Sister Jean Conaty, IHM, (formerly known as Sister Mary John) of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary entered eternal life on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Born on January 17, 1931, in Providence, Rhode Island, and given the name Jean Marie, Sister Jean was the daughter of the late John Thomas and Catherine Ann Meighan Conaty. She entered the IHM Congregation on September 5, 1948, made temporary profession of her vows on May 8, 1951, and final profession of her vows on August 2, 1954.
Sister Jean received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English/mathematics from Marywood College and a Master of Arts degree in mathematics from Villanova University.
Sister Jean served as a teacher at the following schools: St. Raymond Elementary School in East Rockaway, from 1951 to 1959; St. Leo High School in Ashley, Pennsylvania, from 1959 to 1969; St. Mark High School in Wilmington, Delaware, from 1969 to 1970; and St. Dominic High School in Oyster Bay, from 1972 to 1974.
Sister Jean was principal at Notre Dame High School in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, from 1970 to 1972.
At Marywood College in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Sister served as the Director of Personnel Services, from 1974 to 1980, and Director of the Instructional Computer Center, from 1980 to 1982.
Sister Jean was a pastoral associate at: St. Pius X Parish in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, from 1982 to 1988; Little Flower Parish in Bethesda, Maryland, from 1990 to 1994; and St. Paul Parish in Staten Island, from 1994 to 1999. She also served as a marriage tribunal auditor for the Diocese of Trenton in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, from 1988 to 1990.
Sister Jean also served as a librarian at Sacred Heart High School in Carbondale, Pennsylvania, from 1999 to 2005; and on the staff at the Educational Enrichment Institute at the IHM Center in Scranton, Pennsylvania, from 2005 to 2013.
From 2013 until the time of her death, Sister Jean was a prayer minister at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton.
She was preceded in death by a brother, John Thomas, Jr., and two sisters, Catherine M. Conaty and Virginia E. Saberniak. Sister Jean is survived by a niece, Dianne Leach of DeLand, Florida. She is also survived by the members of the IHM Congregation.
The funeral will be Tuesday, January 21, at 11 a.m. with Mass of Christian Burial at Our Lady of Peace Residence, 1510 University Avenue in Dunmore, Pennsylvania. Friends may call at Our Lady of Peace Residence on Tuesday, January 21, between 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. A prayer service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Interment will follow Mass on Tuesday at St. Catherine’s Cemetery in Moscow, Pennsylvania.
Memorial contributions may be made to support the retired Sisters of IHM c/o the Sisters of IHM Retirement Fund, IHM Center, 2300 Adams Avenue, Scranton, Pennsylvania 18509.