Sr. Beatrice Sweeney, fmm

Sr. Beatrice Sweeney entered the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary at North Providence, RI September 18, 1949. In 1952, after making her first profession, Sister Beatrice went to Emmanuel College. During summer vacation time, she was missioned to Camp St. Helene in the Catskills where she served in charge of a unit for children in the New York area.

After graduation, Sister Beatrice was sent in mission to teach in Espiritu Santo School in Fall River. She pronounced her final vows March 19, 1955.

In 1958, she was sent in mission to Malaysia. Her various ministries in Malaysia, Australia and the United States were Religious Education, teaching, administration, secretary and local coordinator.

Her present ministry is that of suffering and prayer for the Church and the world.

In 1958, Sister Beatrice sailed from New York aboard the S.S. Independence bound for Naples and Singapore, where she worked for a short while at the Catholic Center training laymen for catechetics. By 1959, Sister Beatrice was on her way to Kuantan, Malaysia, to become Principal of a government aided Assunta Primary School. This proved to be a job for a person of many talents as Sister was to discover that the school was open while not yet completely built, and she became administrator and teacher, as well as house mother to 30 boarding students.

In 1963 Sister Beatrice was sent to Sydney for medical care and there learned she would not be able to return to the tropical climate. From 1963 to 1965, she served as a much-needed science teacher for St. Agnes High School in Rooty Hill , Australia. Almost immediately she was able to rig up an award winning science exhibit that assured the school accreditation and a much-needed grant to better equip the department. Sister Beatrice returned to studies in 1965 and obtained the Australian diploma of education and was subsequently appointed school Principal at Rooty Hill.

From 1970 to 1972, Sister Beatrice served as Provincial to Sister Dora, then Provincial of Australia, and only briefly returned to teaching in Palm Island before being sent in mission to the United States.

She was appointed Provincial Secretary until this ministry was interrupted by serious illness. After many months of convalescence, Sr. Beatrice was appointed as local coordinator of St. Anthony’s community in Fall River.

After completing her term as local coordinator, she was sent in mission to Kennedy Memorial Day School, in Brighton where her ministry was Pastoral care and Special Religious Education.

In 1983, she received a Master in Pastoral Studies at Loyola University in Chicago.

From 1983 to 1990 her ministry once again was in Pastoral Ministry and Special Religious Education in the Kennedy Memorial Day School program in Brighton.

Her present ministry is that of suffering and prayer for the Church and the world.