Sister Mary Vertucci, MM

Born: August 28, 1945
Entered: September 2, 1964
Died: April 30, 2026

We are gathered today to celebrate the life of our dear Sister Mary Vertucci. We welcome our sisters and members of Mary’s family and friends who are here with us today and those who are with us on livestream. A special welcome, Karibuni, to all of you in Arusha—at Emusoi, Mary’s Maryknoll Community there, her friends, colleagues and students.

At 2:00 AM, on April 30, 2026, our dear Mary Vertucci slipped away into life’s fullness here at the Maryknoll Sisters Center, Maryknoll, New York. For many months, Mary endured patiently, courageously, and always with hope, many medical interventions. The day and evening before her death, despite increasing weakness, she continued to respond with smiles and nods; then, as quietly as she had lived, Mary moved on. Mary was 80 years old and had been a Maryknoll Sister for 62 years.

Mary Anita Vertucci was born on August 28,1945 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, the eldest of five children of Micale and Adelaide Zarski Vertucci. Mary is survived by three sisters, and one brother. Mary graduated from St. Peter’s High School in New Brunswick and studied one year at the College of St. Elizabeth in Convent Station, New Jersey, before entering the Maryknoll Sisters on September 2, 1964, at the congregation’s novitiate in Topsfield, Massachusetts. She made her first profession of vows on June 24, 1967 at Maryknoll, New York, and her final vows in Morogoro, Tanzania on July 22, 1972.

Mary earned an associate of arts degree from Mary Rogers College in 1968; that same year she returned to the College of St. Elizabeth, graduating in 1970 with a B.A. in chemistry. In 1982, she completed a certificate in Clinical Pastoral Education from Central Islip Psychiatric Hospital in Central Islip, New York.

Mary was assigned to Tanzania, East Africa in 1970. In her early years there, Mary taught mostly science courses to young women at Korogwe Girls Secondary School 1972-1977, and the Arusha Diocesan Youth Center which became Sekei Secondary School 1987-1992, and at Murigha Girls School in Singida in 1993.

From 1987 to her passing, Mary was regional treasurer for the sisters in Tanzania. She also served as volunteer treasurer for the Dominican Sisters of Africa in 2007. She was often busy with “the books,” ledgers, bank statements, and the like. In 2006, a bus Mary was riding in burst a tire and rolled over. Mary reported that no one was seriously hurt and that her biggest worry was that the ledgers might be lost and “how would I ever make the end of the year financial report.” That is true dedication to the cause!

As a member of the Tanzania Region’s Vocation team, Mary accompanied many women as they discerned a call to the Maryknoll Sisters. She was a team member and then served as Director of the Congregational Admissions Team 1982-86 and was involved in the evaluation of the program during her time on the team.

Although she enjoyed teaching, Mary felt that those years in the classroom were mainly to prepare her for what followed, the development and opening of Emusoi Center in 1999 in Arusha, Tanzania. Emusoi Center became a safe and supportive home, a place of hope for young women from pastoralist and hunter-gatherer communities. It especially served young women at risk of forced early marriage, cultural margination and poverty, and enabled them to access information, as they discovered their own worth within a loving community. By 2025, more than 2000 young women had, with the support of Emusoi, passed through secondary school, vocational school and college or university—a truly marvelous statistic!

One of the women, Grace Scorey, who completed the program in the class of 2000, wrote: “Sister Mary…was a mother, a mentor, and a visionary leader. Through her love, sacrifice and unwavering belief in girls’ education, she opened doors that many of us never imagined possible…her legacy lives on in every girl she empowered, every woman who now stands strong in her community, and every life that continues to be transformed through education. She did not just educate girls, she built leaders, champions and change-makers.” Mary herself shared that she had found in Emusoi that which made her life worthwhile; she had been given abundant life and had been instrumental in helping many young women find the full and abundant life promised by Jesus.

At the time of her final commitment in Maryknoll in 1972, Mary wrote: “I see great possibilities and a great hope in Maryknoll. Such a group of dedicated women, I hope, will be a powerful force for good in the world today and I pray that we can make our potentiality a reality.” Mary, thank you for your encouraging words to us your sisters, and for your gentle presence, your infectious laughter, your vision, and your constant commitment to young women.

We offer our condolence to Mary’s family, the Maryknoll Sisters in the Tanzania region, especially Mary’s community in Arusha, the former and present staff and students at Emusoi Center. And we thank each and every sister and staff member, who cared for Mary over these past months with skill, care and love.

We welcome Fr. Tom Tiscornia, our Maryknoll brother, who will preside over this liturgy to celebrate the life of our dear Sister Mary.