Sister Mary Gerald (Katheryn Lorraine) McCloskey

Sister Mary Gerald  (Katheryn Lorraine) McCloskey,  age 85, died at Villa St. Michael in Emmitsburg, Maryland on April 1, 2020.  She was born on July 14, 1934 in Baltimore, Maryland.  Sister Mary Gerald  was one of four children born to Marie (Carey) and Gerald McCloskey.    

Sister Mary Gerald joined the Daughters of Charity on December 31, 1953 in Emmitsburg, Maryland. After a period of initial formation, she was sent on her first mission to teach at Our Lady Queen of Peace School in Washington, D.C. (1955-1960).   Following this, Sister Mary Gerald taught at Mother Seton School in Emmitsburg.  This mission was for one year only as she then responded to a missionary vocation and was sent to Bolivia in 1961. After teaching in Trinidad, Bolivia for a brief time she spent the majority of her fifty-six years there doing pastoral work in the Altiplano and then, traveling by house boat with a small team, ministered to the people in many villages of indigenous Indians in the rainforests of that country.  Here she was instrumental in building schools, forming religious leaders, promoting the rights of women and their families, and addressing the health needs of the villages. 

Sister Mary Gerald returned to the United States in 2017.  In 2019 Sister was missioned to Hardeeville, South Carolina and served the people there until she returned to Maryland in 2020 for health reasons.  

Sister Mary Gerald was preceded in death by her parents and brothers, Gerald and Richard, sister-in-law, Olive, and nephew, Gerald. She is survived by her brother Joseph, sisters-in-law Freida and Kathleen, numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins, and her Sisters in Community.   

A private wake and Mass will be held in the Villa Chapel in Emmitsburg.  Burial will follow in the Sacred Heart Cemetery in Emmitsburg.  A Memorial Mass will be held in Baltimore at a later date.  Arrangements have been entrusted to the MYERS-DURBORAW FUNERAL HOME in Emmitsburg.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Sister Mary Gerald’s name to her ministry in Bolivia.  Please make the check out to DOC-Stewardship Assistance Fund and send in care of Rachel Wivell, 333 S. Seton Ave., Emmitsburg, MD 21727.