praising God in her quiet lady-like manner, Sister Maureen Therese must have been ready to shout her praise of the God she loved and served so well,” said Sister Suzanne Brezette in her commentary for Sister Maureen Therese.

The daughter of John and Anna Carroll Brennan, Mary Brennan was born Aug. 11, 1909, in Chicago. Her grade school years were spent at Our Lady of Sorrows, Chicago. She attended Providence High School, Chicago, and graduated from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Academy. Entering the Congregation Aug. 23, 1928, she professed first and perpetual vows Feb. 24, 1931, and Jan. 23, 1937, respectively. Sister Maureen Therese earned a bachelor’s degree in social studies from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, a master’s degree in English from Indiana University and another master’s degree in education from Indiana State University.

Sister Maureen Therese’s teaching service began in 1931 at Dunblane, Washington, D.C. She then spent two years at St. Rose High School, Chelsea, Mass. Her Chicago classrooms included St. Angela and Providence High School. In Indiana, she taught at the Juniorate, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods; St. Joseph, Hammond; and Central Catholic High School, Fort Wayne. From 1949 to 1970, she served in administration, and often taught at St. Patrick, Terre Haute; the Juniorate; Ladywood, Indianapolis; and Central Catholic High School. The next nine years, Sister Maureen Therese ministered at Cardinal Mooney High School, Sarasota, Fla., serving as a teacher or librarian while caring for her mother.

In 1979, Sister Maureen Therese cared full time for her mother. Upon her mother’s death in 1980, she served in pastoral ministry at Incarnation Parish, Sarasota, retiring in 1995 only to minister as a coordinator of volunteers at the parish. Sister Maureen Therese returned to the Woods in 1999.

“Throughout the years, Sister Maureen Therese was an avid reader who also enjoyed playing cards and working crossword puzzles, especially the New York Times puzzles which she always worked in ink! She also loved to travel, and some of her fondest memories were of trips she took with Father Bill Adams and his mother,” shared Sister Suzanne.

“Sister Maureen Therese was blessed with good health all of her life. Even as she grew weaker during the last weeks before her death, she never experienced pain. But Sister Maureen Therese did suffer emotional pain from hurtful or broken relationships within and outside her family. God’s grace enabled her to rise above the hurts. She never held a grudge or allowed bitterness to become a part of her life.

“Generosity and gratitude were two of Sister Maureen Therese’s outstanding virtues. Her thoughtfulness prompted her to share whatever she had, and ‘thank you’ were two of her most frequently spoken words,” continued Sister Suzanne.

The Mass of Christian Burial for Sister Maureen Therese was celebrated Jan. 28, with the Rev. William Adams presiding. She was preceded in death by her sister, stepsister and stepbrother.