Sister Margaret Rose Donnelly
Born to earthly life: September 14, 1934
Religious profession: July 22, 1958
Entered eternal life: May 12, 2011
School Sister of Notre Dame, Margaret Rose Donnelly, of Decatur, Ind., died at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind. on May 12, 2011 at the age of 76.
Our community, like every Christian community, is missionary. We are called and sent to deepen communion with God and among people wherever we are – in every place, in every time, in every situation. (You Are Sent, C 9)
These lines from You Are Sent capture the essence of Sister Margaret Rose’s life. She brought God’s love wherever she was sent. Next to her coffin in St. Mary’s of the Assumption Church in Decatur, Indiana, was a small table. On it were a pair of her walking shoes (she was a great walker and lover of nature), a small angel figurine (a favorite image), her rosary, and You Are Sent. These simple items reflected her love of life, in every time and every place.
Margaret Rose, baptized Barbara Ann, was the first child of William and Margaret (Robine) Donnelly. Though a sister and two brothers followed to complete the family, she was always “Daddy’s pride and joy,” and “his baby girl,” even when she entered the convent at 22.
After 15 years in elementary and high school classrooms, Margaret Rose was called to serve her sisters as a councilor of the Tri-State region and the Milwaukee Province. Her love for her sisters was evident – speaking the truth with love in good and hard times. She was a free spirit who could do as she willed because she was grounded in God’s love.
When her council terms ended, she had a year of study to prepare for the pastoral work she did for the rest of her life – 17 years of ministry in Logansport and Decatur, Indiana. You Are Sent describes those years: As we live consecrated celibacy, Jesus teaches us the uncompromising demands of selfless love. We take on his values of reverence and concern for all people, freeing those we meet to know God’s love. (C 14)
She is quoted in a 1990 article in the Logansport Pharos-Tribune: “I don’t work from nine to five, and very often put in more than 40 hours a week. I don’t regard what I do as work, but ministry.” A sign on the church door indicated she did not have hours. It read: “In the hospital? Call Sister Margaret Rose.”
She was graced with a loving heart. This was evident in the stories shared by the stream of women, men, children, and teens drawn to her funeral. Bishop Kevin Rhoades, who presided at the funeral liturgy, said that as a religious she was a gift of God to the Church; she served with joy, fidelity, and Irish humor.
A parishioner wrote of her in an article: “Truth be told, Sister Margaret Rose loved all God’s children and ministered to her brothers and sisters in Christ, Catholic and non-Catholic alike. She knew the path to heaven because she walked in Jesus’ footsteps. She lived her faith.”
Sister Margaret Rose fulfilled our SSND mission: “to make Christ visible by our very being, by sharing our love, faith and hope.” (You Are Sent, C 4)
– Mary Jacqueline Buckley, SSND
Sister Margaret Rose received a Bachelor of Arts with a major in sociology and minor in history from Mount Mary College, Milwaukee, Wis. and a Master of Education from Wayne State University, Detroit, Mich. She ministered as a teacher for 15 years before she was called into leadership roles with the School Sisters of Notre Dame as community councilor and as provincial councilor. Her next transition led her to pastoral ministry where she served for 27 years at All Saints Parish, Logansport, Ind. (1984-1996) and at St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, Decatur, Ind. (1996-2011), until her death.
Sister Margaret Rose’s ministry locations included:
- St. Michael, Chicago, Ill.
- St. Mary, Grand Rapids, Mich.
- West Catholic High School, Grand Rapids, Mich.
- St. Mary, Detroit, Mich.
- Community Councilor of SSND Mequon Province
- Provincial Councilor of SSND Mequon Province
- Studies at Marygrove and Sacred Heart Seminary, Detroit, Mich.
- All Saints, Logansport, Ind.
- St. Mary of the Assumption, Decatur, Ind.
Decatur Daily Democrat:
Obituary, http://www.decaturdailydemocrat.com/content/sister-margaret-rose-donnelly
Services, http://www.decaturdailydemocrat.com/content/services-set-sr-margaret-rose
To resting place, http://www.decaturdailydemocrat.com/content/resting-place
Fort Wayne News:
Obituary, http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/fortwayne/obituary.aspx?n=margaret-rose-donnelly&pid=150991712
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