(1935-2021)

I have loved my life as a Dominican! I have been surrounded by a cast of characters that would put Dickens to shame. I have witnessed a splendid array of women living out their vocation, imperfectly and individually, in friendship and sometimes in what we Dominicans call “disputation.” Through it all, I observed and became part of relationships of an astounding variety and the countercultural message took root; study, work and success are worthless without the steady underpinning of God and of people who know you and with whom you can be yourself.

Sister Patricia McCarty, who wrote these words near the end of her autobiography, was born on November 11, 1935, in Detroit. She was the first child of William and Frances (Brinker) McCarty, whom she described as “a tall, handsome, kind Irishman with a keen sense of humor” and “a strong, sensible little German lady.” Her brother, Bill, was born when she was three, and when she was nine her sister, Kathleen, came into the family.

Her elementary schooling was at St. Matthew School, where she was taught by the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) Sisters. These were happy years, she wrote, but “I was quite a worrier and worked very hard,” always doing everything she could to keep her grades high.

She kept up her high academic standards as a student at Dominican High School, even being inducted into the National Honor Society, but she also got involved in several extracurricular activities, had a busy social life, and made many friends. She also was deeply influenced by the Adrian Dominican Sisters who were her teachers.

Read more about Sister Patricia (pdf)

Memorial gifts may be made to Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 East Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, Michigan, 49221.

 

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