Sr. Pauline Mary Williams, FMM

Sister Pauline Williams was born in London, UK, October 12, 1936 and grew up in Wembley, a suburb of London. She was one of four children and she and her brother, being the oldest of the siblings, lived through most of the war in London until they were evacuated to Yorkshire. After the war she attended Catholic Schools. This was required in England for practicing Catholic Families.

Pauline’s father was a musician and one of the Seaforth Highlanders, playing for weddings and gatherings. As a child, Pauline loved to go to these celebrations with him. Pauline’s maternal grandmother was healed of blindness in both eyes when she made a pilgrimage to Lourdes in 1926. Later, as an FMM, Pauline was able to accompany special needs children to Lourdes as part of her ministry.

Pauline also enjoyed visiting her Aunt Agnes, a Little Sister of the Poor and while doing so, met the FMM at a vocation exhibit, spoke to the sisters and agreed to visit the Boltons where Mother St. Peter conducted weekly gatherings of young women interested in religious life.

She entered the novitiate in June 1955 in Coldash, Berkshire, England. She pronounced First Vows June 13th in 1958 and went to Loughlynn, Ireland to study nursing. In 1963 Pauline was missioned to Boston, MA, USA where the FMM worked with handicapped children at Kennedy Memorial Hospital (later named Franciscan Children’s Hospital) Brighton, MA. There she made her final profession on June 13,1965.

After completing her Master of Science in Education and Teaching at Northeastern University, Boston she ministered to the children for thirty years and was appointed Director at the Kennedy Day School at the hospital because of her early involvement with special needs children. Gifted with deep compassion Pauline recognized the needs and gifts of the little ones to whom she ministered with appreciation and fondness.

During a time of sabbatical in 1992 Pauline did Biblical Studies in Catholic Theological Union Chicago and in the Holy Land where she discovered and then shared her deeper gratitude for the Word of God. That year was a very deep spiritual experience for her. She began an entirely new ministry in 1993 in Early Intervention as Director for the Program run by United Cerebral Palsy on the North Shore in Lynn Massachusetts. Pauline was later a member of the Provincial Council and in 2004 appointed Administrator of the FMM Assisted Living Residence in North Providence, RI a position she held until 2013. She was elected Coordinator of De Chappotin Community on the same campus of Fruit Hill.

Even in her later years, Pauline kept up with some of the children (then adults) she knew and worked with at Franciscan Children’s Hospital, visiting them when possible, writing to them or speaking to them on the phone with great interest, respect and encouragement.

In 2018 she transferred to Queen of Peace community and joined the Assisted Living Program as a resident. Requiring a higher level of care, she was missioned to Notre Dame Du Lac Long Term Care Center in Worcester, Massachusetts in May, 2025. Pauline was called to her eternal reward on January 14, 2026. May she rest in peace.

Visitation for Pauline will be held Wednesday January 21, 2026 from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, 399 Fruit Hill Ave, North Providence, RI 02911. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. in the Missionary. Burial will follow in Resurrection Cemetery, Cumberland.