Sister Marilyn Feehan, CSJ, 90

Sister Marilyn Feehan, CSJ, (formerly Sister Miriam Theresa), 90, died on March 12

Sister Marilyn Feehan, CSJ

Sister Marilyn Feehan, CSJ, (formerly Sister Miriam Theresa), 90, died on March 12. Born in Albany on Jan. 17, 1933, Sister Marilyn was the daughter of Joseph and Gertrude (Curran) Feehan. She had been a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet for 66 years. After graduating from Vincentian Institute in Albany in 1950, Sister Marilyn attended The College of St. Rose earning a bachelor’s degree in French in 1954 and a master’s in education in 1957. That same year she entered the Sisters of St. Joseph in Troy, professing first vows in 1959 and final vows in 1964. In 1966, she received a master’s in French from The College of St. Rose.

Sister Marilyn had extraordinary gifts of mind and heart which she offered to her community, family, students and friends with generosity, humor and love. She began her ministry teaching high school French but her lifelong passion was teaching junior high religion and theology, which she did at Cohoes Catholic schools for 10 years and Catholic Central High School (CCHS) in Troy for more than 30 years.

On Sister Marilyn’s classroom wall was a quotation from St. Paul: “I am convinced of your goodness.” She saw her role as more mentor than instructor, guiding her students to find the good in themselves and others. While her theology teaching was both thorough and inspiring, her curriculum also offered students times of guided silent meditation and opportunities to help others with “random acts of kindness” programs. In this, other faculty members followed Sister Marilyn’s example and soon the practice of “random acts of kindness” became a valued hallmark of CCHS life.

In recognition of her many decades of teaching, the Albany Diocese presented Sister Marilyn — known as St. Marilyn to some of her students — the “Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Distinguished Teacher Award.” She retired in 2009.

Sister Marilyn was predeceased by her parents, her brother, Thomas Feehan, and her sister, Patricia Feehan Leary. She will be dearly missed by her sister-in-law, Alice Feehan, her faithful nieces and nephews, her CSJ community and her many friends and former students, especially Sister Marion Honors, Kathy Schongar and Mary Craven, CSJA.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held March 22 at St. Joseph’s Provincial House in Latham. Contributions in Sister Marilyn’s memory may be made to the Office of Mission Advancement, St. Joseph’s Provincial House, 385 Watervliet Shaker Road, Latham, N.Y., 12110.