We commend to your charity the soul of our beloved Funeral: Saturday, February 23, 2008 at 3:30 p.m. “When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.'” During this second week of Lent, as many people were looking forward to viewing the lunar eclipse from earth, Our Lady of Cana was looking forward to having Sister Mary Agnes view eternal life from a place far greater than the human eye could imagine. Having a great devotion to Our Lady of Cana, Sister Mary Agnes trusted that her life would be eclipsed, transformed into an eternal glow, full of rich wine before the throne of God. Sister Mary Agnes grew to understand the theology of Our Lady of Cana and had been praying to Mary, asking her to intercede before her Son to “change” whatever in her needed to be transformed. On her part, Sister Mary Agnes lived in total surrender as she faced the slow, and yet rapid, decline of her health during these past twelve months. Baptized Anna Patricia Ryan, Sister Mary Agnes was the daughter of William and Anna Tracey Ryan. The third child of twelve, with seven sisters and four brothers, Anna grew up in a loving family in the Pittsburgh area of Overbrook. For sixty years, Sister Mary Agnes was an educator, primarily teaching math to children in the 6th, 7th and 8 th grades in many schools throughout the Diocese of Pittsburgh. She spent four years teaching in Kingston, MA, worked at Camp Mishannock, was the principal at Blessed Sacrament School in Warren, OH for six years, and retired from teaching at St. Sylvester School. Upon her retirement, Sister Mary Agnes remained at St. Sylvester convent where she continued to do “odd jobs” as she put it, around the house. Her main goal at that time was to further her own development: her soul through more time in reflective prayer; her mind by taking time to learn how to use a computer; her heart by volunteering to help the elderly people in the parish; her body by daily exercise; and finally to enjoy the pleasures of reading and listening to music, especially Irish tenors. Early in 2007, when her health began to decline, Sister Mary Agnes graciously moved from St. Sylvester Convent to Providence Heights . She loved reconnecting with Sister friends, visiting with her two sisters, her nieces and nephews and having time to watch football, especially her beloved Steelers. Even though our Lenten days continue, Easter arrived early for Sister Mary Agnes. As we bid farewell to Sister Mary Agnes let us, each time we gaze heavenward, ask her to intercede for us to Our Lady of Cana, letting her know that we too are in need, for we “have little or no wine” as we await our own eclipse, the passing into the shadow of eternal life. Birthday: March 6
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