Sister Mary (Sister Peter) Therese Powers, Csjp Obituary (1926

Sister Mary Therese Powers, CSJP (Sister Peter) passed away peacefully on April 11, 2023, at St. Mary-on-the-Lake in Bellevue, WA surrounded by many near and far. We are very grateful for her 96 years of life, especially for 74 years as a Sister of St. Joseph of Peace. We fondly remember Mary's empathic, gentle, kind spirit, and her deep love for the CSJP community and people in need. Mary was born November 3, 1926 and grew up in Portland, Oregon. She was part of a large, loving Catholic family, and later came to Seattle with her sister, Nancy. They lived at St. Theresa Residence, where Mary met some of the Sisters and Connie Krieger, a fellow resident who became a lifelong friend and her companion in the novitiate. They went to Bellingham, WA for a visit, and were attracted by Sister Rosarii Metzgar, then the Postulant Director. Unlike most of the Sisters, who moved from school to school or hospital to hospital, Sister Mary spent her first 18 years after the novitiate at Sacred Heart Hospital, most of that time as a teacher, a role she greatly enjoyed. She particularly remembers teaching the basics of Catholic ethics to students who were not Catholic, understanding that their questions could not easily be quieted and that their own beliefs had to be respected. During her years in Eugene, Oregon Sister Mary earned a Masters in Education at Portland University (1965). Her ministry changed dramatically in 1969 when she was elected Assistant to the Province Leader for two terms, until 1976. Mary served faithfully in this position during the challenging years when religious life was changing dramatically. In this role, and as a delegate to the 1974 General Chapter, Mary helped to form the future of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace. After her term in province ministry, Sister Mary earned a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry at Seattle University and put her degree to use as a pastoral minister at the Josephinum, then a home for seniors run by the Sisters in downtown Seattle. She worked there for eight years, followed by five years in Pastoral Care at Snoqualmie Valley Hospital, then a part of the PeaceHealth system. Mary took on many responsibilities for care of her family in the 1990s, making frequent trips to Oregon to help her sister Nancy and other family members. She was part of the community at St. Mary-on-the-Lake beginning in 1999. The loss of her eyesight was a great challenge for her in later years, but she kept a gentleness and kindness of spirit to everyone she met and in so many ways helped them to learn or heal or grow. At her 70th Jubilee in 2019, Mary wrote: "My years as a Sister of St. Joseph of Peace have been full of changes, and many of those changes are for the good. I'm especially grateful for the changes that helped us to get to know each other as persons. I'm thankful for the opportunities the community has given me for self-improvement." Vigil Service is Friday April 21, 2023, at 4:00 PM. Mass of Christian Burial is Saturday April 22, 2023, at 11:00 AM. Both services are at St. Mary-on-the-Lake, Bellevue, WA. Burial at 2:00 PM. Saturday April 22, 2023 Holyrood Catholic Cemetery, Edmonds, WA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace Retirement Fund, PO Box 248, Bellevue, WA 98009. RSVP [email protected]