Remembering Sister Marie St. Joseph Santry (1931 – 2023)

Sister Marie St. Joseph Santry was born on March 19, 1931, as Mary E. Santry in Lynn, MA, to parents Thomas and Annie (Egan) Santry. She entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1950, taking the name Marie St. Joseph. She took her first vows in 1953 and perpetual vows in 1958.

Sister Marie earned her BA from Emmanuel College in 1963. Sister received her MA in elementary education from the University of Massachusetts in 1970, an MA in Theology from St. Michael College in 1989, and an MA Administration and Supervision from Boston College in 2002. In 2002, she received an Honorary Doctorate of Human Letters from Boston College.

She served for many years as a teacher throughout Massachusetts.  She also worked in Japan, teaching at the Notre Dame Seishin Junior College in Hiroshima. She was the Principal from 1997 to 2001 at the Holy Family School in Natchez, Miss., the oldest Catholic African-American School in the United States.

Sister Marie St. Joseph went home to her good God on February 22, 2023 after 73 years of as a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur. Sister Marie's funeral will be held Monday, February 27 in the Notre Dame du Lac Chapel, 555 Plantation St., Worcester, with a visitation period at 1 PM followed by sharing of memories at 1:30 PM and a Mass at 2 PM. Burial will be in Notre Dame du Lac Cemetery.

Ministries

Educator

1953-55  St. Mary School, Beverly, MA
1955-56   St. Patrick School, Lowell, MA
1956-59   St. Mark School, Dorchester, MA
1959-61  St. Augustine School, Andover, MA
1961-65  St. Augustine School, South Boston, MA
1965-67  Holy Redeemer School, East Boston, MA
1967-70  St. Anthony School, Somerville, MA
1970-72  St. John School, Peabody, MA
1972-85  St. Mary School, Danvers, MA
1985-87 St. Jude School, Waltham, MA
1987-89 St. Monica School, Methuen, MA