Sister Margaret C. Kiely, Op

Obituary Sister Margaret C. Kiely, OP (Mary John) Sister Margaret C. Kiely, OP (Mary John), a Dominican Sister of Tacoma, Washington died peacefully on February 15, 2011 in Montreal following a brief illness. Sister Margaret was predeceased by her parents John Kiely and Isabella McLean Kiely, her brothers John and Paul and her sister Mary. She is survived by a sister Dorothy Kiely Healy and several nieces and nephews. Sister Margaret was born on March 10, 1925, one of 5 children. She was baptized at St. Patrick Church in Tacoma and also made her First Communion and received the Sacrament of Confirmation there. She attended St. Patrick School and Aquinas Academy, graduating in 1943. She entered the Dominican Sisters of Tacoma in 1949. On January 8, 1950 she received the Dominican habit and the name of Sister Mary John of Jesus. Following her profession of vows in 1951, she began her teaching career which included schools in California and Washington. Sister Margaret attended St. Louis University before moving to Montreal, Canada to begin her doctoral studies in Clinical Psychology. She received her PhD in 1970 from the University of Montreal. She taught Psychology and did clinical work at Marianopolis College in Montreal (1967-1972); worked as a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist at the Centre d'Orientation in Montreal (1965-1976); worked as a research psychologist and did service/research projects at the Mental Hygiene Institute in Montreal (1967-1972). Sister Margaret was an Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Montreal where she had been a faculty member since 1972. She was a pioneer in the development of clinical and community psychology, bereavement research, and the promotion of creativity as a basis for teaching and learning. In 1995 Sister Margaret was invited to present her work to doctoral candidates in psychology and sociology at the University of Madrid. In 1997, Sister Margaret received from the Order of Psychologists of Quebec, the Noel-Mailloux award in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the development of psychology as a scientific, as well as professional discipline. The Canadian Society of Psychology bestowed on her in 1998 the award le prix Education et Formation for the exceptional quality of her teaching especially in the area of sociopathology. In addition to teaching, Sister Margaret was active in numerous professional and educational organizations in Canada and has served in leadership capacities more than once. She lectured extensively in Canada, the United States and abroad. She also found time to serve as a consultant to several religious communities in Canada and the United States. She gave the opening address at the first national conference of Religious Formation Directors in 1979 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Sister Margaret represented the Tacoma Dominican Community at the 150th anniversary of the Amityville Dominicans in New York. When St. Dominic encouraged his followers to "preach the Word wherever it is needed," Sister Margaret took this command seriously and throughout her years of ministry through teaching and clinical work lived out the Dominican charism. A funeral Liturgy will be celebrated in Montreal on Saturday, February 20, at 1:00 PM at the Dominican Church of St. Albert the Great. Online condolences can be left at www.gaffneycares.com. A Mass of Resurrection will be celebrated at St. Patrick Church in Tacoma on March 19. Her final resting place will be in Calvary Cemetery, Tacoma along with her other deceased Dominican Sisters. Memorial donations may be made to the Dominican Sisters Retirement Fund at 935 Fawcett Ave. S. Tacoma, WA 98402. Services are under the direction of Gaffney Funeral Home in Tacoma.