Mary Margaret Murphy, SSND
October 19, 1931 – September 16, 2024
Mary Margaret Murphy was born on October 19, 1931, at St. Bernard Hospital in Chicago, the only daughter of Daniel A. Murphy and Adeline Daufenbach Murphy. She was baptized the next day, not expected to live, because she needed surgery on her nose which had “one in a hundred chance of recovery.” Needless to say, she survived that surgery.
As she wrote in 2006, “Another miracle occurred,” when she was four years old, “and fell out of a car while it was in motion. That resulted in in a fractured skull and one year of complete rest.”
When she was five years old, her family moved to the Bridgeport area of Chicago, where she attended St. Anthony of Padua school, taught by the School Sisters of Notre Dame.
Her father died of pneumonia when she was eleven years old. Her mother took the position of priests’ housekeeper at St. Anthony. Around this time, an unmarried aunt came to live with them and her mother went to work in a government job.
Mary Margaret attended Visitation High School, where she was taught by the Sinsinawa Dominicans. In her senior year, aware that she was being called to religious life, she spent a day at the Sinsinawa Dominican’s motherhouse. This experience helped her realize that God was calling her to SSND. On September 4, 1949, she entered SSND at the Milwaukee, Wisconsin motherhouse.
She was sent to teach as a postulant at Ss. Peter and Paul in Merrillville, Indiana. On July 16, 1951, she became a novice and received the name Terence Marie. She was professed on July 18, 1952.
Her first mission was to St. Michael School in Milwaukee where she taught elementary grades full-time for ten years. After this, she went to teach, at the junior high level, at Immaculate Heart of Mary School in West Allis, Wisconsin. She was there two years.
In 1965, the DeKalb province (later Chicago province) was being formed and she asked to join the new province. She then taught at St. Michael School and Central High for eleven years.
In 1975, her mother also passed away.
Having changed her name back to Mary Margaret, she taught junior high full-time at St. Alphonsus School (1976-1982), Santa Maria (1982-1995), intermediate and junior high grades at St. Columba School (1995-2012), all in Chicago. After the closing of St. Columba School, Mary Margaret took on various ministries: teaching at St. Florian school; serving as receptionist and secretary at St. Columba and administrative assistant at St. Florian.
Sister Mary Margaret was a leader among SSND Associates. She and Sister Julita were active participants for many years with the SSND Associates at St. Columba.
From 2013 to 2023, Mary Margaret served in prayer and presence at Marian Village in Homer Glen, Illinois. She then moved to Resurrection Life Center in Chicago where she died peacefully on September 16, 2024.
Mary Margaret received a B.A. in History at Mt. Mary University in1960, an M.A. in Education/Guidance in 1975, and another B.A. in Theology from St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin in 1989.
All services for Sister Mary Margaret Murphy were held at Our Lady of the Angels Chapel, Marian Village on Tuesday, October 1, 2024. Visitation and viewing preceded the Funeral Mass at 11:00. The celebrant of the liturgy was Father David Meadow, assisted by Deacon Joe. Sister Barbara Bowers gave the reflection. Mary Margaret’s cousins placed the pall; others brought the offertory gifts to the altar. SSND Associate Pat Stibich wrote and offered the Petitions; Associate Pat Maccannigo was one of the Eucharistic ministers. Cousins Donald Daufenbach and Mary Dudash offered memories of Mary Margaret. Burial followed at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. Sister Marlene Panko led the committal service.
Charlaine Fill, SSND with contributions from Barbara Bowers, SSND
