Aston, PA—Sister Anna Maria Keenaghan, OSF, (formerly Sister Mary Lydia), 86, died in Assisi House on Monday, February 19, 2024. She had been a professed member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia for 67 years. Sister Anna Maria was born in Lumcloon Cloghan, County Offaly, Ireland, where she was a member of St. Mary Parish and a graduate of St. Joseph Pre-professional School. She entered the congregation in 1953 and professed her first vows in 1957. She earned a BS in Education from Neumann University (then Our Lady of Angels College) and an MS in Education from Loyola University. She ministered primarily in education and pastoral ministry.
Sister Anna Maria ministered for 51 years in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. She taught at St. Anthony School, Baltimore, for 11 years; eight years at St. Stephen School, Bradshaw; and 21 years at St. Clement School, Rosedale, where she taught reading and social studies. In later years, she served for 11 years at St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson as a chaplain.
Additional ministry includes teaching for seven years at St. Joseph School in Anderson, South Carolina, in the Charleston Diocese. In 2015, Sister Anna Maria moved to Assisi House, the congregation’s retirement residence in Aston, Pennsylvania, where she served in prayer and hospitality ministry until her death.
All services will be held in Assisi House on Friday, February 23, 2024, and will be livestreamed. 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 Anna Maria is survived by her brothers, Kieran and Oliver; her sister Eileen Kearns; her nieces and nephews: and her Franciscan family. Donations in her name can be made to the Sisters of St. Francis Foundation, 609 S. Convent Road, Aston, PA 19014.
For a more personal write-up on Sister Anna Maria, click here.
The livestream will begin at 9:30 A.M. To access the livestream, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOKWHDM6jI4.
