Sister, Servant of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Rita D. Cody, formerly Sister Patrick Marita, died Sept. 20 in Camilla Hall, Immaculata. She was 78.
Born in Darby, she entered the Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1953 from Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Darby. She professed her first vows in 1955.
She received a bachelor’s degree from Immaculata University and taught in elementary schools and served at pastoral minster at parishes in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and in the Dioceses of Allentown; San Jose, Calif. and Metuchen, N.J. From 2001 until Jan. 2011 she served as a pastoral caregiver at Holy Innocents Parish. After that she was assigned to Camilla Hall to the apostolate of prayer.
She was predeceased by her parents, Patrick James and Mary Dorothy Smith Cody; three brothers, Patrick James, Joseph C. and Thomas K.; and three sisters, Mary Pelligrino. Kathryn Desmond and Grace Rogers.
A funeral Mass was celebrated at Camilla Hall Sept. 24.
She is survived by a sister, Alicia Schmidt, and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews, as well as members of her community.
Share this story