Aston, PA — Sister Marie Joyce O’Keeffe, OSF, died in Assisi House on November 23. She was eighty-nine years of age and had been a professed member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia for sixty-nine years. Sister Marie Joyce (Catherine O’Keeffe) was born in Boherbu, County Cork, Ireland. She entered the congregation in 1936 and professed her first vows in 1938. Sister Marie Joyce earned a B.S. in Education from Mt. St. Mary University in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and an M.A. in Religion from St. Bonaventure University in New York. She ministered in education on both elementary and secondary levels, in congregational ministry, and in parish ministry.
Sister Marie Joyce ministered for sixty-four years in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. She taught at the Shrine of the Little Flower School (1940-1944); St. Katharine School (1944-1955); Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School (1955-1956); and the Catholic High School of Baltimore (1956-1970, 1974-1986). From 1970-1973 she served as Provincial of the former St. Joseph Province. From 1986-2005 she served in parish ministry at the Shrine of the Little Flower Parish, visiting the elderly in their homes.
Additional ministry experiences included teaching at St. Paul School in Wilmington, Delaware (1938-1940) and at Holy Spirit School in Jacksonville, North Carolina (1973-1974). In 2005 Sister Marie Joyce moved to Assisi House in Aston, Pennsylvania, where she served in prayer ministry until her death.
All services will be held in Assisi House, 600 Red Hill Road, on Thursday, November 29. A Christian Wake Service will be held at 9:30 A.M. followed by viewing. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 A.M. Burial will be in Our Lady of Angels Cemetery in Aston. Sister Marie Joyce is survived by her sister, Nora McAuliffe of Mallow, County Cork; by her nieces, a nephew, and a grandniece; by cousins; and by her Franciscan family. Donations in her name can be made to Franciscan Ministries Foundation, 609 S. Convent Road, Aston, PA 19014.
