John Mary Hayes, SSND
January 30, 1938 – October 21, 2025
Helena O’Brien from County Cork and John Hayes from County Mayo welcomed Catherine, their first child, on January 30, 1938. Two years later Mary joined the little family who lived in Malden, Massachusetts. Catherine attended Immaculate Conception and Girls Catholic High. Her First Communion and Confirmation were received at “The Immaculate” as parishioners fondly called their parish church.
Always a responsible and industrious person, Catherine held a variety of part-time jobs during her teen-aged years. She worked at Di Pietro’s Bakery, Hager’s Ice Cream Company, Grant’s Department store, Revere Knitting Mills, and First National Food. During her second year of high school, Catherine began to consider religious life and in senior year she asked to enter the School Sisters of Notre Dame. It was the example of the sisters that attracted her.
On August 29,1955 she received the candidate’s bonnet and traveled to the candidature in Baltimore. On July 13,1956 Catherine was received into the novitiate and took the name Sister John Mary. One year later she made her first Profession of Vows on July 27th.
John Mary’s first teaching assignment was at Our Lady of Hope in Baltimore, Maryland. During her time there, her sister Mary entered the Good Shepherd Sisters and took the name Mary Helene. She later became their provincial. John Mary also taught at St. Ambrose in Baltimore. She moved north to Warwick, New York and taught at St. Stephen - St. Edward for eight years.
The remainder of her teaching years were in the Roxbury, Malden, and Dorchester neighborhoods of Boston, Massachusetts. John Mary’s Bachelor of Arts was earned at the College of Notre Dame of Maryland and her master’s degree was from Boston State College. During those years. John Mary spent four years caring for her elderly parents.
John Mary relates in her autobiography that, free of parental care, she and her sister had the opportunity to vacation and travel together for several summers.
When John Mary retired from teaching in 2007, she moved to Bellflower Court Public Housing in Dorchester. There, she formed many friendships with the other residents. Her sister died in 2017, and in the years that followed John Mary began to have great difficulty walking.
In 2022 she made the decision to move to Ozanam Hall in Bayside. She combined her love for music and facility with the computer to regale her sisters and other residents with music in the day room. She truly formed community with them, and in her spirit one of the residents has taken over selecting music each day.
About two weeks before she died, John Mary felt weak and knew there was something wrong. In the week before her death, knowing her time was limited, she invited each aide and nurse to her room and thanked each for the loving care they gave her. She told Sister Regina and head nurse Shirley that she was peaceful, not afraid, and ready to go to her Lord. She died on October 21st.
In keeping with the simple lifestyle that she embraced, John Mary indicated that the final arrangements would be quite simple. There was to be no wake or viewing, and her body was to be cremated. Two Memorial Masses have been planned. One at Ozanam Hall and the other at Senior Living Hospitality in Bridgeport. Her cremains will be interred with her sister, Sister Mary.
By Cathy Feeney, SSND
