Dominican Sister of Peace Mary (Sister Mary Eugene) Meenan, OP, died on April 4, 2026, at Mohun Health Care Center, Columbus, OH.
A native of Philadelphia, PA, Mary was born in 1929 to Mary Ann Magee and Owen Meenan. She entered the congregation of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine de Ricci, now the Dominican Sisters of Peace, in 1955 and had spent more than seven decades in devoted service to God’s people.
Sr. Mary earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Education from the College of St. Rose in Albany, NY. She also pursued further studies at Villanova University in English composition and theology and completed her Clinical Pastoral Education at Saint Joseph Hospital in Albuquerque.
Her academic preparation, combined with a deep and abiding spiritual life, shaped her compassionate presence in ministry. She served for nearly four decades in retreat houses across Florida, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, offering hospitality and care to all she encountered. Later, she continued her pastoral service in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, and assisted as a receptionist at the Oxford Motherhouse. Sr. Mary’s work reflected her generous spirit and lifelong dedication to those in need. Over the course of her ministry, she touched countless lives, including many of her fellow Sisters.
In her preaching at her funeral, Sr. Anne Lythgoe spoke of the many lives Sr. Mary touched and said that Mary’s “superpower” was her deep and abiding relationship with the 12-step community. She saw people not as sinners or defined by their struggles, but as individuals who were broken and beloved, listening to their stories and embracing their lives with compassion, never judgment. She walked with them through the difficult and sacred journey of recovery, where one comes to admit powerlessness and, in time, learns to trust in a power greater than oneself. These were Mary’s people: those who carried stories of loss and despair, but also of hope, clarity, and renewal. She prayed with them in Albuquerque, stayed up late into the night in Miami listening to their stories, and accompanied them in Elkins Park as they sought a deeper awareness of God. She knew well the rugged terrain of their journeys and met them always with compassion, acceptance, kindness, laughter, and joy.
Sr. Mary was preceded in death by her parents, Owen and Mary Ann; her sister, Ann Meenan; and brother, Eugene Meenan. She is survived by her godson and cousins.
A Vigil of Remembrance Service was held on Thursday, April 9, 2026, at the Dominican Sisters of Peace Motherhouse Chapel in Columbus, OH. The funeral liturgy was held at the Motherhouse Chapel on Friday, April 10, 2026, followed by burial at St. Joseph Cemetery.
Memorial gifts in Sister Mary’s memory may be submitted securely online or sent to the Dominican Sisters of Peace, Office of Mission Advancement, 2320 Airport Dr, Columbus, OH 43219.
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