Elaine McCarron, SCN, 88, (formerly Sister Michael Maria) was born in Washington, D.C. She died on September 21, 2020, in Louisville, KY. She was a professed Sister of Charity of Nazareth for 67 years.
Sister Elaine served in educational ministries, teaching primary grades at schools in Kentucky and Virginia from 1953-1967. She was principal at St. Mary School in Richmond, VA.
From 1967-1978 Sister Elaine served the Diocese of Richmond, VA, as an educational consultant. She later served as the minister of religious education for parishes in Virginia and Maryland.
At the request of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Sister Elaine assisted in preparing teachers to teach religion in Riga, Latvia as a way of developing the Church in Eastern Europe; she continued her work with the USCCB in a leadership capacity for many years in catechetics. For several summers, Sister Elaine was an adjunct professor in catechetics at the Toronto School of Theology. She also spent time in Belize to help establish and strengthen catechetical programs.
Sister Elaine served her SCN Community as a volunteer in the Archives at Nazareth from 2009-2019.
She is survived by her sisters Joan M Robinson and Maureen M Mahoney, her extended family, and by her religious community.
Sister Elaine will be buried in the Nazareth Cemetery on Thursday, October 1, 2020, at 10 a.m. The prayer ritual will be filmed and will be shared.
A Memorial Mass will be held at a later date.
Funeral Arrangements are being handled by Ratterman Funeral Home, 3800 Bardstown Road, Louisville, KY. Memorials may be sent to the SCN Office of Mission Advancement, P.O. Box 9, Nazareth, KY, 40048.
Sister Michael Maria, was one of a kind.
Sister Michael Maria taught myself as well as my two sisters at Cathedral Elementary School, Floyd & Brunswick Sts.,Richmond, Virginia
She was a true gem.
Sister Elaine, was introduced to me during an occasion that I visited The Chancery Office of The Bishop of Richmond.
To reconnect with a longtime Family friend, Mrs Thomas Mason.
Mrs Mason was employed by The Richmond Diocese in the Chancery Office.
Sister Michael Maria & Sister Elaine were without a doubt a TRUE BRIGHT SPOT in my entire Family’s association with Cathedral.
Sister Elaine to this day has still makes an impression on our Family.
Sincerely, The Edward P.Atkinson Family, Edward, Mary ,Leo, Patrick, Mary Beth & Michele.
I had the great pleasure of teaching Elaine at the Faculty of Theology of St. Michael’s of the Toronto School of Theology. She was a wonderful student and a gracious, deeply spiritual woman. As the Director of Master Degree programs, I hired Elaine to return to Toronto in summers to teach her specialty in Early Childhood Religious Education. She was deeply appreciated. We stayed in contact afterwards too and I visited with her several times in Virginia and at your Retirement Center. I still remember how I lingered for a long time in your special Archives room where I learned about your Founders. Elaine is now in the Fullness of God’s Love! Please share this message with all who knew her.