Reverend Monsignor Francis W. Beach, Pastor of Saint Martin of Tours Parish,will be the main celebrant for the Memorial Mass in remembrance of the one-year anniversary of the death of Sister Paul Mercedes Perreca, I.H.M. Sister Lorraine McGrew, Superior General of Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Provincial Counsel will attend the Mass.

Tuesday, January 9, 2007
7:00 p.m.
Saint Martin of Tours Parish
Roosevelt Boulevard and Cheltenham Avenue
Northeast Philadelphia


Sister Paul Mercedes Perreca, I.H.M. worked in the tutoring center at Saint Martin of Tours Parish School and devoted her life to serving the Church and children. Sister Paul was struck and killed by a vehicle as she crossed Cottman Avenue at Hawthorne Street on her way to Mass.

Sister Paul Mercedes taught eighth grade at both Transfiguration Parish School and St. Gabriel Parish School in Philadelphia in the 1960s and 1970s. Sister Paul then went on to become the principal of St. Anastasia Parish School in Newtown Square, Delaware County. Sister returned to teaching in the late eighties and began her work as an eighth grade teacher at St. Martin of Tours in 2001.

Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia, offered his prayers and condolences to Sister Paul Mercedes family and the community of Saint Martin of Tours Parish and School in a statement issued on Monday, January 9, 2006. The Cardinal celebrated a Mass on Wednesday, January 18, 2006, at that time, Cardinal Rigali said, "She devoted her life to serving the Church and demonstrated care for the young people in our schools. She enriched the lives of many through her dedication to the mission of Catholic education. I also offer my prayers for the driver of the vehicle, which struck her. It is my hope that he or she will come forward and identify himself or herself. This is a difficult time for the members of this community and I pray that they will find comfort in our Lord Jesus Christ."

Contact
Meredith Wilson
Communications Specialist
215-587-3747