Posted October 15, 2026

Sister Mary Grace Fertal died in Camilla Hall on September 30, 2026, having served for 69 years as a Sister, Servant of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  Born Saturday, November 4, 1939 in Swedeland, PA, she was named Helen after her mother She was raised by her parents, Andrew and Helen (Kundek) Fertal; her father was a local native, while her mother had emigrated from Czechoslovakia, settling in the area alongside many others drawn to work in the surrounding industries.

Growing up in Bridgeport, PA, Helen attended Our Mother of Sorrows School, which was then a historic Slovak Roman Catholic parish. In 1953, she entered St. Patrick High School in Norristown, PA, a combined elementary and secondary parish school that closed in 1955 as enrollment outgrew the facility. Helen then transferred to the new Bishop Kenrick High School in Norristown, graduating  in 1957. The following February, she entered the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, becoming a postulant just a month before the congregation broke ground for Camilla Hall in March 1958. On August 15, 1958, she received her habit as an IHM Sister along with her religious name, Sister Mary Grace, and professed her initial vows on August 16, 1960.

Sister Mary Grace’s first assignment was a prelude of things to come, as she was assigned to teach first grade at St. Eugene School in Primos. From that initial connection, Sister would spend the rest of her teaching career working with the “little ones.” In preparation for that, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Theology from Immaculata College in 1968 and her certification in Elementary Education from the Commonwealth of PA in 1977. After five years teaching at Primos, Sister moved to Holy Family Parish in Harrisburg, and then in 1971 to teach combined first and second grades at St. Agnes School, Sellersville. Her next five assignments were to various schools, but always teaching first graders.  She served in succession at St. Matthew, Philadelphia; St. Aloysius Academy in Bryn Mawr; and three additional  Philadelphia parish schools: St. Richard in South Philadelphia, St. Clement in Southwest Philadelphia, and St. Joan of Arc in the Harrowgate section of the city.

In 1992, while remaining at St. Joan of Arc, Sister Mary Grace transitioned to Director of the parish CCD program, a position she held until 2004.  At that point, Sister moved to Camilla Hall to serve on the infirmary staff for the next 16 years while residing at Pacis Hall.  In 2020, Sister entered Camilla Hall as a full-time resident.

In addition to her IHM community, a number of nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews survive Sister Mary Grace. Sister Mary Grace was preceded in death by her parents, Andrew Fertal and Helen (Kudek) Fertal, her sister Mary Ann Brzoska (Francis), her brothers Albert Phlip Fertal (Lorraine), Andrew Peter Fertal (Joanie) and Joseph Stephen Fertal (Patricia).

Reverend Francis E. Chambers, O.S.A. celebrated Sister Mary Grace Fertal’s Funeral Liturgy at Camilla Hall on Thursday, October 8, 2026.

In Sister Mary Grace Fertal’s memory, a donation may be sent to:

Camilla Hall Nursing Home
IHM Mission Advancement Office
230 IHM Drive
Malvern, PA 19355