Mahanoy City, PA Celebrates 150 Year Anniversary

Written on: September 22, 2013

Mahanoy City, PA, is celebrating a 150 years!  A Grey Nun doll is on display acknowledging the Grey Nuns presence and their contributions to this area at St. Canicus Elementary and High School and parish.

Mahanoy City was a mining town in Northern Pennsylvania’s coal region nestled between mountains.  Our sisters went to Mahanoy City in 1925 and served in the grade school and the two-year high school.

Several women entered the congregation from Mahanoy city over the years. They are:  Sr. Mary Antoinette (Anna Becker), St. Catherine (Mary Teresa Curley), Sr. Charles Raphael (Nancy Drigan), Sr. Helen Rita (Mary McCarthy), Sr. Mary Angela [Margaret (Molly) McGuire], Sr. Mary Martina (Catherine Nolan), Sr. Rose Carmella (Susan Ricci), Sr. Ann Catherine (Frances Ryan), Sr. Mary Salvadore and Mary Sharpe.  Other vocations were fostered there as well.  Alums of the school include a bishop and several priestly vocations.

Countless other GNSH served in the parish schools over the years.  Finally, the school and convent were very old.  The parish was unable to maintain the school, church and convent buildings. The Grey Nuns left Mahanoy City with fond memories in 1971.

Sr. Mary Dennis Woods & Sr. Donna Jean Tavernier 11/22/1960

Standing left to right: Sister Mary Perpetua Andreoli, Sister Patricia Marie Gallagher, Sister Rosemary O’Hara
Seated left to right: Sister Mary Jeanette Crosson, Sister Mary Terence Woods, Sister Kathleen Early

This entry was posted in From our Sisters and tagged: history, service, vocations