Sister Grace M. Messarge, SSND
May 23, 1933 – October 4, 2021
Born on May 23, 1933 in Phoenixville, Pa., Grace Marian was the first of two daughters born to Stephen and Grace Riccio Messarge. Grace was baptized in St. Ann’s Church, Phoenixville. A few years later, the family moved to Mt. Carmel, Pa., a borough in the coal country of Pennsylvania. As there was no Catholic school, Grace and her sister, Elizabeth, attended public school.
When she was twelve years old, Grace met the Sisters of St. Basil, who taught religious education. She also joined the Sodality of Our Lady. In her autobiography, Grace relates, “When God first inspired me with the thought of following Him, I cannot say, but by the end of my freshman year in high school, I was fairly sure I wanted to be a religious.”
Grace’s journey to the School Sisters of Notre Dame continues: “Early in my sophomore year, I heard the story of Mother Caroline and the first SSNDs in America on the radio program ‘Ave Maria Hour.’ I wrote to the Baltimore motherhouse and received literature on the congregation.”
After learning about the Juniorate in Fort Lee, N.J., Grace applied and completed her high school education there. Grace received the bonnet at St. Michael’s Church in Sunbury, Pa., the closest SSND mission to her home. A week later, Candidate Grace returned to Sunbury to teach the children of St. Michael’s School.
Received as a novice on July 8, 1953, Grace was given the name Sister Mary Stephanus. She professed her first vows on July 29, 1954 and was missioned to teach first grade at St. Mary School, Annapolis, Md.
Sister Grace taught for several years in primary/elementary classes, then became a teacher of French. She was also an administrator at Archbishop Keough and St. Maria Goretti High Schools in Maryland and at Madonna Academy, which later became Chaminade-Madonna High School, in Hollywood, Florida. Grace spent six years as an ESL teacher at the Instituto Notre Dame in Honduras. After a sabbatical in 2007, she volunteered as a receptionist at Villa Assumpta.
Sister Grace’s education includes a Bachelor of Arts with a major in French from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland (now Notre Dame of Maryland University) in 1969 and a Master of Education in Education Management from Loyola College (now University) in 1976. She was a student at the American University of Paris in Paris, France in 1985 and at the University of South Florida, Tampa from 1995-96.
In retirement, Grace assisted in assembling mailings and performed other secretarial tasks. She was very exact in all she did and sought to do it with “no mistakes!”
Grace was constantly seeking ways to learn. She kept current with world affairs as she read the entire daily newspaper. Reading was also her relaxation, and she was an avid reader. She usually read nonfiction but was a fan of the Harry Potter novels and read every one. Grace could often be seen enjoying her book under a tree near the entrance of Villa Assumpta.
Grace enjoyed a good time and loved music. She had a lovely second soprano voice. Grace’s funeral Mass concluded with one of her favorite hymns, “All is Well with My Soul.”
Sister Grace died at Stella Maris Nursing Home, Timonium, Md. on October 4, 2021. The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated in the chapel of Villa Assumpta on Wed., Oct. 13. Interment followed at the Villa Maria Cemetery, Glen Arm Rd., Glen Arm Md.
Sister Grace was pre-deceased by her sister, Elizabeth Platt. She is survived by a niece and nephews.
- By Sister Jeanne Hildenbrand, SSND
