SISTER LAVERNE CASSIDY, SC, age 87, died at Caritas Christi, the motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill in Greensburg, on November 19, 2017. A native of East Pittsburgh, Sister Laverne entered the congregation on September 8, 1954, from St. William Parish, East Pittsburgh. Preceded in death by her parents, John P. and Mary Ellen (Connor) Cassidy, two brothers, William J. and John B. and a sister, Bernice Cassidy, she is survived by nieces, nephews, and cousins. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business education and a master’s degree in guidance from Duquesne University. Sister Laverne began her teaching career with elementary students in the dioceses of Greensburg, Phoenix and Pittsburgh. She then taught students on the secondary level in schools of the Greensburg, Pittsburgh and Tucson dioceses. In 1981, Sister Laverne was elected to the general administrative council for the Sisters of Charity, a position she held until 1989, when she was named the treasurer of the congregation. She served as treasurer until 1993, and then ministered as co-manager of Beechview Manor, an apartment complex for senior citizens. In 1999, Sister Laverne was assigned as a pastoral minister for Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Scottsdale, AZ. In 2001, she returned to Greensburg and volunteered her services in the human resource department and the gift shop at Caritas Christi. Approachable, generous, and fun-loving, Sister Laverne reflected, “In all my ministries, I experienced God’s loving and merciful care. I hope that, in some small way, I have made his presence a reality in the lives of those to whom I ministered. May the Charity of Christ continue to urge us!”
