Sister Mary Souza (formerly Sister M. Claude), 74, a Sister of Mercy for 56 years, died Tuesday, March 6, 2007, after a long illness. A native of Gloucester, Mass., Sister Mary was the daughter of Frank and Francesca (Azevedo) Souza.
Sister Mary received her B.A. degree from Mount St. Mary College in Hooksett, NH, and did advanced studies at Rivier College in Nashua, NH, and the University of New Hampshire in Durham. For many years she was an educator, teaching in elementary and junior high schools in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. She taught at St. Mary School in Dover; St. Patrick in Portsmouth; St. Joseph, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, McDonald, and St. Catherine Schools in Manchester; St. Joseph in Laconia; and St. John in Concord, where she also served as principal. Sister Mary also taught at St. Mary Star of the Sea School in East Boston, Mass.
From 1972 until 1986, Sister Mary was an instructor and Director of Placement and Financial Aid at Marian Court College in Swampscott, MA. She also served as a pastoral minister at St. Patrick Parish in Manchester; plant manager at the Sisters of Mercy Motherhouse in Windham; and assistant in the Sisters of Mercy archives in Nashua.
Family members include a brother, Anthony Souza of Gloucester, MA; a sister, Rose Stuart, her husband, Jay, and their daughter, Debbie, of Gloucester; a sister-in-law, Phillipina Souza of Gloucester; and several nieces and nephews.
Friends may call at the Warde Health Center, 21 Searles Road, Windham, New Hampshire, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Friday, March 9. A prayer service will be held in Our Lady of Mercy Chapel, Sisters of Mercy in Windham at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in Our Lady of Mercy Chapel at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 10. Burial will follow in St. Joseph Cemetery, Bedford, NH.
Memorial donations may be made to the Sisters of Mercy, 21 Searles Road, PO Box 420, Windham, NH 03087-0420.