obituaries
Sister Marylita Friia, S.S.N.D., former Baltimore principal, dies at 90
School Sister of Notre Dame Marylita Friia, a former principal of Archbishop Keough High School in Baltimore, died Feb. 11. She was 90.
Father John Lavin, pioneering leader in Hispanic ministry, dies at 80
Redemptorist Father John P. Lavin, a pioneering leader in Hispanic ministry within the Archdiocese of Baltimore and a former pastor of the Catholic Community of St. Michael and St. Patrick in Fells Point, died Feb. 12 at Stella Maris in Timonium. He was 80.
Sister Mary Harper, R.S.M., poet, chaplain and counselor, dies at 80
Religious Sister of Mercy Mary Harper, who served as chaplain and counselor at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore for nearly three decades and as a counselor to homeless women in Baltimore, died Feb. 2 at Springwell Senior Living in Mount Washington. She was 80.
Sister Mary Ellen Schwartz, D.C., dies at 88
A funeral Mass for Daugher of Charity Sister Mary Ellen Schwartz was offered Jan. 29 in the Villa St. Michael Chapel in Emmitsburg. Sister Mary Ellen died Jan. 25. She was 88.
Tributes mark life, legacy of late Catholic philosopher, professor, author
When Alice von Hildebrand wasn’t promoting her late husband’s work, the Catholic philosopher, professor and author spent most of her life “reminding women of the privilege of femininity and the gift of motherhood,” said Rachel Bulman, a blogger and popular speaker.
Australian Mercy sister who got gold records for Our Father recording dies
Mercy Sister Janet Mead, who earned gold records for her 1974 hit version of the Our Father, died Jan. 26 in her native Adelaide. She was 84 and had been battling cancer.
Sister Barbara Bell, O.P., dies at 90
A funeral Mass for Dominican Sister Barbara Bell was offered Jan. 22 at the motherhouse of the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa in Wisconsin. Sister Barbara died Jan. 22. She was 90.
Deacon Robert L. Keeley, who served at St. Philip Neri, Linthicum, dies at 91
Deacon Robert “Bob” Lawrence Keeley, who served at St. Philip Neri in Linthicum Heights for more than 40 years as permanent deacon, died in his house by natural causes, surrounded by his family Jan. 18. He was 91.
Sister M. Celeste Parry dies at 94
Sister Celeste taught at St. Bernardine School in Baltimore from 1956 to 1959. She also had assignments in Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware and the Archdiocese of Washington.
Sister Madeline Swaboski, I.H.M., dies at 78
Sister Madeline ministered for several years in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, serving as the receptionist/school secretary at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore from 2000 to 2004; administrative assistant at the Mother Lange Guild Office of the Oblate Sisters of Providence, in Baltimore from 2004 to 2009 and chaplain associate at Good Samaritan Nursing Center in Baltimore from 2009 to 2013.