“None like thee, Oh Notre Dame!”
Sister Mary Elizabeth Delaney was born on October 20, 1930. She lived 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 received her BA in English from Emmanuel College in 1962 and then received 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 brought her to many areas, from many places in Massachusetts, to New Hampshire and Connecticut.
She has served as both a teacher and as a guidance counselor, including as the Guidance Director at Bishop Fenwick School in Peabody, Mass., at St. Charles’, in Woburn, Mass., and at the Catholic Schools, in Lawrence Mass. In addition, she has worked as a Service Coordinator, as a Healthcare Coordinator, and as a counselor for the Massachusetts Community Service Corps. Sister received her license in real estate and was invaluable in building our new healthcare residence in Worcester.
She recalls that she was always kept busy and is thankful for the variety of wonderful experiences she has had the privilege to have. Looking back at these past 75 years of service, she is most grateful for the presence of her fellow Sisters of Notre Dame. “I loved every bit of what I did,” she reflects.
List of Ministries
St. Joseph's School, Second Grade Boston 1951-1956
St. Aedan's School New Haven, CT 1956-1959
St. Joseph's School, First Grade. Salem, NH 1959-1960
St. Mary's School Beverly, MA 1960-1963
Blessed Sacrament, Grade 7-8 Cambridge, MA 1963-1966
OLA, Grade 8 Worcester, MA 1966-1968
English and Guidance at Bishop Fenwick Peabody, MA 1968-1972
St. Charles, Guidance Director Woburn, MA 1972-1973
Catholic Interparochial Schools, Guidance Director in Lawrence 1973-1976
Service Coordinator St. John's Prep 1976-1979
ND Health Care Coordinator Lynn, MA 1991-1992
Counselor, Massachusetts Community Service Corps 1989-1990