Sister Catherine Mary Lee, MM

Born: October 11, 1924
Entered: September 2, 1957
Died: November 15, 2004

Dear Sisters, Relatives and Friends,

Today we celebrate the life and the new life of our Sister Catherine Mary Lee, a woman of faith and conviction, who once said: “I think faith is a gift from God. There’s no doubt about it, you know we have to admit that. If we have faith, we will not fear to die, we will not fear to suffer, we will die for Christ.”

On November 15, 2004, Sister Catherine Mary Lee greeted morning in her beloved New York Chinatown and went, as was her custom, to the schoolyard across the street where she did Tai Chi with neighbors. She then went to 8:00 Mass at her parish, ate breakfast, and left her apartment to keep an 11:15 appointment for therapeutic massage at the Swedish Institute where she had studied and had many friends. It was an appointment she was not to keep, as she was killed instantly in a tragic accident, having been hit by a flatbed truck as she was crossing W. 23rd Street near 6th Avenue in New York City. Sister Catherine Mary was 80 years old and had been a Maryknoll Sister for 47 years.

The day before her death, when she was being driven to Chinatown from Maryknoll, Catherine Mary spoke about the special loves in her life which reflected so well the values of her Chinese culture. She spoke about the Sister Catechists of Our Lady, the community to which she had belonged in Kaying and how she wanted to help them with their education; she spoke of her former novice mistress, dear friend and spiritual mother, Sister Therese Grondin, M.M., who died earlier this year; she spoke about her Maryknoll Community and the Sisters of the Eastern U.S. Region to whom she was so grateful; she spoke of her family and was looking forward to being with them for Thanksgiving.

Li Chia-Ta (Li Gah-Tai) (Catherine Mary) was born in Hingning, Kwantung, China, on October 11, 1924, to Joseph K. S. Lee and Mary A. G. Tchong. She was the fifth child in a family of nine children – five boys and four girls. All have predeceased her except her brothers, Joseph Chung Tao Lee and Father Joseph C. J. Lee, and her sister, Mary (Mai Lin) Lee Korynta, all of whom are with us today.

Catherine Mary was born into a Catholic family with a long tradition of deep faith. Daily family prayer, study of the Catholic faith, and frequent attendance at Mass were an integral part of their life. Her father, a high school teacher, held the education of his children, both boys and girls, as a high priority. Education was a priority for Catherine Mary as well, beginning at Hingning Primary School from which she graduated in 1938 and continuing throughout her life.

In 1939, at the age of 15, she began her life as a Religious Sister with the Sister Catechists of Our Lady in Kaying, South China – a religious community founded by Maryknoll Bishop Francis X. Ford for the purpose of direct evangelization, the Sisters going out on mission two by two. For the spiritual development of the Sisters, Bishop Ford named as the qualifications of the Sister-apostle the virtues of simplicity, generosity, cheerfulness and selflessness, summed up in love. These virtues continued to serve as a model for Catherine Mary throughout her life.

During her training with the Sister-Catechists, Catherine Mary completed junior middle school in Kaying, graduating in 1942. After her Profession in 1944, she was on mission doing catechetical work until 1950 when the Communists took control of China. Bishop Ford, realizing the Sisters would suffer because of their association with the Church, advised them to return to their own homes for protection. Since Catherine Mary’s mission was far from her home, she was unable to return there. Instead she made her way to Hong Kong, where she was welcomed by the Maryknoll Sisters.

While with the Sisters, she completed studies at St. Rose of Lima High School in Macau in 1954, and did catechetical work in St. Theresa’s parish in Hong Kong. In 1957 she graduated from Grantham Teacher Training College in Hong Kong and taught in the Maryknoll Sisters School. Knowing there was no hope to rejoin her community in China, Catherine Mary applied to the Maryknoll Sisters and was accepted for postulancy.

Catherine Mary entered Maryknoll on September 2, 1957 while still in Hong Kong. She began her postulancy there and continued to teach in the Maryknoll Primary School in King’s Park, Kowloon. Early in 1958 she came to the United States to finish her postulancy. She received the Maryknoll habit on June 24, 1958 and made First Profession of Vows on June 24, 1960.

In 1961, Catherine Mary was assigned to Hong Kong, where she taught at Maryknoll Sisters Primary School on Blue Pool Road and made her Final Profession of Vows on June 24, 1966. In 1967, she returned to the States and served at the Maryknoll Sisters Center in Boston Chinatown. In 1969, Catherine Mary began her studies in Mary Rogers College at Maryknoll and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education in 1972.

Later that year Catherine Mary became a member of the Maryknoll Sisters Eastern U. S. Region. During the next thirteen years Catherine Mary alternated between teaching and pursuing her own education. Her love of small children was expressed by serving as a primary teacher in Huntington, NY, Monroe, MI, and New York City. In 1975 she received a Montessori Certificate and then taught in a Montessori school in the Bronx, NY. In 1976 she began graduate studies at New York University and in 1978 received a Master of Arts in Education, specializing in Early Childhood and Elementary Education.

Catherine Mary is best known, perhaps, for her healing ministry, especially in the practice of acupuncture. When, because of a back problem she received acupuncture, she became very interested in the technique. While she was teaching and doing her education studies, she also began to pursue studies in acupuncture and acupressure as other forms of her apostolate, wanting to provide relief for people suffering from physical difficulties. To complement these skills, she also began study of Swedish massage at the Swedish Institute in New York City where a long and valued relationship developed between Catherine Mary and the President of the school.

In 1985, Catherine Mary became a Diplomate in Acupuncture from the National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncturists in Washington, DC. Since at that time the State of New York did not issue licenses to practice acupuncture, Catherine Mary applied for and received a license in Florida but preferred to live in New York. In 1987 she received her license for New Jersey and set up a practice there, commuting from her apartment in New York Chinatown.

Driven by her desire to practice acupuncture in New York, Catherine Mary joined a group of acupuncturists who were lobbying for licensure in the State. As a result of their efforts, a new law recognizing acupuncture was put into effect. In 1992 with great excitement she sent a letter to friends telling them that she had passed the New York Acupuncture Licensing Exams and had received her New York License. In expressing her gratitude for their help and support in the lobbying effort, she wrote: “How wonderful it is that the Ancient Chinese Healing Art is truly being established in the State of New York. May all praises be to God!” During her many years of practice, Catherine Mary continued to attend numerous conferences and courses to update her knowledge about her profession.

As a Maryknoll Sister Catherine Mary never lost her love for her former community, the Sister Catechists of Our Lady. When the practice of religion was again allowed in China, the Sisters were able to gather and many young women joined them. Catherine Mary was tireless in her efforts to raise money to help them and made many trips to China to celebrate special occasions with them. She was like a mother to them, bringing money, books, and other gifts. She was particularly concerned that the Sisters receive a good education and further spiritual direction in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council.

Sister Catherine Mary Lee is remembered as a woman of simple faith in God, great energy, perseverance (some might say persistence), and a great desire to learn and to help people especially through her healing ministry. She was a woman who experienced numerous changes in her life and encountered many obstacles; however, her determination enabled her to overcome them. Her latest challenge was ill health which required her returning last year to our Maryknoll Center where she received loving care and treatment from our dedicated medical staff. Although her health was improving, her full recovery was not to be here on earth but rather in her new life with our loving God.

We who are saddened by Catherine Mary’s tragic death can be comforted by the fact that her death is the catalyst for a safety probe in New York City which will help save other lives. In her new life Sister Catherine Mary Lee continues to help others.

We extend a sincere welcome to all of Sister Catherine Mary’s family and friends. We are happy to have with us this morning members of the Maryknoll Society. Father Joseph Lee, Catherine Mary’s beloved brother, will preside at the Eucharistic Liturgy of Christian Burial with concelebrants Maryknoll Fathers Raymond Nobiletti, M.M. and Larry Lewis, M.M. and Father Martin Wu.