Sister Maria Mercedes (Miguel) Gomez, RSHM, died peacefully at Phelps Memorial Hospital, Tarrytown, NY, on Tuesday, August 13, 2024. She was 91 years of age and had been a member of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary for 67 years.
Maria Mercedes Gomez, the youngest of four boys and four girls, was born in Boyaca, Colombia, on January 14, 1933, to Leonidas Gomez and Transito Campos.
She entered the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary in Colombia and several months later came to the RSHM Novitiate in Tarrytown, NY, on September 9, 1954. She made her first vows on August 26, 1956, in Butler Memorial Chapel, Marymount, Tarrytown, where she later made her final vows on August 25, 1961.
After making her first vows, Sister Maria Mercedes remained in Tarrytown where she worked with the students as a member of the support staff at Marymount Secondary School and then at Marymount College (1956-1961). She continued this ministry when she went back to Colombia in 1961. She served at Marymount School, Bogota (1961-1965) and Marymount School, Barranquilla (1965-1968). In addition to her duties as support staff in the schools, she became involved in the RSHM ministries to the poor in the area.
Her full-time ministry with the poor in Colombia took her to Medellin (1968-1969), Barranquilla
(1969-1970), Cartagena (1970-1973) and Florencia, Caqueta in the Amazon region of Colombia
(1973-1979). This ministry included teaching religion, preparing children and adults for
sacraments, teaching kindergarten and other grades, working with families, and visiting the
elderly and sick.
Commenting on her years of ministry, Sister Maria Mercedes said, “Our RSHM mission in Florencia holds a special place in my memories. My first work there was with the kindergarten children. I loved the children and I dearly loved their parents. They truly appreciated the sisters and were so grateful for all we did.”
When Sister Maria Mercedes left Colombia, she went to Sag Harbor, NY, where she joined the staff of Cormaria Retreat House (1979-1987). She moved to Tarrytown in 1988 to help the retired sisters living in Marymount Convent. She worked in the kitchen, drove the sisters to medical appointments, and faithfully tended her rose gardens. Sister Maria Mercedes was a member of Marymount Convent Community at the time of her death.
She is survived by her niece, Cecilia Rueda de Ortega, and by the members of her religious
family.
Services will be held at Marymount Convent, 32 Warren Avenue, Tarrytown, NY. Visiting on Monday, August 19, from 4:00 – 7:00 pm, followed by a Vigil Service at 7:00 pm. Mass of Christian Burial on Tuesday, August 20, at 10:30 am. Burial Mount Calvary Cemetery, White Plains.
We invite you to join us for the Vigil Service and Mass at Marymount Convent or by livestream
on our website (www.rshm-east.org), where they will be archived.
In lieu of flowers, gifts in her name may be made to Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, 50
Wilson Park Drive, Tarrytown, NY, 10591.