Sister Maria Josephine D'Angelo, R.S.M., 88, a member of the Mid-Atlantic Community of the Sisters of Mercy, died Tuesday at Mercy Center, Dallas, Pa.
She was born in Philadelphia, daughter of the late Joseph and Lucy (Caruso) D'Angelo.
Surviving are three siblings: Patricia Schneider of Deerfield Beach, Fla., Joseph of Bradenton, Fla., and John of Warrington; nieces and nephews; and her Sisters of Mercy family.
She was preceded in death by a sister, Sister Maria Regina D'Angelo, R.S.M.
Sister Maria Josephine graduated from South Philadelphia High School for Girls and obtained a bachelor's degree from Moore Institute of Art, Philadelphia. She received a master's degree in fine arts from Notre Dame University. While her background was in traditional painting, she acquired an appreciation for abstract art while at Notre Dame.
Sister Maria Josephine entered the Sisters of Mercy on Sept. 8, 1948, and took her vows on March 12, 1951. She was assigned to Mount Aloysius, where she witnessed many changes, from the days of the all-women Mount Aloysius Junior College, through the move to co-educational status in 1968, and then through the transition to the four-year institution known today as Mount Aloysius College.
Her greatest cultural contribution to the Cresson region was the Mount Aloysius Art Alliance, which she founded in 1989. In 2001, she was recognized by the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art with its Service to the Arts Award for her impact on the development of art in the region. In 2006, she became an active member of the prayer ministry at Mercy Center, where she continued support to her students through prayer.
Friends will be received from 5 to 7 p.m. today at Charles M. Kennedy Funeral Home, Cresson. Committal service with interment will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012, at Sisters of Mercy Cemetery, Mount Aloysius College, Cresson.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in memory of Sister Maria Josephine may be made to the General Scholarship Fund, Mount Aloysius College, 7373 Admiral Peary Highway, Cresson, PA 16630; or to Mercy Center, P.O. Box 370, Dallas, PA 18612.
