Sr. Loretta Carey, RDC (formerly Sr. Mary Thomas) a member of the Sisters of the Divine Compassion, died peacefully on June 4, 2009 at Good Counsel Convent in White Plains, NY. Sr. Loretta was born in Brooklyn, NY on March 9, 1928, the daughter of Leo F. and Loretta O'Connor Carey. Sister Loretta attended St. Agnes Seminary Elementary and High School in Brooklyn before entering Good Counsel College in White Plains where she obtained the Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1951; and she earned the Master of Arts degree in English from St. John's University in 1955. She continued her work in Educational Administration at Georgetown University, Boston College, University of Buffalo and SUNY Plattsburg.
Sr. Loretta entered the Sisters of the Divine Compassion on September 8, 1948 and professed her final vows on March 6, 1954. She taught third grade in 1950 and 1951 at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School in Elmsford, moving on to Preston High School in the Bronx as a teacher of English and religion from 1951 until 1958. In 1959 Sister became the principal of Preston and served for 11 years. From 1969 until 1975 she was a member of the General Council and Director of Education for the Sisters of the Divine Compassion. From 1976 until 1989, Sister served as the Peace and Justice Coordinator for the National Catholic Educational Association. During this same period she authored several articles which appeared in Momentum, published by the NCEA.
With a team of three sisters from other communities, Sr. Loretta also conducted workshops in dioceses throughout the United States as well as Canada on peace and justice education. In 1987 Sister spent time in the Philippines developing Teacher Workshops for the Catholic schools. Sister served as Director of Justice and Peace Education at Fordham University from 1976-91 where she developed programs for schools across the country. In 1989 and 1990 she was Director of the Renew International Program, organizing Parish Training programs. Sister served as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the College of White Plains and later a member of the Board of Trustees of Pace University. Sister was also a member of Pax Christi and an advisor to the U.S. Catholic Conference.
She was awarded the Doctor of Humane Letters degree from both St. Thomas Aquinas College and Pace University. In 1990 she spoke on Justice and Peace Education in U.S. Catholic Colleges and Universities in Frankfurt, Germany. From 1991 to 2007, Sister Loretta ministered to the elderly and homebound in St. Elizabeth's Parish in Washington Heights, New York. Since 2007 she has participated in a ministry of prayer and presence in Dobbs Ferry. Sister Susan Merritt, RDC, President of the Sisters of the Divine Compassion said, "Sister Loretta was a national educator, consultant to the US Catholic Conference, and a leader in justice and peace education, and at the same time, the wisest and kindest and most gentle of women." Sr. Loretta is survived by her cousins and her Sisters of the Divine Compassion.
