Sr. Catherine

Sr. Catherine Hayes

Sr. Catherine died in 1992. Here is her obituary, published in The Daily Times (Salisbury, MD) on February 13, 1992:

SALISBURY — Sister Catherine Mary Hayes, 63, of here, died of cancer Saturday, February 8, 1992, at the Salisbury Convent of the Little Sisters of Jesus and Mary.

She was born in Albany, N.Y., September 19, 1929, a daughter of Matthew Michael Hayes and Jeannette Marie Nibloc Hayes.

Hayes was the youngest of two sisters and four brothers.

She served for 17 years as a Little Sister of the Poor, three years of which were spent in France. She later worked for the New York Department of Health.

In 1988, she entered the Little Sisters of Jesus and Mary and served in Salisbury and Baltimore until the time of her death.

Hayes is survived by a brother, Robert Hayes; a sister, Mary Hodgson; three nieces, Jennifer Russell, Mary Hussong, and Cathryn Siciliano. All are from Albany.

A memorial mass will be celebrated Saturday at noon at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church on Riverside Drive in Salisbury. The Very Rev. Charles L. Brown III will officiate.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in memory of the deceased to Joseph House, P.O. Box 1755, Salisbury, MD 21802.

Sr. Catherine was remembered in the March 1992 issue of the Joseph House Newsletter:

MARCH 1992
Dear Friends of Joseph House:

Who will separate us from the love of Christ?

Our many trials in life sometimes blind us to the abiding love of Christ. He is, of course, with us each day of our lives, and when our days come to an end, He is still there. As St. Paul writes, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, not even death. We have been turning to this faith with searching eyes since the night of February 8, when our sister and friend Sr. Catherine Hayes died. Because she is a special person and important to the mission of Joseph House, we would like to share with you a few thoughts about her.

As many of you know, Sr. Catherine fought a courageous battle with cancer for several years. This cancer tried her faith with its suffering and pain, but it never succeeded in making her lose hope. The pain and difficulties of the cancer only made her say a favorite expression, “Offer it up.” It was advice she offered to those she lived with and anyone else she met. She did not hide from her pain, but she hid it from many who knew her. An occasional “Oh Wow” during particularly rough moments gave the only evidence to the depth of her pain. She was also fond, however, of saying, “Lord, I am not worthy, but keep it up!” because she knew that God had blessed her richly despite her suffering.

Dearly beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall later be has not yet come to light.

Whether working in Salisbury or Baltimore (or in-between; she liked to wave to people riding down the highway, with fellow New Yorkers receiving particular attention), Sr. Catherine did something simple but so rare today: she became a friend to other people. She delighted in people whom others would prefer not to acknowledge, and she accepted them for who they were because she knew that Jesus loved them. Something very Christ-like came across in how she never hesitated to touch people; this gift of hers was beautiful because the living presence of Christ could then touch people who felt alone and abandoned.

Christ loves Sr. Catherine, and He called her to follow Him in a special way about four years ago. At age 59, she answered and moved to Salisbury to become a Little Sister of Jesus and Mary. Most people her age would be thinking about retirement, but our Sr. Catherine said yes to God and we are forever grateful. She knew that a kind word, a smile, or a gentle touch on the arm could open someone’s mind to the reality of Christ’s love, if even for a few minutes. These acts of kindness seem small, but we can only do so little, Christ will do the rest.

And when you multiply every act of kindness, every smile, every warm touch and moment of laughter by the number of times they are shared, you begin to see a forest, alive and wonderful, where once there were only a few scattered seeds. Christ can do amazing things with the little that we give to Him. Sr. Catherine gave Him her life, and He did wondrous things with that, indeed. Now He has glorified that life, once broken with disease, into something eternal and radiant.

Sr. Catherine remained strong until just a few days before her death, when she lapsed into a state of unconsciousness. We kept vigil with her and prepared her body and soul for death, the final acts of servitude we could do for our fellow servant. We were with her when she died peacefully at home that evening. We felt privileged to see her death as natural and the fulfillment of her journey to seek God. She touched many lives during her time with us; we consider ourselves blessed that we were graced with her friendship.

We will miss her.

God is with us during these difficult days and nights. But nothing can separate us from His love, not even pain or sorrowing. We hope to join Sr. Catherine in the glorious days to come in our Father’s House, and we pray that He will give us some of her spirit in the meantime.

May His Love be with you forever.

Your Little Sisters

He shall wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, crying out or pain, for the former world has passed away.

Scripture cited: Rom 8:35; 1 Jn 3:2; Rev 21:4