After a short time as an elementary school teacher at Blessed Sacrament in New Rochelle and Notre Dame in Malone, N.Y., Sr. Phyllis’ primary ministry was at the service of The College of New Rochelle for nearly 40 years as a faculty member in the departments of Religious Studies, Women’s Studies, and Gerontology.

Sr. Phyllis was active in many spiritual and ecumenical endeavors: as retreat team associate at the Passionist Spirituality Center, member of the Inter-religious Council in the city of New Rochelle, and as a board member of the Committee on Interreligious and Ecumenical Affairs for the New York Archdiocese. She also served the Ursuline Community in a variety of leadership positions and spent sabbaticals in Israel, Italy, Southeast Asia and Brazil.

Sister Phyllis is survived by many devoted nieces and nephews, her sister-in-law Jayne, and her faithful friend, Mary McGee. A private burial will be at Gate of Heaven Cemetery on June 19. Due to the Pandemic a Memorial Mass will be celebrated at a later date.

Donations in memory of Sr. Phyllis may be mailed to the Ursuline Retirement Fund at 1338 North Avenue, New Rochelle, N.Y or online.

Sr. Mary was born to Ann O’Brien and James Boyan in New Rochelle NY in 1925. Her parents and her brother Jim predeceased her.  Along with her Ursuline sisters, she is survived by her sister-in-law, Maureen Boyan, her nieces, Tara Gallagher, Darcy Bonaviso, Maura Toglia, Sheila Rogers and their families.

Known to many as Mother Theophane, Sr. Mary entered the Ursulines shortly after graduating from the College of New Rochelle in 1946.  After earning an M.A. in French from Fordham University, Sr. Mary began her ministry spanning six decades – all in New Rochelle.  Sr. Mary began teaching at Blessed Sacrament Elementary School and is fondly remembered by her “eighth grade boys.”  Sr. Mary went on to a 34-year tenure in the French Department at the College of New Rochelle.  Sr. Mary enriched her knowledge of French with summer studies at Laval University in Quebec, and in France at the Institute Catholique, the Sorbonne, the Universities of Poitiers and Grenoble.  In addition to her teaching duties, Sr. Mary held numerous positions including Class Advisor, Yearbook Advisor, Residence Hall director, and served on institutional committees including the College Senate.

Sr. Mary Boyan held leadership positions in St. Teresa’s community and the Provincialate.  She remained involved with the College as a volunteer in Campus Ministry and as a founding member of the Ursuline Institute.  Sr. Mary served as a volunteer teacher at Hope Community Center and the Adult Learning Center, as well as coordinator of the Ursuline Associates at St. Teresa’s.

Because of the COVID-19 crisis, there will not be a wake or funeral for Sr Mary.  Burial will be private, and a Memorial Mass will be celebrated at a later date.

Donations in Sr Mary’s name may be made to the Ursuline Sisters’ Retirement Fund, 1338 North Ave., New Rochelle, NY 10804 or online.

Lloyd Maxcy and Sons, Beauchamp Chapel, is in charge of arrangements.

Sr Mary Jane’s accomplishments span decades at CNR and beyond. As art professor she enriched the lives of students and the entire college community for forty years, teaching modern art, philosophy of art, ceramics, sculpture, and weaving. After studying weaving on a sabbatical in Finland, Sr. Mary Jane created the campus weaving studio. A subsequent sabbatical took her to Botswana to teach wood carving to the bushmen of the Kalahari, so they could sell their works at market. She also studied Islamic Art at NYU, the Art of India at Columbia University, and Celtic Art in France and Ireland. After retiring from classroom teaching at CNR, Sr. Mary Jane served as Artist-in-Residence for some 15 years.

Sr. Mary Jane was instrumental in establishing the Castle Gallery at CNR, where she served as a member of the Board for many years. She also served on numerous art-related committees, the Ursuline Institute, and Ursuline Association for Higher Education, and on the board of the Ursuline School. Sister is probably best known for the life-size wooden sculpture of St. Angela Merici, founder of the Ursuline Sisters, which formerly was at Holy Family Chapel at the College of New Rochelle and now is in the chapel at the Ursuline Province Center.

While living at Andrus, Sr. Mary Jane served as an officer of the Residents’ Council and offered workshops in art for residents.
Because of the COVID-19 crisis, there will not be a wake or funeral for Sr. Mary Jane. Burial will be private and a Memorial Mass will be celebrated at a later date.

Donations in Sr. Mary Jane’s name may be made to the Ursuline Sisters’ Retirement Fund, 1338 North Ave., New Rochelle, NY 10804 or online. Lloyd Maxcy is in charge of arrangements.