Sr. Teresa Margaret Murphy, OP

Sister Teresa, 95, died peacefully on December 7, 2016, at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, IL. She was born Margaret Jane Murphy in Co Derry, N. Ireland to Mary (née Mc Closkey) and James Murphy. She was the eldest of five children, Margaret, William, George, Mary and Veronica.

At the age of sixteen, she left her home in Dungiven, Ireland and entered one of the Federated Dominican Monasteries of the Perpetual Rosary in Gianicolo, Rome on November 9, 1937. On May 24, 1939, she made her First Profession as a Contemplative nun. Soon after she was sent as Vicaress to assist in the closure of their Monastery in Glasglow, Scotland, for a six-month period. In 1943, she left Rome for their monastery in Camden, New Jersey, USA, where she made her Solemn Profession on August 10, before being sent to their monastery in Fatima, Portugal where she served as prioress for six years.

On February 9, 2014, having served the 114-year-old Dominican Monastery in Camden, NJ for seventy-one years, as Bursar, Sacristan, and at her request, extern sister, she was happy to transfiliate to the monastery of Mary the Queen in Elmira, NY, when the monastery in Camden closed its doors on September 9, 2013. However, sister’s travels had not yet come to an ended. On September 2, 2014, together with her new community of fourteen nuns, journeyed to Springfield, IL to begin collaborations with the Dominican family of sisters, nuns and friars of the same Order of Preachers.

Before Sister’s passing she was lovingly being cared for by the Dominican sisters and their staff of nurses at their Regina Coeli’s infirmary at their Mother house on West Monroe Street, Springfield.

Sister is survived by thirty-seven nieces and nephews in Ireland, England and the USA.

Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday 12, 2016 at 11:25 am at the Dominican Motherhouse, 1237 West Monroe Springfield, IL.

Staab Funeral Home – Springfield is in charge of arrangements.