Sr. Marguerite Torre
-
1929 - 2022August 28, 1929 - May 28, 2022
Growing up in Marine Park, Brooklyn, religious life was the furthest thing from young Josephine Torre’s mind. Along with her four siblings, Josephine attended the local public schools and recalled being a tomboy in her youth.
Upon graduating from high school, Josephine followed in her sister’s footsteps and began working for the New York Telephone Company and soon accompanied a work friend, Elsie, to an event being held by the Ursuline Sisters. While there, she was drawn by the welcoming nature and hospitality of the Ursuline community, and she began to hear God “whispering” to her. Two years later, Josephine entered the Ursulines and became Sr. Marguerite, a name chosen to honor her mother who possessed what Sister described as “tremendous interior strength”.
Although she originally set out to minister in social work, Sr. Marguerite entered the teaching ministry and surprised even herself by how much she loved it from the very start. While she taught at Our Lady of Grace, Our Lady of Victory, St. Dominic High School, Holy Family High School, and St. Francis Prep, Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary School was, in her own words, her “heart and soul”.
Sr. Marguerite taught at Nativity on two separate occasions – it was her second teaching assignment in 1955 and then again while serving as Superior from 1969 to 1971. Years later, she returned to serve as Principal. While she embraced the opportunity to return to the Nativity community, she was initially reluctant to give up daily teaching to become Principal – a role she quickly embraced and excelled in. Leading the school for 27 years, Sr. Marguerite modernized the school’s technology and reinvigorated the school’s fundraising efforts. She had a deep love for the students and families of Nativity – many of whom she kept in contact with until her death. Sr. Marguerite also became a local celebrity as the New York Yankees’ number one fan and would often celebrate their wins with the Nativity community.
Known for her deep faith and ministry of prayer – former students often recall watching her during her daily walks of the schoolyard as she prayed the Rosary no matter the weather – Sr. Marguerite expanded this ministry in her retirement. She would often hand-write upwards of 40 notes a week for people she was praying for, especially “her sick” and continued this practice until she became ill last week.
Sr. Marguerite was a friend to everyone she encountered – even Mets fans. She is predeceased by her parents, Joseph and Margaret, her sister, Rae, and brothers Rocco and Frank, and survived by her brother, Joe, and her beloved nieces and nephews, especially her nephew, Michael, who she lived with in Florida for many years.
At the time of her death, Sr. Marguerite had been an Ursuline Sister of Tildonk for 72-years.
Sr. Marguerite’s wake will be held on Friday, June 3rd from 4pm to 7pm followed by a funeral mass on Saturday, June 4th at 10:45am. Both the wake and funeral will be held at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Ozone Park, NY.
The funeral mass will be live-streamed on the parish's website: Nativity BVM/St. Stanislaus
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Ursuline Sisters of Tildonk Retirement Fund in Sr. Marguerite’s name by clicking here
