Mass for Sister Monica

“She brought a lot of life everywhere she went.”

Sister Katherine (Kate) Arseneau, CSJ, was speaking of her beloved friend and fellow Sister of St. Joseph, Sister Monica Murphy, CSJ, 77, who died unexpectedly from a car crash in early August. 

On Thursday, Sept. 12, Catho­lic Central High School in Troy held a memorial Mass and service for Sister Monica. Of her almost 50 years of ministry, Sister Moni­ca served 30 years at Catho­lic Central as a guidance counselor, teacher, spiritual mentor and friend to all.

“You’ll see graduates from the ’60s are here to show their respects,” said Ridge Harris, chairman, the board of trustees at Catholic Central, during the Mass. “She’s been a part of our history and she helped us get to where we are today, and we want to continue a strong faith-based Catholic education and make her proud in doing so.”

Very Rev. Mark Reamer, OFM, officiated at the Mass, which was attended by the entire Catholic Central school, faculty, alumni, and CSJ sisters who came to honor Sister Monica’s life and lasting legacy. 

“Sister Monica showed us the face of God by providing comfort to others,” said Father Reamer during Mass. “Always hospitable, she certainly shared many expressions of the love of God in her life, in her generous and welcoming spirit.” 

“There’s also a sadness in letting go for the gift of life that Sister Monica has made for us. Faith, no matter how strong, does not take away the feelings of sadness,” he added. 

On Aug. 5, Sister Monica was driving back from Pyramid Life Center, the diocesan retreat camp where she served as director for over 30 years, when she was killed in a car accident. The tragic and unexpected death was a shock to the many communities she cared for. 

Harris said that offering the Mass was a way for the school to come together and “honor and remember Sister Monica.” 

“She was on the faculty here for over 30 years and she was a pillar of the institution. She touched many lives and impacted many students through their formative years, and she challenged us, she inspired us, and she motivated us all at the same time.” 

Harris met Sister Monica during his first year as a student at Catholic Central. During the service he spoke about his relationship with the beloved Sister, calling her “a dear friend of mine.” 

“I met her for the first time in September 2001 when I was in seventh grade. It was her first year back at CCHS, after a brief hiatus at Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons, and we joked about how we started at CCHS the same year, despite the fact that she taught my mother.”

Much like Sister Monica, Sister Kate spent many years of her ministry working in Catho­lic education. She even hired Sister Monica to work at Catholic Central when she was principal of the school in 1965. One of the things Sister Kate remembers fondly of Sister Monica was how she saw the world. 

“What I liked best about Monica — and I both lived with her and worked with her on two occasions — was that everything was a possibility,” said Sister Kate. Despite how big of an idea or grand plan, Sister Monica would never fret. It was as if making the impossible something possible was built into Sister Monica’s genes. 

“She got it done,” said Sister Kate. “She was amazing.”

At the end of Mass, Sister Kate thanked the school for the beautiful service, leaving the students with some parting words of advice: Make the most of their time at Catholic High, be grateful to their teachers who carry their best interests at heart, but above all, to always be kind.

“Be kind. Be kind to one another. It’s so important … fulfilling a community (with) that Catholic High spirit where everybody cares about one another.”