Sister Mary Josephine (Jude) O’Brien died on May 7, 2021 at the age of 98, or, as she might have put it, in her 99th year As a member of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary for 80 years, Sister Josephine taught elementary school children in Ireland, Phoenix, Sacramento and the Chicagoland area. In 1954 she and five other IBVM Sisters left Ireland, traveled across the ocean as “Pioneers” to found SS Simon & Jude School in Phoenix, AZ. In 1990 she retired from classroom teaching and began ministering to adults as a spiritual director, hospice volunteer and CRHP leader. Josephine was a life-long learner, historian and teacher. She loved exploring the spirituality of St. Ignatius, Mary Ward, St. Benedict, and John Main.
Sharing her learnings in small groups was her delight. Her students loved listening to her who possessed a strong Irish brogue and a witty sense of humor. She was passionate in what she taught and loveable in her presentations. Josephine was born in Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland on December 29, 1922. She was the eldest of ten children born to Daniel and Annie (Fox) O’Brien. Her siblings Reverend Rory O’Brien, SPS, and Sister Corona O’Brien, MMM, survive her along with a very large extended family in Ireland.
Sr Jo was a faithful member of our meditation groups at St John of the Cross JC since our very beginning 25 years ago, always generously sharing her love of God, great wisdom, and wonderful sense of humor with us. She took to the teachings of John Main right from the start, calling him her hero, and she treasured reading his books. She savored them even more as she reread them in later years, and she shared many insights with us.