January 23, 2013

By Sr. Betty McAdams, OSU
Contributing Writer

I have known Sister Mary Hallahan for 48 years. I met her in 1964 as a student in her mathematics class at Ursuline Academy, Bethesda, Md. My classmates and I had no idea who this new nun, Mother Charles was.

I think the way Sister Mary would want to be remembered is that she was an Ursuline Religious who was deeply in love with her God.

We soon found out that she was a great teacher. She was strict, demanding, expected us to work.. hard….. and did not put up with foolishness. We also found out that she had a good sense of humor, was a nun who was fun; (there were not too many of those in those days!) and could dish back our pranks and jokes to us. With that she won us over and we would do anything for her. More than this, she always encouraged us, built up our self esteem (which is very important for teenage girls) with her care and concern and love. We knew she loved us.

Mother Charles was only at Ursuline- Bethesda for that one year, as she was transferred to become the local superior of the convent and school in Wilmington, De. That was no small thing to be appointed to that position.
Despite distance, our friendship continued and grew through my years of college and graduate school through many letters, phone calls and a few visits, eventually leading to my entering the Ursulines.

I think the way Sister Mary would want to be remembered is that she was an Ursuline Religious who was deeply in love with her God. I saw this deep love of God very early on in the year she taught me. Teenagers are pretty good at spotting fakes and phonies in adults.  I knew that she was a real nun in the very depths of her soul.
I would often tell her that she was the finest Ursuline I knew. Of course she did not like me to say that, as she was a humble person and never liked attention drawn to herself.

In my own life she was the person God used to draw me to Religious Life as an Ursuline. She never wanted me to say that either. She would say that my vocation resulted from the prayer of the older nuns in the Bethesda community. While that is true, I would tell her God used her to lead me to the Ursulines, as God used Mary’s girlhood friend, Eileen to lead her to the Ursulines.

As you know Sister Mary died the evening of December 31, liturgically the Feast of the Solemnity of the Motherhood of Mary. I was with her in that sacred moment of her peaceful death, of her journey to new life. It was a holy moment I will never forget. As I prayed at Mass the next morning, I was inspired to see in Sister Mary many of the qualities of her name sake, Our Blessed Mother.

Like Our Lady, Sister Mary gave a total “yes” to God in accepting her calling as an Ursuline Religious. She often told me we have to say ’yes” to God every day in living out our religious vocations. She lived this “yes” every day of her life. Like Our Blessed Mother, Sister Mary was a zealous apostle leading all she knew to Jesus Christ.  

Sister Mary was a woman of deep prayer. She put her fidelity and trust in God.  She was so faithful to prayer everyday and this was the secret of her strength and success. I am sure she continues to pray for us. Like the Blessed Mother, Sister Mary was attentive to the needs of others, especially those who were poor or in great need. I am sure we can all recall times when Sister Mary was attentive to someone we know or to something we needed. 

Finally, as her name sake, Sister Mary was a woman of great love. She loved her God, her vocation, her family, her Ursuline Religious order, her North country, her country, her students,  her parishioners and all those with whom she worked. She lived this by her deeds.

I would like to close with some words from Sister Mary, these are from a talk she gave in her home parish of St. Lawrence in North Lawrence. She said…. “During my third year of college a good friend of mine wrote me that she was going to enter the Ursulines; I had been inquiring in various orders in Albany area because each time I saw a nun on a bus or on the street, I felt a tug in my heart. I applied with the Ursulines and was accepted. I think they thought they were getting someone special since I never had nuns; they soon found out how wrong they were but they kept me. My friend had to leave the Ursulines because of her health. God seemed to use her to get me.

Somewhere in scripture we are asked if Our Lord will find faith when he comes back? I would say ‘‘not if there is no one to keep telling his story’. What would life be like or how do we face death not knowing we are saved. Christ has conquered death; all we have to do is to turn to Him.

I ask the adults who are here, would you encourage your son or daughter to be a priest, brother or religious sister. I challenge all our young people to think about replacing me or other priests and nuns. They are not getting younger. I will pray for you; please pray for me. God bless each one of you.”

Ursuline Sister Mary Hallahan, who spent many years of ministry in Franklin County died Dec. 31. Her friend, Ursuline Sister Betty McAdams shared memories of Sister Mary’s great faith in the eulogy she delivered at Sister Mary’s funeral Jan. 11 at Notre Dame Church in Malone.