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 Sr.
Catherine McBride, OP
March 30, 1907 – April 10, 2001
I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I shall live.
Psalm 23
Catherine McBride arrived in New York City from Clydebank, Scotland,
at the age of 17. Nothing had prepared her for the homesickness she was
to experience, not even the sense of adventure that had led her to accompany
a friend to America. Surrounded by newness, Catherine found a familiar
rootedness in her faith. Her first job was in the Dominican parish of
St. Vincent Ferrer in Manhanttan. There, she met Fr. Anselm Fitzgerald,
a Dominican priest and brother of the late Sister Catherine Marie. Recognizing
her deep love of prayer, Father encouraged Catherine to consider religious
life with the Dominican Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs, in Columbus,
Ohio.
"I was miles from my home and family across the Atlantic Ocean,
" Sister recalled years later, "but I had set my mind and heart
on giving my life totally to God. The Congregation offered me a way to
do that. I felt certain St. Mary’s was the place for me." She
entered the Novitiate in 1937 and made Final Profession in 1942. "Taking
the vows sealed me in my complete dedication to God," Sister said
a few months before her death. "Everything else in my life has been
part of that Profession."
Sister Catherine’s first and "best remembered" assignment
was at the Dominican House of Studies in River Forest, Illinois, where
she cooked for the Dominican priests and novices from 1938 to 1941 and,
later, from 1947 to 1950. Other assignments included Albertus Magnus College
in New Haven, Mary Immaculate School and St. Augustine’s Convent
in Ossining, and St. Mark’s in Brooklyn.
With her health and eyesight failing, Sister entered the Mohun Hall Infirmary
in 1989. "I’m perfectly at peace here," Sister declared.
"My eyesight is almost gone, but I feel very blessed for all I’ve
gained and all I have been able to give."
Sister Catherine is survived by her devoted grandniece, Isobel, in Scotland,
the Doolan family in California, and many other relatives and friends
both here and in Scotland.
Memorial gifts in Sister Catherine's honor may
be sent to Dominican Sisters, St. Mary of the Springs, 2320 Airport Drive,
Columbus, OH 43219.
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