Sister M. Monica Byrne, IHM, of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on Saturday, September 14, 2019, at Our Lady of Peace Residence, in Scranton, PA.
She was born on May 12, 1926, in Spangler, PA, and given the name Rita Marie. She was the daughter of the late Michael and Gertrude Nagle Byrne. She entered the IHM Congregation on September 8, 1945 and made her temporary profession of vows on August 2, 1948 and her final profession of vows on August 2, 1951. Sister Monica served as a teacher at the following schools: St. Cecilia Elementary School in Exeter, PA, from 1948 to 1949; Cathedral Elementary School in Scranton, PA, from 1949 to 1950; St. Joseph Elementary School in Danville, PA, from 1950 to 1953; St. Raymond Elementary School in East Rockaway, NY, from 1953 to 1955 and 1994 to 1995; Holy Angels Elementary School in Pittsburgh, PA, from 1955 to 1958; Sacred Heart Elementary School in Mt. Holly, NJ, from 1958 to 1961; St. Monica Elementary School in Raleigh, NC, from 1961 to 1964; St. Rosalia Elementary School in Pittsburgh, PA, from 1971 to 1973; St. Agnes Elementary School in Baltimore, MD, from 1977 to 1980; St. Matthew Elementary School in East Stroudsburg, PA, from 1980 to 1982; St. Joseph Elementary School in Williamsport, PA, from 1982 to 1994; and St. Bernard Elementary School in Hastings, PA, from 1995 to 1997. She also served as the media center assistant at Holy Cross High School in Delran, NJ, from 1997 to 2017. Sister Monica served as principal at the following schools: St. Anthony Elementary School in Portland, OR, from 1964 to 1968; Archbishop Neale Elementary School in La Plata, MD, from 1968 to 1971; and Mount Carmel Elementary School in Altoona, PA, from 1973 to 1977.
From 2017 until the time of her death, Sister Monica was a prayer minister at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton. She received a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Science degree in education from Marywood College. She is preceded in death by five brothers, Michael, Paul, Reverend Robert, Louis, and Reverend Walter. She is survived by a sister-in-law, Josephine Byrne Ebben of Windsor, CO; nieces and nephews; and by the members of the IHM Congregation.
The funeral will be Friday, September 20, at 11:00 a.m. with Mass of Christian Burial at Our Lady of Peace Residence, 2300 Adams Avenue in Scranton. Friends may call at Our Lady of Peace Residence on Thursday, September 19, between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. A prayer service will be held at 4:00 p.m. Interment will follow Mass on Friday at St. Catherine’s Cemetery in Moscow, PA. Memorial contributions may be made to support the retired IHM Sisters c/o the IHM Sisters Retirement Fund, IHM Center, 2300 Adams Avenue, Scranton, PA 18509.
