Sister Mary Anne Philomena  

Sister Mary Anne Philomena               ND 5928              PDF Download

(formerly Sister Mary Eamon)

Anne Philomena GRADY

(natural sister of Sister Mary Therese)

Immaculate Conception Province, USA

Date and Place of Birth:                     January 27, 1944           Cleveland, Ohio
Date and Place of Profession:           January 3, 1964              Chardon, Ohio
Date and Place of Death:                   July 11, 2024                   Health Care Center, Chardon, Ohio
Date and Place of Burial:                   July 17, 2024                  Resurrection Cemetery, Chardon

“I come to do your will, O God.”

Anne Philomena’s Irish roots were cherished. She was the youngest of the six children of Michael and Ann (Malloy) Grady, both of whom were born in Ireland and emigrated to the United States. From early on she learned to appreciate the deep faith and strength of her parents, their ancestry and their gratitude for being in America. The blessing of family and the reliance on God’s presence in the joys and adversities of life were gifts.

As a student at Christ the King Parish School and then at Regina High School, Anne Philomena was drawn to religious life, especially to the missionary order of the Maryknoll Sisters. Her sister, Mary Therese, had become a Sister of Notre Dame. Discernment and fervent prayer to do God’s will led Anne Philomena to accept her call to Notre Dame. She became a postulant on July 2, 1961, and at investment received the name Sister Mary Eamon.

Sister Mary Anne Philomena earned a bachelor’s degree from St. John College in Cleveland and a master’s degree in education from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Her desire to become a primary school teacher was realized. For more than forty years she ministered as a classroom teacher in Ohio, Virginia and Washington, DC. Sister loved preparing the hearts of the children for the reception of the sacraments and was an excellent teacher. Often, parents would request that she be their child’s teacher because of her kindness with the students and her expertise in teaching reading. She was generous in sharing her time and skills with the staff and beginning teachers. She welcomed everyone and held them in prayer.

In 2009, Sister Mary Anne Philomena moved from formal classroom teaching to minister as a tutor to primary children, first at Metro Catholic School in Cleveland and then, for ten years, at Notre Dame Elementary School in Chardon. Pedaling her wheelchair to the school and entering into the world of small children brought new life and renewed her determination to meet challenges, to be and to do what God wanted. Sister Mary Anne Philomena was a grateful and prayerful woman who loved deeply – her religious life, her wonderful and supportive family, her friends and students. She felt “intensely blessed and spoiled by the Father.”

May Sister rejoice in the presence of our good and loving God.