Remembering Sister Laura Marie Meskill, RSM

from Women of Mercy - Summer 2022

Mercy Soccer Champs—A Season to Remember

Sister Laura Marie Meskill, RSM

A gifted woman, Sister Laura Marie brought hope and kindness into the lives of people of all ages.

“I vow and promise to God poverty, chastity, and obedience and the service of the poor, the sick and the uneducated until my death.”

Sister Laura Marie Meskill earned well-deserved recognition from Mercy’s alumnae as one of the most influential individuals in their lives. She served Mercy students for 38 years, and there is not one of the 6,000 Mercy Alumnae from those years whose life she did not touch in a meaningful and enduring way. She had a significant impact on each of them, with a radiating graciousness and generosity that was evident in everything she did.

Sister Laura Marie was a faithful, committed woman of God, who truly lived out the life she professed, and is deeply missed and fondly remembered by all those who knew her. Sister Laura Marie Meskill, born on August 23, 1926 in Bridgeport, died peacefully on October 16, 2021 in the Baggot Street Community at Saint Mary Home in West Hartford.

She was, in words and deeds, truly a daughter of Catherine McAuley. She approached her students with patience and gentle kindness, helpful inside and outside of the classroom, in the guidance department and as an enduring spiritual role model for all. “No” and “I can’t help you” were not in her vocabulary. She became a Mercy High School teacher in 1964 and retired in June of 2002. From college selection to geometric problems to counseling, she was always present and ready to share her wisdom as she continued to cherish each and every year.

Throughout her years at Mercy High School, Sister Laura would explore new opportunities for young women and do anything to help them attain their goals. Sister had a special place in her heart for Mercy girls—to guide them along the way, with grace and goodness, to success and happiness. She was the compassionate listener who believed that every student was capable of greatness, the gentle disciplinarian who set high standards. She always felt that Mercy girls deserved the best, because they had earned it.

A gifted woman, Sister Laura Marie brought hope and kindness into the lives of people of all ages, throughout her magnificent years. A spirit of welcome and peace was Sister Laura Marie’s hallmark, and she was a most loyal colleague and friend who would unhesitatingly offer her steadfast support.

From the time Sister Laura Marie met the Sisters of Mercy as a fourth grader in St. Mary School, New Britain, until her final days at Saint Mary Home, she embraced and radiated a life of Mercy. Following graduation from Mount Saint Joseph Academy as Valedictorian of the Class of 1944, she continued her journey of Mercy at the University of Saint Joseph, West Hartford and entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1946, professing her final vows on January 2, 1952.

Sister Laura Marie received her BA in Education (1959) and MA in English (1964) from the University of Saint Joseph, West Hartford, and an MA in Guidance from Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT (1974). Throughout the years her ministries called her to serve as instructor, teacher, counselor and administrator followed by decades of service as a pastoral associate in St. Mary Parish, Portland, CT with her longtime friend, Sister Mary Ida Dolan.

The Sister Laura Marie Meskill Endowed Scholarship was established in 2006 on the occasion of her 60th anniversary as a Sister of Mercy. This scholarship continues to provide tuition assistance to young women who want to attend Mercy High School.