Sr. Merle Pedersen

Born in 1921 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of Daniel Pedersen and Louise Bahner Pedersen.

Spending her first birthday aboard a ship headed to Europe for her father’s work, Sr. Pedersen grew up in Sweden. She moved to Canada in 1945 and began work with the Consulate General of Sweden in Montreal. She entered the Society of the Sacred Heart in Albany, N.Y., in 1948, where she made first vows in 1950, making her final profession in Rome, Italy, in 1956. Over many years, Sister Pedersen taught in Sacred Heart Schools across Canada: The Sault au Recollet and Atwater Ave in Montreal, Vancouver, Winnepeg, and Halifax. Sr. Pedersen had fond and often humorous memories of her time teaching. Along with teaching, she had a long apostolate in Montreal and Watertown, ON, of counselling individuals and couples as well as working with companies through her work with PRH, Personalité et Relations Humaines, a world-wide organization for personal growth. She felt this work was what she had been born and called to do and her fidelity to these established relationships, even after retiring, is a testament to how much it meant to her. Sr. Pedersen spent the last nine years of her life at Caritas Residence where she was much loved and cared for.

She was predeceased by her parents and her brother, Donald. She is survived by her brother, Tommy (Stockholm, Sweden). She will be missed by family, friends, and all of her Sacred Heart Sisters.

The funeral will be held in the chapel of Barat Residence at 1455 Summer Street, Halifax, on Monday, April 24th, at 10:30 AM.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Sacred Heart School of Montreal or to the Sacred Heart School of Halifax.

The Religious of the Sacred Heart wish to thank the Sisters of Charity of Halifax for their gracious welcome at Caritas Residence and all of the nursing and support staff who cared for Sr. Pedersen.

We wish to convey our deepest gratitude to Mrs. Sharron Dolan for her wise and devoted medical attention and care.