Sister Cecilia Barry (formerly Sister Cecilia Marie) died peacefully at the Sisters of St. Joseph Residence, 2 O’Connor Drive, Toronto, Ontario on Saturday, October 3, 2026 in the 71st year of her religious life.
She was predeceased by her parents, Bernard Barry, Teresa (née Keogh), her sisters: Bernadine (Nelligan) and Theresa (Duffy) and her brothers: Sylvester, Michael, John and Paul. She is survived by her brother Bernard Barry. She will be sadly missed by her family, friends and Sisters in community.
Sister Cecilia Barry was born in Colgan, Ontario, a small farm community north of Toronto into a home filled with love, music and faith. She joined the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto in 1955, where three of her aunts were also members of the Congregation.
Sister Cecilia was a woman of great compassion with a profound dedication to the sick and poor among us. She was a graduate of the St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing in Toronto and worked as a staff nurse in the emergency department for 11 years before moving into parish ministry. She served as a pastoral associate in Toronto, and on Vancouver Island and later in Scarborough as a parish outreach support person. In her retirement years, she was very active as a visitor with the “In Good Company” friendly visiting program developed by Fontbonne Ministries.
Sister Cecilia is remembered as a Sister of St. Joseph, who cared for others with great compassion. She died peacefully at the Sisters of St. Joseph Residence, where she had been receiving excellent nursing care and attention.
Visitation will take place at the Sisters of St. Joseph Residence, 2 O'Connor Drive, Toronto, on Thursday, October 8, 2026 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. with a Prayer Service at 2:30 p.m. Visitation at 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, October 9, 2026 at 10:30 a.m.in the Chapel, 2 O'Connor Drive, Toronto, Ontario.
The funeral Mass will be livestreamed at https://csj-to.ca/funeralservice/
Interment at Holy Cross Cemetery, Thornhill, Ontario
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Sisters of St. Joseph Ministries,
101 Thorncliffe Park Drive, Toronto, ON M4H 1M2
