Dominican Sister of Peace Mary Elizabeth Thompson, OP, (77), a native of Medford, Massachusetts, died on March 18, 2021, at Sansbury Care Center, St. Catharine, KY.
Born to F. Ruth Condon and Edward H. Thompson in 1943, Sr. Mary Elizabeth grew up in a household of five siblings. She worked for a year after graduating from Mount Trinity Academy, and entered the community in 1962, making her final vows in 1970.
Sr. Mary Elizabeth earned a Bachelor of Arts in English/Education from Siena College (Memphis, TN) and a Master of Arts in Administration from Boston State College (Boston, MA). She continued her studies by taking courses at St. Stephen’s Priory, an extension of Providence College, to stay current with Church teaching.
Sr. Mary Elizabeth ministered as a teacher and administrator for almost forty years in Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Tennessee. She also earned a Certificate in Special Education; she was passionate about helping students who, she believed, were “a neglected segment as far as the educational apostolate.” In her reflection at Sr. Mary Elizabeth’s funeral Mass, Sr. Teresa Tuite said that she was not a person that sought the spotlight. “As a principal,” Sr. Teresa said, “It was more important for the teachers and the students to shine, and Liz was happy to be the one shining the light on them; she was their cheerleader, their booster-club.”
As Coordinator at Rosary Manor, a ministry she entered in 2002, she wrote: “We are known as a welcoming community in the East. We enjoy having company, and we have lots of it.”
In 2012, Sr. Mary Elizabeth moved to Sansbury Care Center (St. Catharine, KY), where she began a ministry of prayer and presence. Even as she suffered from Parkinson’s for the final years of her life, she ministered through prayer and consolation to her Sisters, family, and friends.
Sr. Mary Elizabeth is survived by three brothers Dennis (Ivette) of Bradenton, FL, Mark (Jean) of Arlington, MA, and Paul Thompson (Patty) of Nashua, NH, as well as several nieces and nephews.
A private funeral for Sr. Mary Elizabeth Thompson was held on Saturday, March 20, at Sansbury Care Center Chapel. She was interred at the St. Catharine Motherhouse cemetery.
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