Sister Mary Helenita White, CSJ
Sister Helenita was born in Brooklyn, New York and attended elementary school in Nativity Parish. On graduating from Nativity School , she attended Bishop McDonnell Memorial High School and then entered the Sisters of St. Joseph on February 2, 1948.
She taught primary grades at St. Mary Star of the Sea School in Far Rockaway, Xaverian School in Brooklyn and Immaculate Conception School in Jamaica, Queens. During this time, she earned a BA in Latin from St. John's University and then went on to teach Latin at St. Angela Hall Academy.
Helen continued her studies at St. John's in Library Science and left St. Angela Hall to become a librarian at The Mary Louis Academy. She gave most of her ministerial life to this until she retired to Mary Louis Convent in 2005. S. Helenita served at TMLA from 1971 until 2005.
Helen enjoyed shopping and cooking and put time into providing for the needs of the Sisters in the convent. We thank her for her energy and dedication and for living her vocation faithfully for 63 years.
I remember Sister Helen quite well! Although we didn't speak much, I saw her on my regular visits to the library and we would acknowledge each other. So sorry to hear of her passing. :(
ReplyDeleteSister Helenita, at first didn't seem to like me very much, and I think the same went for me at the time. One day I got caught talking in the library and she made me join the Biblotechicans club to keep me "busy". After that she became one of my favorite people at TMLA. When I graduated she gave me a beautiful pink candle that said "to my little busy bee who turned out to be an angel". After over 10 years, I still have that candle and I have so many fond memories of her. God Bless her.
ReplyDelete