Sister of the Holy Family of Nazareth Mary Corona (Teresa) Molenda, 92, died Oct. 14 in Grand Prairie, Texas, where she ministered to elderly sisters, leading them each day in prayers, exercises, songs and poetry.

A native of Argo, she had been in religious life for 76 years. She began her teaching ministry at St. Hyacinth School in Chicago in 1945. She taught for 61 years in Illinois, Florida and Texas.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, she taught at St. Hyacinth, St. Susanna, St. Josaphat, St. Stanislaus, Holy Trinity, St. Adalbert, St. Hedwig and St. Camillus.

Adrian Dominican Sister Mary (Michael Celeste) Saynay, 91, died Oct. 21 in Adrian, Michigan.

Born in Detroit, she was in the 70th year of religious life.

Sister Mary ministered in Michigan, Illinois and Ohio.

In Chicago, she taught at St. Columbanus (1949-1952) and St. Mary Star of the Sea (1952-1955).

She is survived by two brothers, Joseph and Lawrence Saynay, and seven sisters: Margaret Rogers, Barbara Barba, Lillian Grochowski, Bernadine Eschrich, Constance Saynay, Rosalie Spellecy and Adrian Dominican Sister Barbara Mary Saynay.

Sister of Notre Dame de Namur Phyllis (Mary Regina) Dugan, 90, died Oct. 22 in Ohio.

A native of Columbus, Ohio, she was in her 73rd year of religious life.

In Chicago, she served as the principal of Notre Dame High School for Girls (1972-1982). After a short sabbatical, Sister Phyllis returned to work as a consultant to secondary schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago (1983-1988), and later became assistant superintendent for secondary education in the Diocese of Cleveland. In 1993, she returned to Columbus, and served as the director of pastoral services for the diocese until health issues made it necessary for her to retire in 2002.

Maryknoll Sister Barbara Ann (Rose Barbara) Walenty, 90, died Oct. 24 in Maryknoll, New York.

She was born in Detroit and had been a Mary-knoll sister for 61 years.

She served as a hospital operating room supervisor in Kansas City before being sent to Hong Kong in 1963. She studied Cantonese and served there as an operating room supervisor and supervisor of the student nurse hostel. In 1973, she returned to the United States and ministered in hospitals and Catholic communities in Chinatowns in New York and Boston.

In 1979, she was assigned to St. Therese Chinese Catholic School in Chicago, where she served as school nurse and teacher’s aide until 1986, when she returned to Michigan to care for her elderly parents. 

In 1999, she returned to Chicago to retire, but continued to volunteer as a part-time religious education and art teacher at St. Therese School, where she remained until 2008.

Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Margaret (Elenara) Mihm, 101, died Oct. 26 in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin.

Born in Washington, D.C., Sister Margaret made her first religious profession in 1943 and her final profession in 1946.

In the Archdiocese of Chicago, Sister Margaret taught at St. Thomas More (1949-1955) and Queen of Peace, Burbank (1976-1977, 1978-1980). She served as assistant business officer at Rosary College (now Dominican University), River Forest (1967-1968), and as the secretary for the Eastern Province of the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation while living in River Forest (1989-1992) and secretary of Project OPUS (Order of Preachers in the United States) (1993-2000).