Sister Ann Murphy

"Do not be afraid, I have called you by name. You are mine.”  (Is 43:1)

September 5, 2012, Sister Ann Murphy,
in religion Joan Elizabeth
went home to God.

She was 83 years old and had been professed for 60 years.

Born in Dundee, Quebec, she was the 2nd of 5 children of John Murphy and Clayre Massam.

Ann was proud of her Canadian-Irish roots. From the time she was 14 years old, and during her studies at Holy Cross Convent, she had a summer job at the Canadian National Company. When she was 16, after having completed a commercial course, she worked as a stenographer for nearly 5 years, 3 of which were at Bell Telephone.

When she was 20, she entered the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. Two other members of her family were consecrated to God: her younger sister, Carolyn, also an SNJM and her older brother as a priest.

For 30 years, Sister Joan Elizabeth taught at the primary and secondary levels in schools in Quebec, Ontario and the United States. While exclaustrated, she spent two years in Zambia, Africa, where she taught students from grades 10-13. Upon returning to the community, Sister Ann studied religious sciences, before going back to teach in Kingston, Ontario, where she lived with the Sisters of Providence.

During the “lockout” at our Motherhouse, Sister Ann was very dedicated and gave her time wherever help was needed. During her last years of active life she was a volunteer to those who were in need and with those around her, including the elderly and autonomous residents at St. Patrick’s Square, where she was living.

In spite of the long periods during which Ann did not live with her SNJM sisters, she maintained a deep attachment to the community: showing great sensitivity to her sisters, especially on celebrations such as birthdays and jubilees.

Sister Ann’s death came quickly, as she had hoped.  She was surely welcomed by God as “a woman of great compassion and justice, she was close to her family and to those who were in need.”