Sister Imelda Catherine McGrail, OSF, died in Assisi House on October 21. She was eighty-seven years of age and had been a professed member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia for fifty-nine years. Sister Imelda Catherine (Mary Catherine McGrail) was born in Ellengowan, Pennsylvania, where she was a member of St. Helene Parish. Prior to her entrance into the congregation in 1946, she graduated from Edgewood Park College. Sister Imelda Catherine ministered as a teacher aide and worked with the elderly. In her leisure time, she enjoyed reading.
Sister Imelda Catherine ministered for twenty-six years in the Diocese of Allentown. She was a teacher aide at Most Blessed Sacrament School in Bally, Sacred Heart School in Allentown, and the John Paul II Center in Reading. For a number of years she also ministered as a caregiver for family members.
Sister Imelda Catherine ministered for sixteen years in the Diocese of Trenton. She worked at St. Michael Home in Hopewell and also with the elderly in Morris Hall in Lawrenceville. Her early years in ministry also included working as a nurses aide at Our Lady of Angels Hospital in Pensacola, Florida.
Sister Imelda Catherine’s fifteen years in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia included serving as a teacher aide at St. Mary School in Manayunk and Resurrection School in Chester. She also ministered as a nurses aide with the retired sisters at St. Mary Convent in Bryn Mawr. In 2003 she moved to Assisi House in Aston where she served in prayer ministry until her death.
All services will be held in Assisi House, 600 Red Hill Road, on Friday, October 24. 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 Imelda Catherine is survived by her sister-in-law Betty McGrail; a niece, Peggy McGrail; a nephew, Francis McGrail; and by her Franciscan family. Donations in her name can be made to Franciscan Ministries Foundation, 609 S. Convent Road, Aston, PA 19014.
