Burke, Patricia Mary

• Sister Patricia Burke, SOS

Born 9 September 1924, St. Jacques, Newfoundland, daughter of Anthony Burke and Rita Hartigan; entered 26 July 1952; first vows, 15 August 1956; final vows, 2 February 1960; died 28 April 2018.

The oldest of 11 children, Patricia grew up in the Newfoundland fishing village of St. Jacques on the eastern shore of Fortune Bay. She was educated at St. Jacques convent school under the Presentation Sisters and later at St. Brides College in St. John’s, where she obtained a teaching certificate. Patricia also helped to support the family with her teacher’s salary. After teaching school for six years, she joined the department of public welfare as a social worker and enrolled in the Memorial College. At the age of 27, she entered the Sisters of Service in July 1952, a year before the community established a women’s residence in St. John’s. Following the profession of first vows on August 15, 1956, Sister Burke attended the Maritime School of Social Work (1956-1958), receiving a diploma in social work.

Posted to Saskatoon, she put her training and life’s experience into practice as a social worker at the Catholic Welfare Society in that city (1958-1966) under Sister Ann O’Brien. During this time, Sister Burke earned a bachelor of arts in psychology from the University of Saskatchewan in 1964 and a professional teaching certificate from the department of education in Regina.

Following the election in 1966 to the community’s administrative council, Sister Burke moved to the Toronto headquarters for the next eight years. In the positions of Assistant Sister General (1966-1970) and Sister General (1970-1974), she directed the community to a new era of apostolate to renew and adjust to the changes of the Second Vatican Council and of society, seven of the eight women’s residences were closed. The religious correspondence schools and the summer religious vacation schools were transformed to home and parish-based catechesis. Moreover, she oversaw the construction of a new Motherhouse in east end Toronto to house the increasing number of retired sisters.

She returned to Halifax (1974-1975) for studies, graduating with a masters of social work degree from Dalhousie University. With these academic credentials, she and Sister Anna McNally moved to Northern Saskatchewan to provide social services. For almost two decades, Sister Burke held a series of positions to assist the Indigenous, developing social programs after the gradual closure of the residential schools. At La Loche, she was appointed as director of Social Services for the department of Northern Saskatchewan (1975-1979) and moved to Green Lake (1979-1982), where she assumed the posts of co-ordinator of school and community services (1979-1980) in St. Pascal school and of family services supervisor and regional director (1980-1982). After a sabbatical (1982-1983), attending St. John’s school of theology in Collegeview, Minnesota, Sister Burke returned to the northern Saskatchewan as a social worker program in development and field supervision at the regional office (1983-1985) at La Ronge. Putting into practice the newly-acquired master of science degree in administration from the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, (1985), she was promoted to regional director (1985-1986) of social services in Creighton, combining social work administration with program development. Returning to La Ronge (1987-1989), she served in the literacy program development and administration as a social worker in social services section of Northlands College.

She served as superior at Hospitality House, Edmonton (1989-1990) and returned to Northland College (1990-1991), developing programs for college campus in Buffalo Narrows. She moved back to La Ronge (1991-1994) as the co-ordinator of services for the disabled at the Gary Tinker Federation. She was elected to the SOS administrative council as Assistant General (1994-1998) and co-ordinator (1998-2003). In 2011 when the sponsorship agreement was signed with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto, she retired to an apartment in mid-town Toronto until 2014 before entering Providence Centre, where she died on April 28, 2018. The wake service and Mass of the Resurrection were held in the chapel of the Sisters of St. Joseph residence in Toronto with her nephew Rev. John Mark Massio as celebrant and Rev. William Fitzgerald, C.Ss.R. as concelebrant. Burial followed at the Sisters plot in Mount Hope cemetery, Toronto.

Created by F Rousselle June 25, 2025.
Revised by F Rousselle June 27, 2025.

Biographical sketch adapted for brevity from complete biography written by SOS congregational archivist MC Havey.