Sr. Isabel MacEachern

Sr. Isabel MacEachern, 75, formerly Sr. John Maria, a Sister of St. Martha of Antigonish, died at Bethany, the motherhouse of the congregation, on Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012, in the 52nd year of her religious life.
Sr. Isabel was the oldest in a family of 10 children born to the late John Alex and Mary (MacEachern) MacEachern of Glendale, Inverness County, N.S.
Sr. Isabel received her junior diploma in education from St. Francis Xavier University in 1956 and taught school for two years prior to entering the Sisters of St. Martha. She raised her licence to TC 5 by attending summer schools and, in 1972, Sister received her bachelor of arts and bachelor of education degrees from St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish. In 1974, she received her diploma in religious education from the Divine Word Institute in London, Ont., and in 1984, her masters degree in religious education from LaSalle College, Philadelphia, Pa.
Sr. Isabel entered the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Martha on Aug. 15, 1958. She pronounced her first temporary vows on Aug. 15, 1960, and her perpetual vows on Aug. 15, 1965.
Her years of ministry in education brought her to St. Mary’s Convent, East Bay, St. Theresa’s Convent, Margaree, Villa Madonna, Bras d’Or, and St. Ann’s Convent, Guysborough. After her studies in religious education, Sr. Isabel became religious education co-ordinator in the following places: Christ the King Parish in Trenton, the Northside Deanery area in Cape Breton and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in North Kamloops, B.C. Sr. Isabel also served as pastoral worker in St. Paul’s River on the Lower North Shore of Quebec for five years. She ministered as outreach co-ordinator and spiritual director at Bethany Retreat Centre in Antigonish for nine years, and as spiritual and program director at Martha Retreat Centre in Lethbridge, Alta., for four years. Sr. Isabel returned to Bethany in 2009.
Besides her parents, Sr. Isabel was predeceased by three brothers, Angus Bernard, Douglas Gerard, and Lawrence Gerard.
She is survived by one brother, John Alexander and by six sisters, Frances Lorraine Kneier, Helen Rosalind, Irene Elizabeth, Jessie Mielke, Kathleen MacDonald, and Mary T. MacMaster.
The remains will be resting at Bethany, beginning Friday, Aug. 3, 2012, at 1:15 p.m. A Celebration of Vigil will be held on the same evening at 7:30 p.m. Liturgy of Christian Burial will take place Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012, at 2 p.m. in Bethany Chapel.
Arrangements are under the direction of  C.L. Curry Funeral Home, Antigonish.
Online condolences: www.clcurry.com.