Posted April 30, 2025

Sister Mary Catherine Lewandowski, OSF (formerly Sister Anne Christi), 84, died in Assisi House on April 30, 2025. She had been a professed member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia for 63 years. Sister Mary Catherine was born in Baltimore, Maryland, where she was a member of St. Clare Parish and a graduate of The Catholic High School of Baltimore. She entered the congregation in 1959 and professed her first vows in 1962. Sister Mary Catherine earned a BA in English and a BS in Biology from Neumann University. She also earned an MA in Education from Towson University. She ministered primarily in education and, in later years, in parish ministry.

Sister Mary Catherine ministered for 43 years in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. She taught at Immaculate Conception School in Towson and served as principal of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School in Middle River and of The Catholic High School of Baltimore. In later years, she returned to Catholic High as a volunteer. Sister Mary Catherine’s work in parish ministry included serving as a pastoral associate at the Church of the Ascension in Halethorpe and as an office assistant at St. Dominic Church in Baltimore.

Sister Mary Catherine’s 21 years of ministry in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia included teaching at Our Lady of Consolation School in Philadelphia and at Lansdale Catholic High School. She served as formation director for the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, and during that time, was based in Aston, Pennsylvania. In 2015, she became a resident of Assisi House, serving in prayer and hospitality ministry until her death.

All services will be held in Assisi House, 600 Red Hill Road, Aston, Pennsylvania, 19014, on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, and will be livestreamed. A Christian Wake Service will be held at 9:30 A.M., followed by a viewing. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 A.M. Burial will be in Our Lady of Angels Cemetery in Aston. Sister Mary Catherine is survived by her sister, Margaret Hoffmaster, her nieces and nephew, and by her Franciscan family. Donations in her name can be made to the Sisters of St. Francis Foundation, 609 S. Convent Road, Aston, PA 19014.