Sister Mary Raymond, 82, a Felician Sister for 64 years, died at Garden Gate Health Care Facility, Cheektowaga, NY, on December 30, 2022. The former Rosalie Kasprzak was born on September 9, 1940, in Buffalo, NY to Chester and Anne (Wojtaszak) Kasprzak, and was a member of St. Adalbert Parish. She entered the Buffalo Province of the Felician Sisters on August 22, 1958, and professed perpetual vows on August 16, 1966. After graduating from Immaculate Heart of Mary Academy, Buffalo, NY, Sister Raymond earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Medaille College, Buffalo, NY, and a Master of Science in Education and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Awarded Honorary Degrees include a Doctor of Humanities at Madonna University, Livonia, MI, and Doctor of Humane Letters at Felician College, Lodi, NJ.
Sister Raymond began her ministry teaching on the elementary level at St. Hyacinth School, Lackawanna, NY, and St. Stanislaus Kostka School in Binghamton, NY. For seven years, she was involved in teaching at the secondary level at the former Bishop Gibbons High School, North Tonawanda, NY. In 1973, Sister began her ministry at Villa Maria College of Buffalo as Director of Student Services, Vice-President for Student Affairs and Vice-President for Academic Affairs. Active in education, Sister Raymond served on the Board of Catholic Education, and as Consultant for School Consolidations and Regionalization for the Diocese of Buffalo.
Sister Raymond began a long ministry in various Community leadership roles in 1982 when she was elected to the Provincial Administration of Immaculate Heart of Mary Province, serving as Director of Ministry. For Sister Raymond, leadership was “about service and about going to others out of love, what we, as consecrated religious women, have received from the One who loved us first.” In 1988, she was elected as Vicar General of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Felix of Cantalice in Rome, Italy. It was during this time, in 1993, that Blessed Mary Angela Truszkowska, Foundress of the Felician Sisters, was beatified. Sister Raymond played an integral part in the beatification process and wrote a book, On An April Morning A Personal Memoir, on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of Blessed Angela’s beatification.
Upon her return to the United States in 1994, Sister Raymond served at Villa Maria College to serve as the Acting Vice-President for Academic Affairs untilshe was elected the Provincial Minister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Province in Buffalo in 1995. At the General Chapter in 2000, Sister was once again elected to congregational leadership as Minister General of the Congregation. True to her vision of leadership, Sister was an excellent administrator who led with wisdom and foresight. At the end of her term as Minister General, Sister Raymond returned to Villa Maria College where she faithfully assumed the responsibility of Executive Assistant to the President until poor health interrupted her ministry.
Sister Raymond was a member of the Pastoral Council of the Diocese of Buffalo and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR). She served the province as a trustee on several boards of Felician institutions and chaired the Provincial Assembly Board and the Government and Apostolic Service Committees. Dedication and commitment marked every leadership role she embraced. Attuned to the needs of Community and those we serve, Sister Raymond was very supportive of the seven North American Provinces of the Felician Sisters as they deliberated reconfiguration to preserve, foster, and expand the Felician Mission. She had the unique gift of posingappropriate questions which frequently led to constructive actions.
Tireless in her service and availability to others, Sister Raymond assumed the responsibility of serving as the Women’s Retreat Coordinator in 2015 providing the opportunity for women to participate in four themed retreats throughout the year. At the same time, Sister became the Regional Coordinator for the Cause of Blessed Mary Angela, one of her most cherished labors of love. She also became involved in religious writing. Suffering many physical issues, gradually and humbly Sister stepped back from formal roles but remained steadfast in her ministry of prayer and of presence to her sisters in community.
On her sixtieth anniversary as a Felician Sister, Sister Raymond wrote a reflection, A Vocation Story – Following the Breeze, in which she likens her call to a persistent but gentle breeze weaving its way through every aspect of her life, inspiring a “yes” that has made all the difference in her life as she became “one with that breeze.”
Sister Raymond is survived by her brother Jerome (Christine) Kasprzak and her niece Lisa (Dr. Barry) Malin.
A wake for Sister Mary Raymond will be held at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Convent, 600 Doat Street, on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, from 1 to 5 PM followed by an Evening Prayer Service at 5 PM in the convent chapel.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, January 4, 2023, in the convent chapel at 10:30 AM preceded by a viewing from 9:30-10:30 AM.
The Mass will be live-streamed only on the day of the Mass. Please click on the link below to watch Sister Raymond’s Funeral Mass Live: https://feliciansisters.zoom.us/j/86458689196?pwd=SGxnUXJnM2hiWXdIbnJ1OHNFV1g0Zz09
Interment will follow in St. Stanislaus Cemetery, Cheektowaga, NY.
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