Obituaries
Sister Joan Ann Koliss dies at 80
Sister Joan Ann Koliss, OSF, 80, died in Roxborough Memorial Hospital on July 12, 2022. She had been a professed member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia for 59 years.
Deacon James Kane of St. Francis Parish dies at 92
After service in the U.S. Army in the 1940s, Deacon Kane started an accounting and insurance business, and with his wife raised their family in Springfield, Delaware County. He was ordained a permanent deacon in 1991.
Sister Catherine Roche, Philadelphia native, dies at 97
The former Sister John Anita grew up in North Philadelphia and after attending John W. Hallahan High School, entered the Sisters of St. Joseph. She ministered in four dioceses, including the Philadelphia Archdiocese.
Franciscan Sister Anna Ahern dies at 91
Formerly Sister William Anne, O.S.F., she was a native of Ireland who entered religious life in 1950. In her 72 years as a sister, she ministered for 44 years in the Philadelphia Archdiocese.
Msgr. John O’Brien, longtime inner city pastor, dies at 89
Ordained a priest for the Philadelphia Archdiocese in 1961, the Norristown native ministered mostly in North Philadelphia parishes. He was pastor of St. Raymond Parish, where his funeral will be celebrated June 18.
Sister Kathleen Leary, writer and editor for CS&T, dies at 88
After teaching for decades, in 1985 she began a ministry writing hundreds of stories on local Catholics for The Catholic Standard and Times over 11 years. A native of Chester, she was a Sister of St. Joseph for 71 years.
Sister Jean Clare Rohe dies at 104
Sister Jean Clare Rohe, OSF, 104, the oldest member of the congregation, died in Assisi House on Monday, May 16, 2022.
Sister Ann Newell dies at 86
Sister Ann Newell, IHM, (formerly known as Sister Loyola Marie) of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died on Tuesday, May 3, 2022 at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton.
Sister Francis Paul Torre dies at 95
Sister Francis Paul ministered in three dioceses including the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Judith Ann Baehr, former CS&T journalist, dies at 76
The native of Most Blessed Sacrament Parish in Southwest Philadelphia lived a full life in education, journalism, linguistics and music, and worked at the archdiocesan newspaper and the Child Nutrition Program.