Ursuline Sister of Louisville Mary Brendan Conlon died July 16 at Nazareth Home-Clifton. She was 93 and had been an Ursuline Sister since 1946.
Sister Conlon, a native of Cumberland, Md., served as a social activist and as an educator in Kentucky, Nebraska, Maryland and West Virginia.
Sister Conlon’s teaching ministry began in the Archdiocese of Louisville in 1948 at Sacred Heart Model School. She also taught at St. Elizabeth School and Ursuline Academy. She taught at Sacred Heart Academy from 1956 to 1967.
In 1994, Sister Conlon founded Christian Help of Mingo County, W.Va., which continues to serve the needy. She served as director of the agency until her retirement in 2010.
In the late 1980s, Sister Conlon served as a Witness for Peace delegate in Managua, Nicaragua, for eight months.
She was also active in protests for justice and peace, including at the annual gathering at Fort Benning, Ga., which calls for the closing of the School of the Americas military training facility.
Sister Conlon served her community in leadership from 1968 to 1970 and as director of communication from 1969 to 1971. In her later years, Sister Conlon served as a volunteer at St. John Center, Doors to Hope, the Correctional Institution for Women in Shelby County, Ky., and as an English instructor for Catholic Charities
She was the recipient of several awards, including the 1993 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award from the West Virginia University Center for Black Culture and Research.
Sister Conlon is survived by several nieces, nephews and members of her religious congregation and associates.
Visitation will be July 25 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Motherhouse Library on the Ursuline campus. A vigil will begin at 7 p.m.
The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. July 26 in the Motherhouse Chapel and will be live-streamed to the Ursuline Sisters’ facebook page. Burial will follow in St. Michael Cemetery. Individuals who are not vaccinated are required to wear a mask.
Expressions of sympathy may be made to Christian Help of Mingo County, P.O. Box 1257, Kermit, W.Va., 25674, or to the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville, Mission Advancement Office, 3115 Lexington Road, Louisville, Ky., 40206.
