A Christian Burial was held on June 26 in the Chapel of Mary Immaculate at the motherhouse of the Sisters of Christian Charity in Mendham, N.J., for Sister Gracemary Shalvey, who died on June 20 at Mallinckrodt Convent in Mendham. She was 95.
Born Marion Grace Shalvey on June 14, 1931, in Philadelphia, Penn., she was the eldest of three children of John and Marion (Hanson) Shalvey. She attended Most Blessed Sacrament School and West Philadelphia Catholic Girls’ High School, where she first encountered the Sisters of Christian Charity.
After graduation, Sister Shalvey worked for Pennsylvania Lumbermen’s Mutual Insurance Company, advancing to secretary to the vice president. During this time, her call to religious life deepened, and in 1951 she entered the Sisters of Christian Charity in Mendham.
Invested as a Sister in 1952, she received the name Sister Gracemary. She professed her first vows in 1954 and her final vows in 1960. She continued her education at Seton Hall College in South Orange, N.J.; Mallinckrodt College in Wilmette, Ill.; and Assumption Junior College, then in Mendham.
Sister Shalvey began her ministry teaching first grade at St. Nicholas School in Jersey City, N.J., and St. John the Baptist School in Pottsville, Penn.
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Sister Shalvey then devoted more than 60 years to the ministry of housekeeping and hospitality, serving at the motherhouse and Villa Pauline in Mendham; St. Ann’s Academy in Wilkes-Barre, Penn.; and Holy Family Convent in Danville, Penn.
In 1978, Sister Shalvey was called to the Sisters of Christian Charity Generalate in Rome, Italy, where she assisted with housekeeping during the General Chapter.
A member of the Executive Housekeepers’ Association, Sister Shalvey frequently participated in the community’s Homemakers’ Workshops. Yet her service extended far beyond her assigned duties. These included cutting hair, caring for elderly sisters, and assisting funeral directors in preparing the sisters’ bodies for burial.
In 2018, Sister Shalvey moved with the community to the new motherhouse in Mendham, where she continued her ministry of prayer and presence until her death.
Sister Shalvey is survived by her Sisters in the Congregation of the Sisters of Christian Charity, as well as family members and friends. She was predeceased by her parents; her sister, Barbara Ann Shalvey; and her sister and brother-in-law, Joan and Daniel Connerton.
Interment for Sister Shalvey followed her Mass of Christian Burial at Holy Cross Cemetery on the grounds of the Motherhouse.
Please make memorial donations in Sister Gracemary Shalvey’s memory to the Sisters of Christian Charity, 350 Bernardsville Rd., Mendham, N.J. 07945, or at sccus.org.
Obituary: Sister of Christian Charity Gracemary Shalvey, 95 #Catholic –
A Christian Burial was held on June 26 in the Chapel of Mary Immaculate at the motherhouse of the Sisters of Christian Charity in Mendham, N.J., for Sister Gracemary Shalvey, who died on June 20 at Mallinckrodt Convent in Mendham. She was 95.
Born Marion Grace Shalvey on June 14, 1931, in Philadelphia, Penn., she was the eldest of three children of John and Marion (Hanson) Shalvey. She attended Most Blessed Sacrament School and West Philadelphia Catholic Girls’ High School, where she first encountered the Sisters of Christian Charity.
After graduation, Sister Shalvey worked for Pennsylvania Lumbermen’s Mutual Insurance Company, advancing to secretary to the vice president. During this time, her call to religious life deepened, and in 1951 she entered the Sisters of Christian Charity in Mendham.
Invested as a Sister in 1952, she received the name Sister Gracemary. She professed her first vows in 1954 and her final vows in 1960. She continued her education at Seton Hall College in South Orange, N.J.; Mallinckrodt College in Wilmette, Ill.; and Assumption Junior College, then in Mendham.
Sister Shalvey began her ministry teaching first grade at St. Nicholas School in Jersey City, N.J., and St. John the Baptist School in Pottsville, Penn.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Sister Shalvey then devoted more than 60 years to the ministry of housekeeping and hospitality, serving at the motherhouse and Villa Pauline in Mendham; St. Ann’s Academy in Wilkes-Barre, Penn.; and Holy Family Convent in Danville, Penn.
In 1978, Sister Shalvey was called to the Sisters of Christian Charity Generalate in Rome, Italy, where she assisted with housekeeping during the General Chapter.
A member of the Executive Housekeepers’ Association, Sister Shalvey frequently participated in the community’s Homemakers’ Workshops. Yet her service extended far beyond her assigned duties. These included cutting hair, caring for elderly sisters, and assisting funeral directors in preparing the sisters’ bodies for burial.
In 2018, Sister Shalvey moved with the community to the new motherhouse in Mendham, where she continued her ministry of prayer and presence until her death.
Sister Shalvey is survived by her Sisters in the Congregation of the Sisters of Christian Charity, as well as family members and friends. She was predeceased by her parents; her sister, Barbara Ann Shalvey; and her sister and brother-in-law, Joan and Daniel Connerton.
Interment for Sister Shalvey followed her Mass of Christian Burial at Holy Cross Cemetery on the grounds of the Motherhouse.
Please make memorial donations in Sister Gracemary Shalvey’s memory to the Sisters of Christian Charity, 350 Bernardsville Rd., Mendham, N.J. 07945, or at sccus.org.