Marcella Malone SSJ
Name: S. Marcella Malone, SSJ
Hometown: Germantown, Philadelphia, PA
Entrance: September 12, 1944
First Profession: August 9, 1947
Final Profession: August 9, 1952
Present Ministry: Retirement at Villa
Praying for the needs of our world
What attracted you to Religious Life?
I was fortunate to have as my great aunt, Sister Marcella O’Connor, preceding me in Religious Life. She died a year before I entered. Her memory lives on. I received her name and tried to live up to the life I saw in Aunt Bernie. My mother had a brother, Joseph, who was ordained in June 1918 at the age of 25 and died the following September in the flu epidemic. I often think I have Uncle Joe’s vocation. He was a CM, which is a member of the Vincentian order. After I finished high school, I worked for two years. I wanted to be sure this was what I wanted to do. I made a nine-day Miraculous Medal novena. During my confession, the priest asked if I wanted to be a sister. I felt it was the Blessed Mother answering my prayer.
What do you enjoy most about being a sister?
Since I was a little girl and knew Aunt Bernie, I always wanted to be a Sister of Saint Joseph. When I went to school, I had the privilege of marking test papers and recording them. This strengthened my desire to become a Sister of Saint Joseph.
Through the years I have been teased about “my loud mouth”. After coming to our Villa, I have said afternoon prayers and lectored at Mass. “My loud mouth” has really been a big help especially when sisters say, “I’m so happy when you say prayers. I can hear them. This is another of God’s graces to me.”
What was one of your greatest challenges in learning to live Religious Life?
One of the challenges I experienced as a young sister was getting up at 4:53 AM for Mass and prayers. Because I like to sleep, this was a big change for me and very difficult. Today our schedules are according to your ministry.
Name a time when you made a difference in someone’s life.
When I received an invitation to the 55th reunion of an 8th grade class that I taught at Resurrection grade school, I was very happy and impressed. Something from that year must have hit home. You never know how you affect the students in your class!
What kind of ministries have you done over the course of your Religious Life?
My ministries have included teaching 2nd to 8th grade and10th to 12th grade. I, also, have received a Masters in library science and this became my ministry for more than 25 years. On my last mission, Holy Family Academy, I was involved in many activities besides the library. One of these activities was moderator of the alumni Mothers’ Club. These women are the grandparents of the girls who graduated from HFA. I admire these women and feel our interchange of prayer has deepened my Religious Life. For fun, I ran trips to Atlantic City for the senior citizens. My famous quote was, “Be here on time, because it’s a long walk to Bayonne, NJ.”