Sr. Margaret Mary Bell, SHCJ

Margaret Mary Bell, SHCJ

October 26, 1944 – November 11, 2026

Educator and Administrator

Rosemont, Pennsylvania – Margaret Mary Bell, a Sister of the Holy Child Jesus for 61 years, died peacefully on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at Holy Child Center. She was 82.

Reflecting on her vocation in the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, Sister Margaret Mary shared the following: “As a high school student, I could see something special about my teachers — Holy Child Sisters — and I wanted to be like them. Life has not been easy, but I love Holy Child, its people, and its ministries.”

After graduating from Holy Child Academy in Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania, Sister Margaret Mary entered the Society of the Holy Child Jesus. She made her first and final vows in 1965 and 1970, respectively. She became well known by her former religious name, Sister Mary Jacqueline.

Sister Margaret Mary dedicated her years as a Holy Child Sister to education. Her first nine years of teaching began in the Philadelphia area where she instructed students at Holy Spirit School (1967-68), St. Leonard’s Academy (1968-71), Holy Child School at Rosemont (1971-74), and Holy Child Academy in Drexel Hill (1974-76).

In 1976, she was missioned to Pasadena, California, to be head of school of Mayfield Junior School of the Holy Child Jesus. Three years later, with a master’s degree in administration, she began working at Rosemont College in Rosemont, Pennsylvania, where she served as the director of education for nearly three decades. During this time, Sister Margaret Mary chaired and served on several of the college’s faculty committees and was an active member of state-wide organizations that focused on developing and conducting peer reviews of teacher certification programs.

Throughout her ministries, Sister Margaret Mary developed a skill for technology, which was called upon in her role as the American Province director of technology for several years. She also dedicated herself to caring for her parents.

Mary Broderick, SHCJ, and Carroll Juliano, SHCJ, longtime friends and fellow alumnae of Holy Child Academy in Sharon Hill, shared this about Sister Margaret Mary: “Peggy was a dedicated, energetic, and active person who always pushed herself to be her best self, whether it be in education, technology, teaching, or sports.”

Sister Margaret Mary received a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education and a Master of Arts in Administration from Villanova University in 1971 and 1977, respectively. In 1989, she earned her doctorate in education from Syracuse University.

She joins her beloved parents, James and Mary (Laing) Bell; her brother, James, and sister-in-law, Frances; and her niece, Patricia, in eternal rest. She is survived by her nephew, Michael, and her grandnieces and grandnephews.

Friends and family are invited to a prayer service of remembrance on Sunday, November 15, 2026, at 4:00 p.m., and a Mass of Christian Burial on Monday, November 16, 2026, at 11:00 a.m., at Holy Child Chapel, 1341 Montgomery Avenue, Rosemont, Pennsylvania 19010. Preceding Mass, friends and family are welcome to attend the viewing at 10:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to the Society of the Holy Child Jesus – American Province, 1341 Montgomery Avenue, Rosemont, PA 19010, or made online at www.shcj.org/american/donate.