Elizabeth “Immaculata” Murtagh

“The beauties of nature must lift up your soul to your Creator. You will look upon them spread before you like an open book.”

— St. Julie Billiart

Sister Elizabeth (Immaculata) Murtagh is first-generation Irish, the fifth child of hardworking parents. “Our life was simple but we didn’t lack for anything. We grew our own vegetables and kept chickens for eggs.”

“I went to grammar and high school with the Sisters of Notre Dame and felt this inner call to be a religious, but I also really wanted to marry and have a family. After high school, I worked for eight years and ran from this call. In the end, I made a decision to enter and felt peace.”

“My last teaching mission was perhaps my favorite. Many of the students were from the Projects and had difficult backgrounds. I strove to be firm and fair, but with a sense of humor. On a trip to the public library, the boy with the largest head tried to take a picture of his head on the Xerox machine while another attempted to photocopy a $20 bill he had stolen from his mother. We were expelled from the library…no sense of humor!!”

She taught senior citizens about the legislative process. Their work led to the filing of a bill that would benefit the elderly poor of Boston. The Billiart1804! was eventually signed into law, which she found  very rewarding.

“I am grateful for my varied life experiences and for the freedom the Congregation gave me to explore different expressions of ministry.”

Updated in 2026.