Franciscan sister taught nine years at Immaculate Conception School

Sister Catherine Georgine Portner, who taught at Immaculate Conception School in Towson for nine of her 81 years as a professed member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, died Oct. 10 at Assisi House in Aston, Pa. Sister Catherine Georgine was 99.

A native of Mahanoy City, Pa., she earned a bachelor’s degree in music from what is now Marywood University in Scranton, Pa., and a master’s degree from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. She ministered primarily in elementary education, including 26 years in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and 28 years in the Diocese of Trenton, and, from 1956 to 1965, at Immaculate Conception School in Towson.

Sister Catherine Georgine also spent six years in the Diocese of Harrisburg, where she taught at St. Joseph School in Lancaster and served as principal of St. Joseph School in York, and 12 years in the Diocese of Allentown, serving as a caregiver for a family member in Mahanoy City.

In 2012 she became a resident of Assisi House, the congregation’s retirement residence, where she served in prayer ministry and, for several years, continued her volunteer work in the finance office.

A funeral Mass for Sister Catherine Georgine was offered at Assisi House Oct. 13.

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