Sister Mary Ann Duffy, MM

Born: November 11, 1930
Entered: September 4, 1948
Died: June 4, 2026

On June 5th, 2026, Sister Mary Ann Duffy, accompanied by two sisters, left us peacefully in our Maryknoll Sisters Home Care in Maryknoll, New York. What a gift Mary was to us – intelligent, curious, profound, loving, quick-witted and so much fun. She was 95 years old and had been a Maryknoll Sister for 78 years.

Mary Ann Duffy was born on November 11, 1930, to James and Mary Brennan Duffy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the third of five children, three of whom have pre-deceased her, with only her sister surviving and is with us today. Mary attended St. Francis de Sales elementary school and graduated in 1948 from West Philadelphia Catholic Girls High School. She visited Maryknoll in July and wrote on the next day saying: “Maryknoll is the most beautiful place. I pray I may be a part of its magnificent spirit.” On September 4, 1948, she entered the Maryknoll Congregation at the Maryknoll Sister Center, Maryknoll, New York. Her first vows were on March 7, 1951, at the Center and her final vows were on the same date and place in 1954. After completing her bachelor’s in education at Maryknoll Teachers College in 1956, Mary’s mission life in Latin America began; she was assigned to Merida in Mexico. She stayed there teaching in the school until her transfer to Puebla, Mexico in 1968. Mary went to Temple University in 1969 to get her Master of Arts in Spanish literature. The next period of Mary’s mission journey was extraordinary. She mastered the Indian dialect of the Tzeltal people and created an experimental system of basic education for them while engaging in pastoral care. She expanded into rural community development in various areas of Mexico.

In 1985, Mary and Sister Judy Noone began their ministry among the Maya Quiche people whose lives had been shattered by military violence – first with gardens behind the church with war widows, then out to villages inaccessible by car – walking or later by horseback. Mary’s horse always seemed to need new shoes on the day she needed him, so she called him Imeldo – after Imelda Marcos of the multiple shoes! Judy Noone writes: “Mary was a tireless and creative worker, delighting in our goat project, reforestation efforts and vegetable gardens with the widows.”

Mary received a master’s degree in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University in 1995 and was then assigned to Nicaragua where she remained for two years until she began her Congressional Service as Social Concerns Coordinator. She had done two stints in Mission Promotion, but when asked by the Congregational Leadership Team to do this new task, Mary’s response was typically humorous; she wrote: “the job description would choke a horse. It would fit a team of extroverted workaholics, I am neither.” But she believed in the work of justice and peace, she accepted the appointment and as always did a magnificent job.

Mary’s next assignment was back to Central Guatemala as a pastoral agent in San Juan Sacatepequez, and in Ciudad Quetzal before moving to the Centro Pastoral Red De Vida in Darien, Panama from 2012-2016. At age 85, Mary’s discernment regarding her next stage of life was as clear and arrow-straight as her earlier decisions – what was best for the community? She decided to return to the Maryknoll Sisters Center to, as she wrote: “contribute to mission by living the evolutionary dream of consciously affirming the holiness of life with hope for the future.” Mary entered fully into life within the Rogers Community in 2016 and was a valued member there until she needed more care and chose to move into the Chi Rho Community in April 2023. With declining health, Mary moved to Eden in June 2024. Judy Noone sent the following note: On one visit with Mary, she looked me straight in the eye and said, “It’s amazing, after such a long, long time and then it’s over…it’s so easy, it’s so amazing.” She accepted death as she had all God’s movements in her life.

We thank all those who have accompanied Mary these last weeks, sisters from the Guatemala Region, friends she has made here at the Center, the aides and nurses who cared for her with such love. And we welcome Fr. Mike Walsh who will preside over our celebration of Mary’s long and full life.