Mary Therese “Margaret St. Henry” Flattery

Sister Mary Therese Flattery, SNDdeN was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, the youngest child of five, with two sisters and two brothers. Sadly, her brother Bernard died when he was just three months old, before she was born. Her mother was Canadian and her father was Irish.

Sister Mary Therese came from a loving and caring family. Both parents were hardworking people. Her father suffered a broken back in an accident at work, and was laid up for a long time. In order to provide for the family’s needs, her mother had to get a job. When her father recovered, he was able to get a new job working at the Worcester State Hospital.

Sister Mary Therese receives a corsage from Sister Rosemary Fay, SNDdeN for her 75-year Jubilee in 2026.

Sister Mary loved playing with her big brother Henry, who taught her all kinds of boyish games and activities. “He tried to make a boy out of me,” she says with a smile. When Sister Mary was only three years old, he had her climbing trees—that is, until her mother put a stop to that!

She was educated from grades K-12 at Ascension School in Worcester under the direction of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Sister Mary Therese remembers when a Sister gave her a book about the life of St. Julie. She loved reading this book and read it over and over again.

After graduating from high school, she entered Notre Dame at Waltham, Mass., on August 1, 1951. During the formation years, Sister Mary Therese learned more and more of the discipline of religious life. Through prayer and reflection, she grew in her knowledge and love of St. Julie, and what was required to live the charism of Notre Dame.

When the right time came, Sister Mary Therese was more than ready to pronounce her first vows on January 30, 1954, and took the religious name, Sister Margaret St. Henry. In August of that year, she was sent out on her first mission as cook to Presentation Convent in Brighton.

“I helped the cook at the novitiate, and then I was sent to Springfield, then Fairfield,” she says.

Over the years, Sister Mary Therese has lived in many different places and been involved in a variety of ministries.

“I took care of the sick,” she says, “and I liked that very much.”

She was missioned to serve in the school library at Our Lady of the Angels in Worcester and at a school office in Northborough. She enjoyed the chance to work with children and families. Wherever there was a need, Sister Mary Therese was quick to say her yes.

Now retired, Sister Mary Therese enjoys daily Mass, walking each hour during the day, Bingo on Wednesdays and socializing with other women religious over meals. She looks forward to weekly calls with her nephew and niece.

Sister Mary Therese says, “Religious life is beautiful. I pray to God every day and thank him for my vocation and the strength, power and willpower to serve. I feel fulfilled and want to continue to proclaim the goodness of God as long as I live. I am indeed blessed!”

Updated in 2026