Obituary of Sister Mary Jacinta Flanagan, CSJ

Sister Mary Jacinta Flanagan, CSJ, 87, died Friday, August 17, 2018, at St. Joseph’s Provincial House, Latham. She had been a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet for the past 69 years.

Sister Mary Jacinta, the former Mary Margaret Flanagan, was born in Brooklyn, NY, on September 30, 1930, daughter of the late Thomas and Annie Hayden Flanagan. After graduating from Catholic Central High School, Troy, she entered the novitiate of the Sisters of St. Joseph on March 19, 1949, and professed final vows on August 15, 1956. Sister Mary Jacinta received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in education, both from The College of Saint Rose.

Sister Mary Jacinta taught for 24 years in schools of the Albany and Syracuse Dioceses in the cities of Troy, Albany, Amsterdam, Glens Falls, Cohoes and Syracuse. For the next nearly four decades, she worked at St. Joseph’s Provincial House as kitchen assistant and bookkeeper and accounts-payable clerk in the Finance Office.

Sister Mary Jacinta’s parents were born in Ireland; her father in County Wexford and her mother in County Sligo, and she was very proud of her Irish heritage. She delighted in memories of her own trips to Ireland as well as visits to the U.S. from her faithful Irish cousins. She loved the challenge of a good jigsaw puzzle even more than a shopping expedition and almost as much as a jaunt to Cape Cod! A gifted artist and craftswoman, Sister Mary Jacinta generously shared the fruits of her labor with homeless shelters during the Christmas season. Thoughtful, approachable and exact, she was an excellent teacher, an efficient bookkeeper and a devoted caretaker of her brothers. Sister Mary Jacinta met life with grace and gratitude, and she leaves us a legacy of kindness as she lived and courage as she died.

Sister Mary Jacinta is survived by several cousins in the United States, Ireland and South Africa, and by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her brothers, Thomas, Jr. and Walter Flanagan.

Sister Mary Jacinta’s Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday, August 23, at 9:00 a.m. from the chapel of St. Joseph's Provincial House, Latham. Calling hours will be held at the Provincial House on Wednesday, August 22, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. Contributions in Sister Mary Jacinta’s memory may be made to the Development Office of the Sisters of St. Joseph, 385 Watervliet-Shaker Road, Latham, NY 12110.

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