Sister Mary Lauren McLeod, RDC, (Patricia), a member of the Sisters of the Divine Compassion for nearly 59 years, died peacefully on April 1, 2024 at Cabrini of Westchester.
Sister Lauren was born in Danbury, Connecticut on March 27, 1946, the daughter of Clarence and Evelyn McLeod. Sister entered the Sisters of the Divine Compassion on September 12, 1965, and professed her final vows on May 15, 1976.
Sr. Lauren earned a bachelor’s degree in Education and English from Good Counsel College and a master’s degree in Education from Keene State College in New Hampshire. Sister Lauren’s first assignment was St. John the Evangelist Elementary School in Mahopac where she taught for 11 years. She then moved to the Academy of Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in White Plains where Lauren was a guidance director and taught high school english and math for 5 years. Sr. Lauren returned to graduate school and earned a master’s in social work from Fordham University in 1986.
Sr. Lauren worked as a therapist at Catholic Charities White Plains from 1985 until it closed. To address the loss of a mental health agency that was financially accessible to low and moderate income individuals, Sr. Lauren joined with her Sisters of the Divine Compassion to establish the RDC Center for Counseling and Human Development at the Sisters’ White Plains Campus.
Sr. Lauren served as the director of the “RDC Counseling Center” from 1987-2008, when she was elected to the RDC Congregational Leadership Team. Sister continued working as a therapist at the Center until her retirement in 2021. As part of her work for the Center, she travelled to elementary schools and worked with students each week.
Lauren’s gift to her Sisters and friends, as well as her clients, was her unpretentious frankness, usually wrapped in humorous packaging. Lauren dared to put into words what many of the rest of us would only think. In a serious conversation, however, Sr. Lauren’s humor would take a step back and her tenderness and vulnerability would emerge. This made her a wonderful friend and therapist.
Sr. Lauren was predeceased by her parents, her sister Janet Woycik and her niece Kristen. She is survived by her sister Jeanne Kalmanson, her brother John and their spouses, a niece, nephews, and many grand-nieces and grand-nephews.
The wake for Lauren will be held at McMahon Funeral Home on Tuesday, April 9 from 3:00 to 6:00 pm. Services will continue Wednesday, April 10 at the Chapel of the Divine Compassion with a wake from 9:30 am -10:30 am. The Ritual of Welcome will be at 10: 30 am, followed by the Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 am. Burial will be at Mt Calvary Cemetery in White Plains following the liturgy.
Memorial donations may be sent to the Sisters of the Divine Compassion, 52 N. Broadway, White Plains, NY 10603