Sister Marie was born on Long Island, New York, with one brother and one sister. When she was in the 4th grade, her family moved to Staten Island, where her father worked at the shipyard. She walked five minutes to the parish school, St. Peter, which she attended through high school. The Sisters of Charity taught at the school, and Sister Marie joined the novitiate immediately after high school. She taught elementary school for a few years, then high school Spanish for seven years.

The Sisters of Charity of New York, like the Diocese of Spokane, responded to the call of Pope John XXIII, who asked North American Catholics to share personnel and resources with Latin America. Sister Marie, Sister Immaculata, and Sister Doris volunteered. About that time, Sister Immaculata providentially met one of the sisters of the Daughters of Mary, Health of the Sick, who ran clinics in the Highlands of Guatemala and discovered that they needed replacement sisters. Since the clinics were associated with the Diocese of Spokane, Bishop Topel agreed to send them.

In 1971, Sister Marie served in the mission for one year, then returned in 1981 to stay for 39 more years. She trained catechists and initiated projects to help women in poverty, while Sister Immaculate Burke (now deceased) directed the clinics. These two brave and committed women forever changed the lives of hundreds (maybe thousands) of people in Guatemala, especially women and children.

Over the years, Sister Marie worked with hundreds of catechists who lived in the numerous outlying communities around the mission, thus expanding sacramental preparations, prayer services, and lay ministry. She was responsible for the preparation of countless children who received their first Communion.

Other accomplishments of hers include helping widows of the war develop skills, such as weaving and sewing, to sustain their families, and extending care to those who lost their homes to earthquakes and flooding.

She and Sister Immaculata established a revolving group of young women, “Marianistas," who met with the sisters for prayer, goal discussions, and fellowship. When some of these young women asked how they could become sisters, the Sisters of Charity established a house of formation in neighboring Quiche.

In recent years, a scholarship fund started by Sister Marie has enabled a number of young women to continue their education through grades seven, eight, and nine. With Sister Immaculata, she initiated Our Lady of the Highway Preschool in Pacaxom, near the Novillero convent.

Sister Marie also assisted with health care for pregnant women in the clinic’s nutrition and health classes. After Sister Immaculata’s health deteriorated, Sister Marie worked with Dr. Jose Miguel to administer the four health clinics.

In 2018, due to illness, Sister Marie was sent back to Mount St. Vincent Hospital in the Bronx for medical care. She has recovered and is living in an apartment in the Mount St. Vincent Convent in the Bronx. Interestingly, it is the same building where she spent her novitiate years when first entering the Sisters of Charity.

Sister Marie enjoys daily walks around the campus, but misses her work in Guatemala, especially the people she served. Mostly she misses “the beautiful people - catechists, women, children and friends” with whom she worked and prayed.

She recently celebrated her 70th Jubilee with other sisters. Sister Marie’s vocation has been full of kindness, compassion, courage, and tenacity. She is an inspiration of what one gentle, honest, and caring person can accomplish when following the will of the Lord.