SISTER JOAN MCGINLEY, SC (formerly, Sister Elizabeth Marie) age 84, died at Caritas Christi, the motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill in Greensburg, on December 12, 2014. A native of Pittsburgh, Sister Joan entered the congregation of the Sisters of Charity on September 8, 1948, from Resurrection Parish in Brookline. Preceded in death by her parents, Edward and Elizabeth (Zimber) McGinley and three brothers, Edward, Jerry, and Fred Nieman, she is survived by a brother, Robert McGinley and a sister, Mrs. Betty (Paul) Galliot. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Seton Hill University and a master’s degree in reading, language arts from the University of Pittsburgh. Sister Joan taught children of the primary level in diocesan schools of Altoona-Johnstown, Greensburg, Pittsburgh, Tucson and the Archdiocese of Washington. She was principal at Ozanam (House of Mary) School, Lawrenceville Catholic, and St. Peter School in the Pittsburgh Diocese, at St. John Evangelist School in Tucson, and at St. John the Baptist School in Scottdale, PA. In 1992-1993, she worked as an Intensive Case Manager at Pressley Ridge, Sewickley. From 1993 until deteriorating health forced her retirement in 2004, Sister Joan served as a pastoral minister at St. Sebastian Parish, Ross Township. In reflecting on her life as a Sister of Charity, Sister Joan stated, “I am grateful for the ongoing opportunities given me as a religious to deepen my understanding of and relationship with God. My life has freed me to know myself in relation to others and to continue to integrate my personal, spiritual and ministerial roles in a way that brings peace, satisfaction, and opportunities for new beginnings.”
