March 25, 2026

Sister Donna (Donna Marie) Franklin, a Daughter of Charity, died on March 11, 2026, at St. Louise House in Albany.

Born on May 15, 1950, in Philadelphia, she was the eldest of three children born to Louis Franklin, Jr. and Catherine Veronica (Brady) Franklin. Following graduation from Archbishop Wood High School for Girls in Warminster, Pennsylvania, in 1968, Sister Donna spent a number of years in Kentucky with a religious community. She entered the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent De Paul on May 6, 1975. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Sociology in 1981 from Emmanuel College in Boston, and a Master of Social Work degree from Hunter School of Social Work, New York, in 1986. She was awarded a Certificate in Chemical Dependency Counseling from Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania., in 1992.

Sister Donna began her ministry as a social worker at Nazareth Child Care Center, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, where she served from 1976 to 1981. She then served at St. John of God Assisted Living in Brighton, Massachusetts, for six months (1981), before stepping into a new area of ministry at St. Catherine’s Center for Children in Albany, where she served from 1981 to 1983. After obtaining her master’s degree in social work, Sister Donna served for six months at Nazareth Home in Boston; then, began ministering at the Astor Home for Children in Brooklyn, where she served from1986 to 1989.

From 1989 to 1995, Sister Donna served at Immaculate Conception Parish, Ghebre Michael Inn, Philadelphia; then, in 1995, she began 23 years of ministry as director of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Ogdensburg. In 2018, Sister Donna entered the Ministry of Prayer at St. Louise House in Albany, where she, in addition to her prayer ministry, ceaselessly performed kind acts for the sisters with whom she lived.

A wake Service was held on Sunday, March 15, and the Mass of Christian Burial took place the following day, with both services held in the DePaul Residence Chapel. Burial followed at St. Agnes Cemetery.

Sister Donna is survived by one sister, Ann Cecilia Smith (Timothy Smith); one brother, Louis Joseph Franklin (Carol Landes);three nieces, Jessica Franklin Clark, Molly Smith and Leah Smith; one nephew, Michael Franklin; two great-nephews, Carter Clark and Frankie Clark; one great niece, Collette Clark; and numerous Brady and Franklin cousins.

In lieu of flowers please send donations to Catholic Charities, Diocese of Ogdensburg.