Sister Marian Joseph Baird, R.S.M., dies at 87

A funeral Mass for Mercy Sister Marian Joseph Baird was offered Sept. 3 at Sacred Heart Convent in Belmont, N.C. Sister Marian Joseph died Aug. 26 in North Carolina. She was 87.

Born in Baltimore, Sister Marian Joseph (Helen) attended Shrine of the Sacred Heart School in Mount Washington and graduated from Mount St. Agnes High School in Baltimore in 1956. She entered the Sisters of Mercy Sept. 8, 1956.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Mount St. Agnes College in 1961, a master’s degree in biology from St. Bonaventure University in 1971 and an associate degree in nursing from Gwynedd-Mercy College in 1984.

In the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Sister Marian Joseph taught at Mount Washington Country School in Baltimore and Mount St. Agnes Lower School in Baltimore. Elsewhere, she ministered in the Archdiocese of Washington; Georgia; and Belize.

While ministering in Belize, Sister Marian Joseph discovered a newborn girl with special needs whose future was uncertain. Struck by the infant’s vulnerability, she worked to secure the care and support the child needed. With approval from the Sisters of Mercy, she ultimately adopted the girl and gave her the name Maria.

After returning from Belize, Sister Marian Joseph worked as a nurse at The Villa in Baltimore and later devoted herself to volunteer ministry at Stella Maris in Timonium. She later ministered in North Carolina.

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