Sister Patricia Joseph Corkery, 94, educator

Sister Patricia Joseph Corkery, 94, an educator and retreat director who also delved into the history of her religious order, died Friday, Aug. 12, of complications from a stroke at McAuley Convent in Merion.

Patricia Corkery graduated from John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls' High School in 1940. She worked as a bookkeeper until entering the Sisters of Mercy in 1943.

Early in her career, she was the vocal music teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes School in Philadelphia.

She went on to teach music at Walsingham Academy in Williamsburg, Va., and at what is now Merion Mercy Academy. She directed many student musicals and operettas at both schools.

By studying in the summers, in 1966 she earned a bachelor's degree in music from Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart.

From 1964 to 1968, Sister Patricia Joseph taught English and music at Gwynedd-Mercy College. She also was assistant dean of students and director of resident students.

Beginning in 1968, Sister Patricia Joseph's activities expanded onto a national and then a world stage.

She accepted an appointment to what Catholics called the Movement for a Better World. The appeal encouraged the faithful to reach out to non-Catholics and to regard the church as the "people of God in the world," according to the language of the Second Vatican Council.

Sister Patricia Joseph traveled the country holding retreats and workshops, as well as writing for and editing Atmosphere, the movement's publication.

In 1971, she returned to Merion Mercy to teach religion.

The religious order appointed her to its spiritual renewal team. From 1974 to 1979, she drew on many of the skills she had learned earlier to conduct workshops and retreats. During that time, she earned a master's degree in religious education from what is now La Salle University.

In the early 1980s, she was part of an elected leadership team that studied whether the Sisters of Mercy should start a mission in South America. The team chose Peru, and Sister Patricia Joseph stayed to help establish the mission.

Years later, her efforts yielded an unexpected gift.

"During her final illness, six Peruvian Sisters of Mercy visited her bedside, expressing their gratitude for the work she'd helped accomplish," the religious order said in a statement.

Sister Patricia Joseph enjoyed researching the roots of the order in Ireland, Philadelphia, and worldwide.

As a result, she became a respected lecturer on the Sisters of Mercy's history and charism - the power given a Christian by the Holy Spirit to perform good works such as healing.

She read up on Catherine McAuley, the Irish nun who founded the religious order in 1831. Sister Patricia Joseph's dramatic portrayal of McAuley - in full black and white habit and with lilting Irish accent - captivated listeners and viewers here and in Ireland, England, Kenya, and Australia with her informal performances.

She researched and authored The Bernard-Gertrude Mary Years, 1945-1970, a book chronicling the history of the Merion Sisters of Mercy during a time of renewal and change.

In her later years, Sister Patricia Joseph visited with residents at ManorCare Health Services at the Mercy Fitzgerald nursing home in Lansdowne.

Sister Patricia Joseph also enjoyed sewing, writing poetry, dancing, and singing. Even while bedridden near the end, when she could barely speak, she sang Danny Boy in a strong, beautiful voice.

She is survived by nieces and nephews.

A viewing starting at 6 p.m. will be followed by the Liturgy of Christian Burial at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 18, at the Merion Mercy Convent Chapel, 515 Montgomery Ave., Merion. Burial will be at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 19, in the community cemetery in Merion.

Contributions may be made to the Sisters of Mercy Mid-Atlantic Community, 515 Montgomery Ave., Merion Station, Pa. 19066.

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