Catherine “Michael Mary” O'Brien

“Await everything from the good God and have endless confidence in him.”
-St. Julie Billiart

Sister Catherine O’Brien, SNDdeN grew up in the greater Boston area. Her parents, Michael and Mary (Donovan) O’Brien, were Irish immigrants, and Catherine was the youngest of five children. She considers herself very fortunate that her family was very religious, because it contributed to a peaceful and happy home.

Sister Catherine first met the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur when she went to Cardinal Cushing High School. She loved her elementary school teachers (the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston), but began to consider the SNDdeN as a possibility as she considered entering religious life. Ultimately, her decision was strongly influenced by the fact that the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur were an international community doing missionary work around the world, which really appealed to Sister Catherine.

During Sister Catherine’s senior year of high school, her only sister died. She decided to wait a bit before entering the convent, so she spent the year at Emmanuel College in Boston, and entered the SNDdeN novitiate the following year, taking the name Sister Michael Mary.

After graduating from Emmanuel College, Sister Catherine joined the faculty of St. Mary Elementary School in Waltham, Mass. There she met 47 bright second-graders, eager to learn. Luckily, Sister Catherine had a co-partner who helped her through her first year. She realized that she had made it through, and was grateful. She continued teaching for the next 10 years.

In the mid-1970s, Sister Catherine completed a Master’s degree in Pastoral Studies at Fairfield University in Connecticut. She spent the next 26 years as either a Director of Religious Education/or a Pastoral Associate. These years were filled with wonderful experiences and special gifts for her. As she met new experiences, she learned much about herself and her spiritual gifts.

One of her favorite stories stems from an assignment as the Religious Education Coordinator at an Italian-American parish. The parish had just lost its long-time pastor, and an excellent team of priests had begun the process of moving the people into a post-Vatican II perspective. Sister Catherine spent 11 years there working within this community that she quickly came to love, and the catechetical program grew by leaps and bounds as the original 200 or so students increased to more than 1,000.  The Italian parishioners loved the experience of transforming into a post-Vatican community, and many lively celebrations encouraged them on their path.

Following this ministry, she served as a Pastoral Associate in two more parishes before becoming the Boston Site Director for Notre Dame Mission Volunteers AmeriCorps. After her last sibling died, Sister Catherine took a sabbatical in Ireland. While participating in an enrichment program, she also had the opportunity to reconnect with many cousins. In 2010, she began teaching ESOL at Notre Dame Education in South Boston, Mass., and is presently ministering at the Notre Dame Education Center in Lawrence, Mass., as the Volunteer Coordinator and teacher.

At the time of her 60th Jubilee in 2021, Sister Catherine expressed gratitude for a loving family, her education and opportunities and good health, all of which propelled her into dozens of exciting and challenging opportunities to work with people whom she loved. She continues to nurture a very positive attitude, a genuine enthusiasm for life and her experiences, and a sense of gratitude for having spent her life as a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur.

A special verse that sums up Sister Catherine’s life is, “The spirit of the Lord is upon me to spread the good word.” (Luke 4:18-19)