Sister Sheila Marie O’Halloran
1924 – 2008
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my
spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
Luke 1: 46-47
Gloria Ann O’Halloran was born on January 1, 1924, a delightful New Year’s gift to her parents, Agnes Moran and William Aloysius O’Halloran. At that time her birthplace was considered a “Catholic Town,” and the farming community was peopled with Irish Catholics. The O’Halloran family were descendants of Patrick Halloran of Boytonrath, Tipperary, a fact noted by Mary L. Resch, Sister Sheila’s sister, in her book on the family history.
In her elementary years, Gloria attended Catholic grade school (Aloysianum) in Olivia. Following graduation, she was enrolled in the Olivia Public High School. In addition to the required college preparatory courses, Gloria was active in music and dramatics. Having achieved an excellent scholastic record throughout her secondary school years, she was awarded a scholarship to the College of St. Catherine at the graduation ceremony in June 1942.
Though higher education was a valued goal, Gloria heard a deeper call to religious life as a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet. In the autumn of 1942, she entered St. Joseph Novitiate in St. Paul. On the feast of St. Joseph, March 19, 1943, Gloria was received into the congregation and was given the religious name of Sister Sheila Marie. (However, later by popular demand, this new name was shortened to Sister Sheila). The strength of that early commitment has lasted for sixty-five years which Sister celebrated this year on the feast of St. Joseph.
When Sister Sheila came to Bethany in August 2004, she reflected on her past years and wrote in her memoirs:
In the golden years of many NDEA grants,
I was fortunate to be teaching high school.
As a result of the availability of these grants
and my eligibility as a secondary school
educator, I received many opportunities
for educational enrichment as I traveled to Israel,
Ireland, Turkey, Germany and throughout Europe.
As for her formal education, Sister Sheila earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at the College of St. Catherine and a Master’s Degree in music from De Paul University in Chicago. Post-graduate studies included grants in political science at the East-West Center in Honolulu and at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.; summer sessions in education and administration at Loyola University in Chicago; administration courses at Stanford University, Palo Alto, and education courses at Georgetown University in D.C. All through the years, Sister Sheila also participated in several institutes, conferences and workshops designed for music educators. Deep within, she radiated joy in learning, zest in living, and bursts of wonder at the glory of God so evident in the music of her life.
Everywhere Sister found challenges and satisfaction in her multiple ministries. She taught music at St. Agatha’s Conservatory, as well as at St. James Academy, Grand Forks; St. Joseph’s Academy and Derham Hall High School, St. Paul; Holy Angels Academy, Richfield; St. Anthony High School, Minneapolis and several other schools within the Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis, New Ulm Diocese and the Fargo Diocese. As an outstanding Catholic educator, Sister served as a Vice Principal at St. James Academy and as the local superior at St. James Convent in Grand Forks.
Later, recognizing the need for pastoral assistance at Holy Spirit Parish in St. Paul, Sister accepted the position of pastoral ministry which she successfully carried on for a period of ten years. At the same time Sister Sheila assisted with choir practices and choral groups and played the organ for parish events. Her combined love for liturgy and music enriched the prayer life of the community.
Sister Sheila always shared her gifts generously with our CSJ community, often directing choir practices and playing for special occasions – Eucharistic Liturgy, major feast days, community days, community ceremonies and other events. Often she served as a volunteer musician at Bethany and at Our Lady of Good Counsel Cancer Home. From 1971-1975, Sister was on the Administration Team at Derham Hall and from 1976-1979, she was Co-Director for the Institute in Religious Dimensions at the College of St. Catherine.
As a gifted and active member of the local church, Sister Sheila served on the Archdiocesan Worship Board, the Archdiocesan Sisters Council, the Permanent Diaconate Board, the Pastoral Music Association and the Association of Pastoral Ministers.
Following a lifetime of generous service, Sister Sheila came to Bethany in August 2004. Here, it was said, that while she was “a ray of sunshine,” it was rather dangerous to have her around your garden plot. She loved flowers, picked them faithfully and beautified her room daily with fragrant loveliness. Her energetic walks, love for travel, and spontaneous spirit of joy sometimes prompted Sisters to call her “my wild Irish rose.”
God called Sister Sheila home on April 2, 2008. She who so often had played and sang, “May the angels lead you into paradise,” now experiences the wondrous reality of the glory of God. Having ended her earthly journey, she now rests in peace. Here at Bethany, the Easter bright yellow roses remind us of Sister Sheila.
The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated in the Bethany Chapel on Saturday, April 5, at 10:00 a.m.
Sister Sheila is survived by her sister, Mary Lou Resch (Chicago, IL) and her sister-in-law Mrs. J. M. (Leona) O’Halloran (Olivia, MN), many nieces and nephews including her namesake Gloria O’Halloran, friends, caregivers at Bethany and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. She was preceded in death by her brothers Valerian, J Moran and Jerome O’Halloran and her sisters, Beatrice O’Halloran, Grace Barker and Eileen Lenz.
May she rest in peace.
