Tribute to Sr. Aquinice from Religious Sisters of Mercy

Happy Holidays To All, Those of you who attended the funeral services on Dec. 14 for our late Aunt Rita, Sr. Mary Aquinice McCorry, may recall meeting Sr. Ann Flanagan, who was one of the organizers of the service. She asked me to share this with all of you. This is the official notification from the RSM of her passing. Also, if you click on this link, you will be taken to the Web site of the funeral home that hosted the service. Again, my best wishes to all of you for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Please share this with other friends and relatives. Sincerely, Robert Mullins Milwaukee Sisters of Mercy, West Midwest Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019 Celebrating the Life of     Sister Aquinice McCorry, RSM (1.25.1925 ~ 12.7.2019) A TEACHER, PRINCIPAL, ACTIVITIES DIRECTOR, PASTORAL ASSISTANT, AND A SISTER OF MERCY FOR 76 YEARS! Sister Aquinice was born on Jan. 25, 1925, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Given the baptismal name of Agnes, she was one of six children of Charles and Bridget (McCoy) McCorry. She grew up in Milwaukee where she attended Catholic schools, graduating in 1942 from Mercy High School. Agnes entered the Sisters of Mercy in Des Plaines, Illinois, during her senior year of high school, where she was given the religious name of Sister Mary Aquinice. Sister Aquinice often said she knew was "destined to be a Sister of Mercy." Her eldest sister, the late Sister Benedicta who was six years older, was one; plus, they had two aunts and three great aunts who were all Sisters of Mercy in Northern Ireland. On a trip to Ireland, she and Sister Benedicta were fortunate to visit their aunts' graves. For 26 years, Sister Aquinice taught primary grades in parochial schools in the Archdioceses of Chicago and Milwaukee, and the Diocese of Davenport (IA). She was also a principal, serving for 13 years (1970-1983) at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Chicago. Sister Aquinice left teaching in 1983 to minister as activities director at St. Catherine Residence in Milwaukee for four years. In 1988, she returned to Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish as a pastoral assistant, working alongside her sister, Sister Benedicta. This was Sister Aquinice's third time ministering at Mount Carmel. Besides principal, she had taught there for nine years during her early years of teaching. At Mount Carmel, the two sisters worked well together. They handled the parish daily activities, archives, and Carmel Prayer Center. When they retired in 2003, Mount Carmel held a joint farewell reception for the two who jointly served there 65 years. The McCorry sisters were the parish's longest serving Sisters, having worked with five of the parish's pastors. In all, Sister Aquinice devoted 38 years to the parish - while Sister Benedicta served there for 27 consecutive years. Their retirement was bittersweet for the parishioners of Mount Carmel, since it marked the end of 115 years of Sisters of Mercy presence at the parish. Sister Aquinice, whose motto was: "I come to do Thy will," once said, "My many years in ministry as an elementary teacher and administrator were fulfilling. I can't believe I did it!" She added, "God was good to me." "Sister Aquinice, who could often be found in the activity room working on puzzles, loved being with people. She was very social. She loved her family, her community, former students, everyone!", says Sister Ann Flanagan.   Funeral services were held Saturday in Chicago. To access her obituary and online guestbook, kindly click here.