Item 29 - Drawing - ink sketch of Catherine Donnelly by Sr. Patsy Flynn

Born 5 March 1942 in Hamilton, Scotland; daughter of Paul Flynn and Eileen McCabe; entered: 8 September 1967; first vows: 22 August 1969; final vows, 15 August 1974; died 27 January 2023.

Patsy, the daughter of Paul Joseph Flynn and Eileen McCabe was born on March 5, 1942 in Hamilton Scotland and grew up in Bothwell, a community southeast of Glasgow. Patsy attended Elmwood convent school (1953-1960) under the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception before studying at Craiglockhart Teachers College (1960-1963) in Edinburgh, Scotland, earning a teaching diploma. She taught in the local school in Carfin, Scotland (1963-1965) near the family home, before immigrating to Canada in July 1965. Immediately, she began teaching in the Metropolitan Toronto Separate School Board during a period of rapid expansion of enrolment. For two years (1965-1967), she taught Grade 1 in St. Anthony school in a multi-cultural area of the city’s west end. Outside the classroom, she volunteered as a catechist at St. Clare’s parish and belonged to the Young Christian Workers.

From a friend, she learned of the Sisters of Service, entering on September 8, 1967 with Adua Zampese. The subsequent shorten months of novitiate was directed by Sr. Frances Coffey as the last class in the Edwardian house on Glen Road in the city’s Rosedale area. As a much-needed qualified teacher, Patsy was posted to the northern Alberta town of Rycroft, Alberta (January-June 1968) to teach in the public school with two other sisters. Returning to continue novitiate in Toronto, Patsy participated in the Inter-community formation program and professed first vows on August 22, 1969. Assigned again to Western Canada, Sister Flynn joined the Daly Centre, (1969-1971) the catechetical centre in Regina. Back in the classroom, she taught Grades 3-4 at the Duke of Marlborough school, Churchill, Manitoba (1971-1973) and was assigned as the full-time art and music teacher for the elementary grades until 1976.

Following the Churchill posting, Sister Flynn moved to the Newfoundland fishing outport of St. Julien’s (1976-1979) to teach with Sr. Adua Zampese at St. William’s school, a two-room schoolhouse. Following St. Julien’s, Sister Flynn studied as a full-time student (1979-1980), leading to a bachelor of education degree from the Regina university. With the newly-minted academic credentials, she taught in the Northern Alberta elementary schools of J.A Turcotte in Fort McMurray (1980-1984) and High Level public school (1984-1987). For a sabbatical (1987-1988), she enrolled in active spirituality program at Mount St. Joseph College, Cincinnati, Ohio. Other teaching assignments followed in Ontario at Holy Rosary school in Wyoming, Ontario, (1988-1990) with Srs. Colleen Young and Anita Hartman, and at Bishop Belleau school, Moosonee, (1990-1993 and 1994-1997). After a six-month course in 1994 of religion and art in the modern world at Regis College, Toronto, she returned to Moosonee, adding teaching Cree to her students and specializing in religion, art and music.

After Moosonee, she was granted compassionate leave (1997-2002) to return to Scotland to care for her aging parents. Upon the death of her mother in 2001, she joined Srs. Zampese and Margaret Ready (2002-2003) in Regina and volunteered at a women’s shelter and at Birthright. A year later, after the death of her father, she undertook a graduate degree (2003-2005) in art therapy at the Kutenai Art Therapy Institute in Nelson, BC. Applying this therapy (2005-2013) in Beaverton, Ontario, she conducted one-day retreats in country parishes and art therapy and spirituality group at her home.

Sister Flynn joined the retired sisters at Houses of Providence, Toronto, in 2013 and celebrated the 50th jubilees jointly with Sister Zampese in 2017. In declining health, Sister Flynn died on January 27, 2023 in Providence Centre. Held in the chapel of Presentation Manor, Toronto, the Mass of Resurrection was celebrated by her brother Fr. James Flynn, CSSp. Burial followed at the community plot, Mount Hope cemetery, Toronto.