Mary Quinn (1923 - 2005)

Born 3 Nov 1923 in Waterford, Ireland

Ancestors

Died 10 Aug 2005 at age 81 in Drogheda, Louth, Ireland

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Biography

Mary Quinn was born in Ireland.

Early Life

Mary Quinn was born on 3rd November 1923 in Waterford. She is the daughter of Robert Quinn and Ellie Connors. ^[1]She was the second youngest of seven sisters and the sisters also had three brothers, two of whom died in infancy. Mary was probably baptised soon after birth as was the tradition at that time. ^[2] She most likely attended school for some years in Waterford city or county, It is known that at some point during the 1920's, the family moved to a farm some miles outside the city at Butlerstown so she may have attended a rural school near the farm.

Mary apparently made up her mind before her eighteenth birthday that she wanted to be a nun and join the Medical Missionaries of Mary (MMM), a nursing congregation founded in Ireland and working mostly in Africa.

Religious Life

Mary entered MMM in January 1942 and took the name Sr. Mary Redemptoris.^[3] (Later in her life she reverted to her baptismal name, being known as simply Sr Mary.) She suffered from some ill health during her early years in MMM and undertook mainly light house duties when she was able. She made her religious profession on 8th September 1944. She was given the Congregational Register No. 69.

By the early 1950's with her health improved, Mary was made superior in the Clinica Mediterranea in Naples, Italy, a post she held for several years. She returned to Ireland in 1959 after being appointed bursar general. She served in this role for four years and became a member of the Institute of Hospital Administrators. A further episode of illness again necessitated light duties. She helped with the MMM magazine during 1964.

Mary obtained a B.Sc. in social work at University College Dublin, and later a master's degree. She spent a further year as Sister-in-charge in Naples before returning to Ireland, where she worked in administration in the Motherhouse, Drogheda, Co. Louth. In 1975 she started working in the hospital in Drogheda as a senior social worker, eventually becoming head social worker in 1987. She served in this position until she retired from the hospital in 1992.

Mary was a caring and gentle individual, who had a deep concern and love for people, especially the poor and those in need. In her work she cared for single mothers, alcoholics and drug addicts, many of whom she visited in prison. Her loving care and compassion extended beyond the '9 to 5' job. She was frequently seen loading up her car with food and other necessaries and driving off to help someone. She never spoke of this ministry. Mary took care of people's needs quietly, with true discretion.

She was a wonderful person to have in community, too. She had a simple manner and was interested in all that was going on. Mary had a special love for gardens and flowers and kept her own large oval flowerbed stocked with lovely blooms.

Death

Mary had been unwell for a few weeks before she was transferred to Áras Mhuire in 2005. During the short time she was there she often asked staff members, "Can I help you?" Her peaceful death followed a few days after she suffered a stroke on 7 August 2005. The staff and a number of MMM sisters were at Mary's bedside when she passed away on 10th August 2005. She was 81 years old.

Research Notes

Mary's baptism record can be added in the future if it becomes publicly available. It was most likely at Trinity Without Church, Waterford, the nearest church to her birth location.

It may be possible to research more about the work she did as a nun in the MMM and perhaps find photos of her in various settings.

Sources

1. ↑ Civil birth record image: https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1923/01120/1469348.pdf Accessed 3rd March 2024.
2. ↑ Baptism records for this period are not available publicly yet.
3. ↑ Most of the rest of this biography is adapted from the obituary notice on the website of the Medical Missionaries of Mary: http://mmmworldwide.org/who-we-are/sisters-stories/mmm-obituaries/276-quinn-sr-mary Accessed 17th Jan 2023