SISTER MARY JEAN FLAHERTY, SC, age 88, died at Caritas Christi, the motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill in Greensburg, on June 12, 2015. A native of Clairton, PA, Sister Mary Jean entered the congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill on September 8, 1945, from Saint Peter Parish, McKeesport, PA. Preceded in death by her parents, Vincent and Agnes (Bradley) Flaherty, and two sisters, Mrs. Patricia (Louis) McElhinny and Sister Marie Flaherty, RSM, she is survived by a sister, Mrs. Margie (Paul) Donovan and many nieces and nephews. She earned a diploma in nursing from Pittsburgh Hospital School of Nursing, a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Duquesne University, a master’s degree in maternity nursing from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Ph.D. in education from the University of Pittsburgh. Sister Mary Jean’s ministry in nursing began at the former Providence Hospital, Beaver Falls. She was then assigned to Pittsburgh Hospital and Roselia Foundling and Maternity Hospital. From 1959 until 1961, she served at the Jeannette District Memorial Hospital. From 1961 until 1970, Sister Mary Jean was the head nurse at Assumption Hall, the former infirmary and retirement home for the sisters. From 1976 until 1980, she was the director of nursing education at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, Pittsburgh. In 1980, Sister Mary Jean began a long tenure at The Catholic University of America, ministering, alternately, as professor of nursing, chair of the maternal-child health nursing program and of the committee for the protection of human subjects. She served two terms as dean of the school of nursing, and developed the graduate specialty in community-public health nursing. In 2009, Sister Mary Jean began ministry as a health care consultant. A worldwide traveler and consultant for the World Health Organization, and a prolific writer on topics related to her nursing ministry, Sister Mary Jean remained a woman of dignity, humility and zeal, embodying the words of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, “When I think of what I have…I can never be too grateful.”
