Sister Mary Michele O’Haren died August 28, 2026 in Camilla Hall, having served 78 years as a Sister, Servant of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. She was born Mary Patricia on July 20, 1931, to her parents, James and Elizabeth [Sauer] who raised her and her brothers, Thomas and James, in Annunciation Parish in Shenandoah, PA. As a child, Mary Patricia attended elementary school in the parish, graduating from Shenandoah Catholic High School in 1949.
Sister Mary Michele entered the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary September 8, 1953, receiving her habit on March 8, 1954, and professing her initial vows on March 10, 1956. In 1968 she completed her A.B. in Chemistry from Immaculata College and in 1974, earned her Master of Science in the teaching of Chemistry (M.S.T). from University of Scranton. Sister’s instructional certification occurred in Chemistry for both New Jersey and PA in 1974.
Sister Michele’s initial teaching assignment took her to St. James, Falls Church, Virginia in 1956 where she taught primary grades before moving to grade 7 in 1959. For the next several years, Sister served in various diocesan schools teaching seventh grade; her assignments were to Holy Name in Philadelphia (1962), St. Joseph, Aston (1963), Good Shepherd in Camp Hill (1964), St. Anastasia in Newtown Square (1965), and Blessed Virgin Mary in Darby (1968). A move in 1969 took Sister Michele to Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg where she applied her Chemistry degree to classes in grades 9 through 12. Continuing to teach high school Chemistry, Sister went on to work with students in Bishop Shanahan in West Chester, Immaculata in Somerville, Lourdes Regional in Shamokin, Cardinal Brennan in Fountain Springs and Marian in Tamaqua.
After several years of providing homecare for her mother, Sister Michele changed her area of ministry in 1997 to serve as a pastoral minister at Country Meadows Retirement Community. During that time, she resided at St. Peter’s Convent, Reading until 1997, and then in SS. Simon and Jude, Bethlehem until 2010. Sister Michele then moved to Camilla Hall from which community she traveled to provide hospital visitation at Chester County Hospital, West Chester, for patients from St. Agnes Parish. In January 2016, Sister Michele began her ministry of prayer and presence at Camilla Hall Infirmary.
Sister Mary Michele O’Haren’s Funeral Liturgy was celebrated at Camilla Hall on Thursday, September 3, 2026. Reverend Martin F. Kern was the celebrant.
In Sister Mary Michele O’Haren’s memory, a donation may be sent to:
Camilla Hall Nursing Home
IHM Mission Advancement Office
230 IHM Drive
Malvern, PA 19355