Sr. Elizabeth Ann "Liz" Clarke, SHCJ

Elizabeth Ann (Liz) Clarke, SHCJ

September 26, 1935 – June 29, 2025

Educator, Pastoral Care Minister

Rosemont, Pennsylvania – Elizabeth Ann (Liz) Clarke, a Sister of the Holy Child Jesus for 64 years, died peacefully on Monday, June 30, 2025, at the age of 89.

Sister Liz, known for her quiet and gentle disposition, was strong in faith, fiercely loyal, and possessed a remarkable memory and sense of humor. She was a wonderful caretaker to all, including Chloe, her cat of 17 years.

Sister Liz deeply believed in the power of prayer. If she promised to pray for someone, she did so faithfully and would later check in on the person, never forgetting the details of her or his prayer request. Many who knew Sister Liz considered their relationship with her a precious gift. Her friend Beth Allen shared, “Sister Liz was amazing and an inspiration. Although she was unable to see or hear very well, she showed genuine concern for me and for others. We all felt it. I’m so grateful to have known her.”

Sister Liz first met the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus as a student at Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child in Summit, New Jersey. Her admiration for the Sisters led her to enroll at Rosemont College, which the Holy Child Sisters founded in 1921. After completing her first year at Rosemont, she entered the Society of the Holy Child Jesus in 1953. Unfortunately, Sister Liz left the Society’s Novitiate in 1955 for health reasons and returned home.

After regaining her health, Sister Liz re-entered the Society in 1959, made her final vows in 1966, and became well known by her religious name, Mother Emmanuel Mary. Reflecting on her vocation, Sister Liz said that she felt “doubly blessed and grateful to the Society for being given a second chance.”

Throughout her 25 years as an educator and school administrator, Sister Liz served at her alma mater, Oak Knoll School (1961-63; 1964-67; 1977-85); Holy Child Academy in Old Westbury, New York (1963-64 and 1967-71); and Saint Elizabeth School in New York City (1971-77).

In 1988, when her father became ill, Sister Liz returned to Massachusetts to live closer to her parents. She began teaching at the Armenian Sisters Academy in Lexington, Massachusetts, and continued to care for her parents until their passing.

After a sabbatical in 1998, Sister Liz moved to Rockport, Massachusetts, where she volunteered in the healthcare ministry at her parish. The Archdiocese of Boston recognized her service with the Chevrus Award for her contributions to the parish in a “quiet, unassuming, and perhaps unrecognized fashion.”

Sister Liz earned a Bachelor of Education in psychology from Newton College of the Sacred Heart in 1959 and a Master of Education in 1973 from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

She is reunited in eternal rest with her parents, Frank and Kathleen (Keefe). She survived by her best friend Donna Lambert, priest-friend Reverend Ronald Gariboldi, and the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus.

Friends and family are invited to a Prayer of Remembrance on Thursday, July 10, 2025, at 4:00 p.m., and a Mass of Christian Burial on Friday, June 11, at 11:00 a.m. Both services will be at Holy Child Chapel, 1341 Montgomery Avenue, Rosemont, Pennsylvania 19010. Preceding Mass, friends and family are welcome to attend the visitation beginning at 10:00 a.m.

If you would like to virtually attend Sister Liz’s Funeral Mass, please email holychildsisters@shcj.org. A link will be sent to you within 24 hours of the Mass.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to the Society of the Holy Child Jesus – American Province, 1341 Montgomery Avenue, Rosemont, Pennsylvania 19041, or made online at https://www.shcj.org/american/donate.