Sister Mary Corripio was born and raised in Louisiana through high school. She decided that she wanted a Catholic women's education when she went to college, and decided to attend the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur's Trinity College (now Trinity Washington University). After college, she went to Japan to teach English for a year, then travelled in Europe to decide about her future. When visiting Cuvilly, France, the birthplace of St. Julie Billiart, she met Sisters of Notre Dame in the village and stayed with them for a weekend. That was the beginning of her life.
Her first ministry was in the Archdiocese of Boston in the Office of Cultural Diversity. She was then missioned to work for vocations office. She is now serving in Hiroshima, Japan. Of her work, Sister Mary says, "I am a missionary in Japan. I have responded to God's call to witness and in some ways participate in the Mystery of His plan for the people of this country full of beauty and wisdom and an awe- inspiring Catholic history. Saint Julie Billiart might call me a "hook for catching souls." My hope is that — in God's subtle ways — the people I meet here might catch a glimpse of Jesus and be drawn to know him better."