Dominican Sister of Peace Thomas Joseph (Mary Patricia) Nacy, OP, (91) died at Sansbury Care Center on May 1, 2018. Sister Thomas Joseph was born in Mattoon, IL, to Mary Scott Mead and Patrick J. Nacy in 1923. She entered the Dominican Sisters of St. Catharine, now the Dominican Sisters of Peace, in 1953, and celebrated 65 years of religious life this year.

Sr. Thomas Joseph, or Sr. TJ, earned a Bachelor of Science in History/Education and Social Science from Siena College in Memphis and a certificate in Retreat and Pastoral Ministry from the University of Notre Dame in Great Bend, IN.

She spent nearly 40 years as a teacher in Kentucky, Illinois, New Jersey, and Nebraska. As much as she loved to teach, she also loved to learn, and even as she worked as an educator, she continued to educate herself in courses focusing on reading, science, and teaching those with learning disabilities.

After retiring from teaching, Sr. TJ returned to St. Catharine, KY, where she served her sisters as a receptionist and volunteer at Sansbury Care Center and the St. Catharine Motherhouse. She spent her final years in prayer and presence at the Sansbury Care Center

In her preaching at the funeral, Sister Helen McCarthy reminded us that Sr. Thomas Joseph was chosen by God. She was a woman of great faith and has arrived at last to the place God has prepared for her.

Sr. Thomas Joseph was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Nora. She is survived by several cousins.

The visitation was held on May 9 at the Sansbury Care Center Chapel.  The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on May 10 at Sansbury Care Center Chapel. Sr. Thomas Joseph is interred in the St. Catharine Motherhouse cemetery.

To download a PDF copy of this memorial, please click here.

Memorial gifts in Sr Thomas Joseph’s memory may be submitted securely online or sent to:
Dominican Sisters of Peace
Office of Mission Advancement
2320 Airport Drive
Columbus, OH 43219.