Born on July 4, 1912 to Frank and Jennie Sohl, she was baptized, Josephine, and was the oldest of their four children. One sibling died in infancy. Her brothers Eugene and Regis preceded her in death. While her aunt, Sister Eustace, OP had an influence on her vocation to religious life, she chose to follow in the footsteps of her great aunt, Mother Josephine and her aunt, Sister Annunciata, by entering the Sisters of Divine Providence in Pittsburgh on January 6, 1929. After her first profession of vows in 1931, she served in six different schools in the Pittsburgh area, before coming to Kingston in 1954. In Kingston , she became the first principal of Sacred Heart High School , serving in that capacity for twelve years. After completing her term as principal, in 1967 Sister Paul Marie became the Supervisor of the Sacred Heart Schools as well as of the Parish schools in Massachusetts and Connecticut, where the Sisters served. In 1971, she became one of the founding members of the Archdiocesan Inter-Community Team, working in the Catholic School Office for the Archdiocese of Boston. Active with the principals of the schools, she had a positive influence on the educational programs offered in the area. All those who knew or worked with her often spoke of her fine qualities as an eminent Catholic Educator. From the students and their parents to her co-workers with whom she collaborated, everyone loved Sister Paul Marie. Ever the gracious lady, Sister Paul Marie had a special gift for making each person feel as though they were the only one who mattered at any particular time. She had an avid interest in all the activities of the Community. At a time when she could have easily sat back and enjoyed a free summer, she would volunteer her time helping her good friend, Sister Noel, at Camp Mishannock . She could be found tutoring the campers from Mexico, who wanted to learn English or others who needed some extra help in other subjects. Before “retiring” from teaching in her 90's, Sister Paul Marie enjoyed acquainting small groups of students with the beauty of Shakespeare's works. Several years ago one of her former 8th grade students and now a Brother of Holy Cross, Herman E. Zaccarelli, CSC dedicated a book he had written to Sister Paul Marie. On the Dedication Page he wrote: “During the past 65 years, Sister Paul Marie has made an extraordinary contribution to Catholic education in the United States as a teacher and administrator, and as a consultant in Catholic Education. To all these ministries of service, she brought exceptional energy, creativity and collaborative management. Her faith and love for the Church, which she has served for over 70 years, is a play that Shakespeare could never write; a poem Robert Frost could not pen.” Sister Paul Marie was truly one of the wisdom figures of the Community in the Kingston area as well as in the wider Congregation. A delegate to General Chapters and a key member of Provincial Chapters, Sister Paul Marie contributed to the renewal process, begun with Vatican II. She helped with the rewriting of our Constitutions and was open to whatever would keep our Community in a spirit of growth and newness of life. Along with her devotion to the Community, she had a great love for her family, maintaining a sincere interest in the lives of her nieces and nephews. Her pride at their many and varied accomplishments was only outdone by the joy they brought to her life. Sister Paul Marie's Sisters-in-law, Rosemary and Muriel have remained faithful to her, even after the deaths of their husbands, visiting her whenever possible. With the strong determination of her patron, St. Paul , Sister Paul Marie lived her life to the fullest. Eager to spread the Good News of God's Reign, she was a gift to countless people. We will miss her warm smile and encouraging ways but are grateful that we were a part of her life, as she so beautifully made God's Gracious Providence more visible in our world! Birthday: July 4 Sister Claudia Ward
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