SISTER IRENE MARY WILBURN, SC, age 79, died at Caritas Christi, the motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill in Greensburg, on September 3, 2016. Born in Pittsburgh, Sister Irene Mary entered the congregation of the Sister of Charity on September 8, 1955, from Saint Rosalia Parish in Greenfield. Preceded in death by her parents, William J. and Irene (Wolf) Wilburn, a brother, Lawrence E., an aunt, Sister Jean Ann Wilburn, SC, and a cousin, Sister Mary Giles Brandt, SC, she is survived by a brother, William, nieces and nephews. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Seton Hill University and a master’s degree in reading and language arts from the University of Pittsburgh. Sister Irene Mary taught students of the intermediate and upper elementary levels and served as principal and vice principal in schools of the Altoona-Johnstown, Greensburg, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Tucson dioceses and the Archdiocese of Baltimore. She was principal of Sacred Heart School, Shadyside and of Saint Jerome School, Charleroi. In 1978, she was named an educational consultant for the Diocese of Pittsburgh, a position she held until 1987, when she assumed the position of Assistant Superintendent of Schools for the Greensburg Diocese, 1987-1992. In 1992, she returned to Pittsburgh to act as a diocesan consultant for students with special abilities in Music and Fine Arts, a position she held until 2008. In reflecting on her life as a Sister of Charity, Sister Irene Mary said, “I am grateful for the vocation of ministering 51 years in Catholic education which gave me a sense of purpose and added meaning to my life.”
