Mary Elizabeth Delaney (1930-2026)

“None like thee, Oh Notre Dame!”

Sister Mary Elizabeth Delaney, SNDdeN went home to her Good God on Oct. 12, 2026, at her home in  Worcester, Massachusetts.   

Sister Mary Elizabeth was born on October 20, 1930; she loved to point out that she was born on  10/20/30. She grew up in Everett, Massachusetts, with her parents and eight siblings. Her childhood was a happy one. Her parents, she recalls, were hard workers. The family was close to the Sisters of Saint Joseph. The family moved to East Boston, where she went to the Sisters of Notre Dame at Fitton High School.

Sister Mary entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1948. She earned her BA in English from Emmanuel College in 1962 and her MA in counseling psychology from Boston College in 1970.

Her first mission was teaching second-grade teacher in the West End of Boston at St. Joseph’s, where she taught from 1951 to 1956. Her various missions as a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur took her across Massachusetts and into New Hampshire and Connecticut.

She served as both a teacher and a guidance counselor, including as guidance director at Bishop Fenwick School in Peabody, Mass., at St. Charles’ in Woburn, Mass., and at the Catholic Schools in Lawrence, Mass. She also worked as a service coordinator, a healthcare coordinator and a counselor for the Massachusetts Community Service Corps. Sister received her real estate license and was invaluable in building our new healthcare residence in Worcester.

She recalled always being busy and was thankful for the variety of wonderful experiences she had the privilege to have. Looking back on 75 years of service, she said she was most grateful for her fellow Sisters of Notre Dame. “I loved every bit of what I did,” she reflected.

Enjoy this video reflection taken at the time of Sister Mary’s 75th Jubilee:

 

xxxUpdated in 2026