Sister Mary Andrew Smith, MM
Born: March 11, 1885
Entered: December 7, 1921
Died: May 30, 1960
Sister Mary Andrew (Mary Elizabeth Smith) was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on March 11, 1885. In 1904, with her family she came to the United States.
Sister trained as a nurse at St. Francis Hospital Nurses Training School in Trenton, New Jersey, and graduated in 1918.
After doing private nursing duty for a short time, she served in the Army Nursing Corps during World War I — and in 1920, entered the United States Public Health Service.
Sister had been nursing at the Ellis Island Immigration Station as a public nurse at the time she entered Maryknoll in 1921.
In 1924 Sister Mary Andrew made first profession and was assigned to Korea. After three years at Gishu and Yeng You, she went to St. Paul’s Hospital in Manila. With the exception of temporary assignments to Baguio and to Shanghai, China, Sister remained at St. Paul’s until internment in 1942.
Sister Andrew was greatly weakened physically by the war experience. However, her keen analytical mind and ready wit were quite untouched. Sisters at the Motherhouse recall Sister Andrew’s homecoming after release from Los Banos when, emaciated and ill, she joked about her plight as she was carried from an ambulance on a stretcher. When her strength had returned, Sister Andrew was eager to return to work and during the next years, she covered assignments at Seattle, St. Anthony’s in the Bronx, Bethany and the Motherhouse.
In 1954 Sister was assigned as Infirmarian to the Valley Park Novitiate, where she very happily and capably carried out her duties.
Sister Andrew was able to spend a few days at Valley Park before coming East to the Bethany Infirmary. Sister traveled with Mother Mary Columba when Mother came for the blessing of the Cloister cornerstone. Sister Andrew stood the trip well and drove up to see the Cloister before going to Bethany.
She cheerfully entered into the convent happenings at Bethany, taking a keen interest in everything, even when unable to participate.
The funeral was held in the Bethany Chapel at 11 o’clock, Wednesday morning. Keep her good soul in your prayers.