Sister Mary Regis McKenna, MM

Born: May 27, 1901
Entered: October 17, 1921
Died: January 30, 1970

On Friday morning, January 30, we received word from Monrovia that Sister Mary Regis had died the previous evening at Santa Teresita Hospital.

Sister Mary Regis, Margaret Helen, McKenna was born at South Medford, Massachusetts, May 27, 1901. She entered Maryknoll with a great desire to give herself to those in need – to help all realize God’s personal love and provident design in the unfolding of His redemptive plan in each life. She lived out this ideal in all of her assignments; fifteen years at Maui Childrens’ Home; a total of eighteen years at Monrovia, with an interval of two years at the Motherhouse, from 1949-1951. In recent years Sister’s health problems required repeated hospitalization and limitation of activity, but her interest and loving concern about Monrovia’s Sisters, its staff and patients, remained alive and appreciated by all who knew her.

The Mass of the Resurrection at Monrovia on Saturday, January 31, and burial at Holy Cross Cemetery must have been the occasion for real participation in Sister Regis’ own joyous Homecoming to Maryknoll in heaven. Most of her Maryknoll Sisters of the West Coast Region, gathered at Monrovia for the Regional Assembly, participated in the liturgy, and the presence of members of Sister’s own family completed the group of those who were dearest to her in life.