Home Our Diocese Sister Mary Ellen Merrick dies at 71, taught at St. Matthew’s School

Sister Mary Ellen Merrick dies at 71, taught at St. Matthew’s School

1940

Sister Mary Ellen Merrick, a member of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, died April 7 at Ascension Providence Hospital in Novi, Mich. She was 71 and taught in the Diocese of Wilmington in the 1980s.

Sister Mary Ellen, formerly known as Sister Peter Marie, ministered for several years in education, including St. Matthew’s School in Wilmington, where she was stationed from 1981-83. She also taught in Pennsylvania and Maryland. She also worked in various positions related to psychology and therapy, including as a university professor; a team member of a hospital’s psychiatry and religion department; and a senior trauma therapist.

Since 2010, she had been the executive director at Guest House in Lake Orion, Mich. Guest House provides treatment for addictions and other behavioral health conditions for men and women in religious life. In addition, she served as a trustee of Marywood University from 2007 until her death.

A viewing will be held Sunday from 3-5 p.m. at the IHM Center, 2300 Adams Ave., Scranton, with a prayer service at 4. The Mass of Christian Burial will be Monday at 11 a.m., also at the IHM Center. Burial will follow at St. Catherine’s Cemetery in Moscow, Pa. Donations in Sister Mary Ellen’s name can be made to the IHM Sisters Retirement Fund, IHM Center, 2300 Adams Ave., Scranton, PA 18509.