(1938-2026)

Maureen gave herself with such heart to [the] struggle for justice and with those living on the edges. She was committed to pushing beyond her own perceived limitations. She was committed to doing whatever she could to encourage women, including herself, to believe in themselves, to develop their talents and capacities to thrive and flourish for the sake of the whole.

These words were part of Sister Esther Kennedy’s funeral homily for Sister Maureen Gallagher, whose ministries included serving Chicago’s marginalized, founding a national organization focused on women’s issues, and helping find markets for products made by women in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to support their families.

Maureen was a product of Chicago, born on October 6, 1938, to Donald and Helen (Loftus) Gallagher. In their South Side neighborhood within St. Kilian Parish, “everyone was Irish with a few Germans and everyone knew everyone,” she wrote in her autobiography. “As a youngster I thought everyone was Irish.”

Maureen was the second oldest child of five in the family: three girls (Donna, Joan, and herself) and two boys (John and Terrence). Their father, Donald, was a Chicago firefighter who rose to the rank of battalion chief. Firefighters were exempt from the draft during World War II because of their vital role if their city was attacked, but Donald was part of the civil-defense structure in another way as well: he would go out at night to make sure residents had their window shades drawn tight so that no light came through to potentially provide a target for enemy bombers.

As for Helen, she had a home-based business as a beautician. “My father could fix or build anything,” Sister Maureen wrote, and with the help of another firefighter to do the electrical work, he remodeled the family garage into a beauty salon. When the Sisters stopped wearing the habit, Helen became the beautician for many of them in the area.

Maureen attended St. Kilian School, where she excelled at sports even though by her own admission she was a poor student. It was determined in later years that she was actually dyslexic. Her high school years were spent at Mount St. Mary boarding school, and the experience changed her life. While she had not had a positive relationship with her teachers at St. Kilian, “the women who taught at the ‘Mount’ were great role models,” she wrote. “Sisters Ruth Steiner, Grace Ellen [Minten] and Trinita [Flood] were, to me, what Dominicans from Adrian were all about.”

Read more about Sister Maureen (PDF)

Memorial gifts may be made to Adrian Dominican Sisters, 1257 East Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, MI, 49221. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Beck’s Tribute Center, Edmonds, Washington.

Sister's Memorial Card (PDF)

 

 

Vigil and Funeral Recordings

Note: To view recordings with closed captioning, they must be viewed on our public video library rather than through the links below.

Recording of Sister Maureen's Vigil Service - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)

Recording of Sister Maureen's Funeral Mass - After clicking the link, download the recording by right-clicking on the video choosing "Save video as." Worship Aid (PDF)

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