Sister Mary Beth Read

Sister Mary Beth Read, OSU, a cherished member of the Ursulines of the Roman Union Eastern Province USA for sixty years, died peacefully on March 9 at Andrus on Hudson Nursing Home.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on January 8, 1946, she was the daughter of John Read and Mary Loughran. A graduate of Ursuline Academy in Wilmington, Delaware, she earned a bachelor’s degree in English from The Catholic University of America and a master’s degree in Religious Education from Fordham University, later receiving certification in Educational Administration from Fordham/Manhattan College. Her commitment to ministry in the South Bronx led her to participate in the New York Archdiocese Spanish language program, which included study in Puerto Rico.

Sister Mary Beth began her ministry teaching at St. Jerome’s parochial school and later served as both teacher and administrator at the Academy of Mount St. Ursula in the Bronx. She also offered her gifts in parish ministry at St. Jerome’s and at St. John the Baptist parish in Yonkers, New York, bringing her deep faith and compassionate presence to those she served. She entered the Ursuline community in 1966 and went on to serve as a provincial councilor, on several committees, and as a trustee of Ursuline Academy.

She will be remembered by her Ursuline sisters, family, and many friends for her kindness and gentle spirit. Sister Mary Beth is survived by her brother James and sister-in-law Roberta, her brother Robert and sister-in-law Paula, and several loving nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her brother John.