Sister Roberta Marie Mattox died in Camilla Hall on Monday, April 29, 2024 three days shy of her 90th birthday.
Elizabeth Mattox was born on May 2, 1934. Sister’s parents Robert and Elizabeth raised their family of one boy and three girls in St. Clement Parish in Philadelphia before moving to St. Andrew Parish in Drexel Hill.
Elizabeth attended St. Clement Elementary School (1940-1948) and West Catholic High School for Girls (1948-1952). After Elizabeth entered the Community she earned her A.B. degree in English from Immaculata and an M.A. degree in Religious Studies from St. Charles Seminary.
Elizabeth entered the Congregation on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, February 11, 1953; she received her habit and her religious name Sister Roberta Marie on the Feast of the Assumption, August 15, 1953, and professed First Vows on August 15, 1955.
Sister Roberta’s ministry of teaching children in grades 1, 5, 6, 7 & 8 began in the fall of 1955 and continued until the school year ended in 1986. Sister taught children in St. Thomas More Arlington, VA; Our Lady of Fatima Cornwells Heights; St. Patrick Norristown; Sacred Heart West Reading; Assumption Feasterville, St. Ann Phoenixville; Good Shepherd Philadelphia; St. Peter Elizabethtown; Our Lady of Angels Philadelphia; St. Gabriel Philadelphia; St. Cecilia Philadelphia; St. Dorothy Drexel Hill; Holy Family Philadelphia; and Our Lady of Grace Somerdale, NJ.
In the fall of 1986, Sister Roberta volunteered her service to our Sisters in Camilla Hall. Sister was a faithful Staff member until August 1989.
In 1989 through July 1994, Sister went to St. Anastasia Parish in Newtown Square as the Director of Religious Education followed by the same ministerial service at St. John of the Cross Parish in Roslyn for two years.
In August 1996, Sister Roberta was invited to serve at St. Athanasius Parish as a Pastoral Care Minister to the people in the parish. Sister served at St. Athanasius in this capacity for the next thirteen years.
Sister next served at Our Lady of Charity Parish in Brookhaven as Assistant Director of Religious Education through July 2011.
Sister Roberta worked diligently in the rectory office at St. Francis de Sales in Philadelphia for one year; then Sister was invited to serve as the receptionist at Little Flower High School for the next nine years. Sister was very much ‘at home’ at Little Flower – the girls loved her, so did all who crossed her path. In February 2021 Sister Roberta Mattox joined the Apostolate of Prayer Community at Camilla Hall where she continued to serve faithfully and prayerfully until her death on Monday, April 29, 2024. God rest her beautiful soul.
Sister Roberta is survived by her IHM Community of Sisters, her sister Jean (Mattox) Priniski, brother-in-law Denis and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. Sister is predeceased in death by her parents Robert M. Mattox and Elizabeth (Maylum) Mattox, her brother Robert W. Mattox (Victorine) and her sister Barbara (Mattox) Reed (Arthur).
Most Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz (Homilist) and Reverend Michael Callaghan concelebrated Sister Roberta Marie’s Funeral Mass on Monday, May 6, 2024 at 10:30 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to:
Camilla Hall Nursing Home
IHM Mission Advancement Office
230 IHM Drive
Malvern, PA 19355