Meet Sister Mary Magdalene Greco

As a nurse practitioner, Sr. Mary Magdalene Greco believes in treating everyone with compassion and respect and empowering them to make health decisions about their lifestyle and treatment options.

With a generous heart and a healing touch, Sr. Mary Magdalene (Maggi) Greco has dedicated her life to being a healing, compassionate presence in the lives of others. Ministering for over 50 years in the field of health care as a nurse and as a nurse practitioner, Sr. Maggi is now sharing her gifts as the director of resident life at Assisi House—a position that she has held since December 2023.

Sr. Maggi was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, to Elsie and Dominick, and baptized Ruth Monica. Known to her family as Ruthie, she grew up in Norristown with her older brother Paul. Ruthie was taught by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth in elementary school and graduated from Bishop Kendrick High School. Following high school, she went to Pierce Junior College for one year and studied secretarial skills. She was then hired as an executive secretary at Univac, a computer company. Much like St. Francis, Ruthie enjoyed young adulthood. She bought herself a little sports car and enjoyed dating and socializing with her friends. Religious life was far from Ruthie’s mind until one evening when her boyfriend failed to appear for a date. Instead of going out on the town, she stayed home and watched TV with her father. He happened to be watching The Nun’s Story. Watching the movie planted a little seed in Ruthie’s heart, and she began reflecting on her relationship with God.

Sr. Maggi on her entrance day with the Holy Family of Nazareth sisters.

At first, Ruthie hesitated to tell her friends and family about her possible vocation. When she finally started to share her discernment with others, they didn’t believe her. But Ruthie didn’t let their doubts deter her from following her call. She began attending daily Mass, but she was unsure of what to do next. After attending a retreat and speaking with a priest about her desire to enter religious life, he suggested that Ruthie speak with the sisters from her elementary school, and the rest is history. Sr. Mary Magdalene made her first profession as a Sister of the Holy Family of Nazareth in 1969.

Sr. Maggi’s journey in nursing and religious life is a testament to her dedication and adaptability. After graduating from St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing, she furthered her education by earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Holy Family University. Sr. Maggi then devoted 18 years of service to Nazareth Hospital. As time passed, Sr. Maggi found herself at a crossroads, grappling with the governance structure of her religious congregation and contemplating leaving religious life altogether. As fate would have it, she was introduced to Sr. Elise Betz by a mutual friend, Kathy Reichelt. Visiting Sr. Elise at St. Bonaventure’s convent opened Sr. Maggi’s eyes to alternative ways of living the vowed life, rekindling her commitment to religious service.

In 1988, Sr. Maggi embarked on a transfer process with the Sisters of St. Francis. During this period of discernment, she worked as a visiting nurse and hospice nurse with Holy Redeemer VNA, residing at St. Mary’s Hospital in Langhorne and St. Stanislaus in Lansdale. Her incorporation into the Sisters of St. Francis was finalized in April 1991.

Sr. Maggi with Colleen Collin’s son, Jhyree.

Driven by a thirst for knowledge and a desire to expand her capabilities, Sr. Maggi enrolled at LaSalle University in 1994. She balanced her studies with part-time work at Calcutta House, a hospice for AIDS patients, and later at LaSalle University Neighborhood Nursing Center. In 1996, she completed her Master of Science degree in Community Health Nursing. However, Sr. Maggi’s educational journey didn’t end there. She went on to pursue a postgraduate certificate as an adult nurse practitioner, which she obtained from LaSalle University in 1998, further enhancing her ability to serve others through her nursing vocation.

Sister Maggi while at Mary Howard Health Center, meets with her first walk-in patient of the day, Sonia Joseph. Sonia was recently hospitalized while visiting family in Atlanta. She mentioned that she could not wait to get back to Philadelphia, where there were familiar faces, like Sister Maggi, to help care for her. (Featured in Spring 2010 Good News)

Sr. Maggi’s first ministry as a nurse practitioner was working for the Care Group in South Philadelphia. After seven years working in primary care, Sr. Maggi began working with adults experiencing chronic homelessness at the Mary Howard Health Center. She was featured in the Good News in the Spring 2010 issue for her work at the clinic, and in 201,2 she received the Patient’s Choice Award for Primary Care Excellence. When her aging mother needed more support, Maggi left her ministry at Mary Howard and began working part-time and caregiving part-time. Following her mother’s death, Sr. Maggi returned to full-time ministry as a primary care adult provider with Chestnut Hill Hospital outpatient offices for two years and then transitioned to specializing in endocrinology for two years, before resigning in May of 2020.

Sr. Maggi enjoyed the company of her good
friend, Kathy Reichelt and her husband, at her 50th jubilee celebration.

Sr. Maggi’s generous heart extends not only to her patients. I have been the recipient of her generosity many times in my life. In addition to being a great community member and someone who is fun to be around, Maggi is one of those people who is willing to help when she sees a need. In the summer of 1996, as I was preparing to make my first profession, I needed a place to live. I was given permission to start a new community if I could find a perpetually professed sister to join me. After several “no’s” from sisters who liked where they were living and didn’t want to move, I called Maggi and she said “yes.” Even though she was studying and was happy living at All Saints, she was willing to move into the unknown, and Sophia House was the result. Then, years later when I returned to Sophia House after a few years away in Baltimore and six months in Chester, I was sharing with Maggi and Nancy Lamey that I felt God was calling me to be a foster parent and that I didn’t know how I was going to make it happen, but I knew that I needed to find another sister who was willing to live with me, Maggi said, “I’ll live with you.” Talk about a generous heart!

Sr. Maggi helps welcome sisters to the new Clare Hall at Assisi House after the first phase of the renovations was complete. This is just one aspect of her job as the director of resident life at Assisi House.

In her current ministry as the director of resident life at Assisi House, Sr. Maggi has many opportunities to share her gifts with sisters and coworkers. Her job is to ensure the sisters live the fullest and most active life possible based on their health and well-being. As director, she oversees the Franciscan Care Team, the activities department, the liturgy department, Lady Clare hair salon, and Holy Grounds Café. She works with Wellness Services to ensure a smooth transition to Assisi House for sisters and assures families are informed of status changes of sisters.

When asked about the challenges of her current ministry, Sr. Maggi said that her goal is to be a compassionate presence to the sisters and to make sure that they have a high quality of life, but it can be challenging meeting the diverse needs and expectations of sisters, employees, and volunteers. The blessings of her ministry are also focused on sisters and employees. Sr. Maggi shared, “Ministering with such gifted individuals is a blessing and I have wonderful mentors who are guiding me. I love interacting with the sister residents and supporting them the best I can in body, mind, and spirit.”

When not hard at work, Maggi enjoys visiting with family and friends, knitting, making diamond art, and being out in nature, walking or kayaking.

Whether at work, at prayer, or at play, Sr. Maggi puts her whole heart into whatever she does. Assisi House is blessed to have her as an advocate for sisters and coworkers alike.

Colleen Collins