Sr. Mary Bernadette Phillips

Sister Mary Bernadette Phillips passed peacefully away on December 31, 2011 in Siena Hall Infirmary, Dominican Convent, Sparkill, NY. Born in New York on December 6, 1932, Mary Bernadette was the daughter of Martin and Katherine Lyons Phillips. She entered the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill on September 8, 1952 and received the name Sr. Catherine Martin. She professed her first vows in 1954 and her final vows in 1959. Sister M. Bernadette Phillips received a BS in Education from St. Thomas Aquinas College, Sparkill, NY. Throughout her professional career, Sister M. Bernadette was a group mother, teacher, campus minister, and office staff worker. She served in the Archdiocese of New York and the Dioceses of Syracuse and Rockville Center. She was a group mother at St. Agnes Home, Sparkill, NY (1954-56) and at Cardinal McCloskey, White Plains, NY (1956-59). She taught elementary school at St. Rose of Lima, New York, NY (1959-67); St. Christopher, Red Hook, NY (1967-69); St. Catherine, Binghamton, NY (1969-71); St. Catherine of Siena, New York, NY (1972-75). She served on the staff of Holy Trinity HS, Hicksville, NY (1975-80) and as staff member and campus minister at Albertus Magnus HS, Bardonia, NY (1980-2007). She became a resident of Siena Hall Infirmary in 2007.

Sister M. Bernadette is survived by her sisters, Elizabeth Weber of Oregon and Dorothy Nohilly of Pennsylvania; her nieces and nephews, Richard Weber (Catherine), Louise Laverly (Sean), Stephanie Weber, Kevin Weber, Ann Toye (Kevin), Peggy Korkidas (Theodore), Catherine Cody (James) and Thomas Nohilly (Kim). She is also survived by fifteen grandnieces and grandnephews, and many friends.

The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Our Lady of the Rosary Chapel, Dominican Convent, Sparkill, NY, on Saturday, January 7, 2012 at 10:30am. Visitation is on Friday, January 6, 2012 from 3:30 to 8:00pm at Dominican Convent. Interment will be in St. Agnes Cemetery in Sparkill. Arrangements are by Higgins Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to: Dominican Sisters, 175 Rte. 340, Sparkill, NY- attention- Sister Mary Murray, President.