In Memoriam


(1933-2019)

Patrick Joseph Morley and Mary Catherine Finnegan shared a common heritage as immigrants from County Mayo, Ireland, when they met and fell in love in their adopted hometown of Chicago. Their marriage in 1926 would lead to four children: Frank, John, Eileen, and Rita Jean, who would become Sister Sean Morley.

Rita Jean, the youngest of the Morley siblings, was born May 25, 1933. Patrick worked for the Illinois Central Railroad and Mary Catherine oversaw home and family until tragedy struck: Patrick died when Rita Jean was just ten years old, and Mary Catherine provided for herself and her children by going to work as a clerk at the Adler Planetarium.

Still, “my mother continued the spirit of our home with the importance of God in our life, and so our home was filled with laughter and we were very happy,” Sister Sean said in her autobiography. She remained very close with her mother until Mary Catherine died, like her husband at a relatively young age, in 1954.

The family lived in St. Laurence Parish and the children attended the parish school. Rita Jean went on to Loretto Academy for two years and then to Aquinas High School, where she was educated by Adrian Dominicans. Her sister, Eileen, fifteen months her senior, wanted to join the Congregation directly after eighth grade; their mother refused permission at that time but Eileen did enter after her second year of high school, becoming Sister Patrick Mary.

Read more about Sister Sean (pdf) 

make a memorial giftMemorial gifts may be made to Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 East Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, Michigan, 49221. 




Leave your comments and remembrances (if you don't see the comment box below, click on the "Read More" link).


Cemetery of the Adrian Dominican Sisters

Our Adrian Dominican cemetery with its circular headstones is a beautiful place of rest for women who gave their lives in service to God — and a peaceful place for contemplation and remembrance. 


Helpful Links

Event Recordings (Video Library)

Dominican School Alumnae/Alumni

Become an Adrian Dominican Associate

What do you have to do to become a Sister?

Share our blog, A Sister Reflects

Sign up for the monthly Veritas newsletter (or view our other publications)

Employment opportunities

 


We invite you to meet some of the wonderful women who have recently crossed into eternity.

2024

Recent Posts

Read More »