SISTER JOAN MURRAY SC, age 65, died at Allegheny Health Network Hempfield Neighborhood Hospital on August 1, 2021. Born in Pittsburgh, PA, Sister Joan entered the congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill from Saint Anselm Parish, Pittsburgh, on June 10, 1978. She was preceded in death by her parents, William J. and Margaret B. (Mangan) Murray. A board-certified clinical social worker, Sister Joan was a 1978 graduate of Carlow College. She was awarded a bachelor of arts “with distinction” after majoring in sociology and anthropology and minoring in psychology. She also was the recipient of the 1978 Carlow College Sociology Award. In 1986 she earned an MSW “with distinction” from the University of Pittsburgh. Recognized in 1988 in “Who’s Who Among Human Service Professionals,” Sister Joan was a member of the National Association of Social Workers and the American Mental Health Counselors Association. Sister Joan had a strong passion to work with poor and vulnerable persons and enjoyed empowering others to solve their concerns and issues in order to improve their quality of life. “I want to make a difference so that the world will be a better place,” she said in reflection on her work. Her most recent social work ministry was at Life’s Work of Western Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh, where she served as a job coach for 15 years. Sister Joan began active ministry in 1980 as a case worker/group facilitator for the Catholic Charities of Greensburg. In 1986, she continued her ministry in the Pittsburgh area for the remainder of her career. She was a family therapist for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh and the Parental Stress Center. In 1991, she began a six-year tenure as a medical/rehab social worker with Mercy Providence Hospital. She served as social service director at Sidney Square Convalescence Center and social service manager/worker at Wightman Health Center. Other ministries included work at UPMC Passavant and Mercy Behavioral Health. In 2018, Sister Joan expressed her gratitude for her religious life in writing to the members of her congregation, “Daily, I am ever grateful to God for being a Sister of Charity. I leave you with the words of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton: ‘Sisters of Charity! Your admirable name must excite in you every preparation to do justice to your vocation.’”
