Sr. Mary James (Eleanor) Clines, died peacefully on July 24, 2024, at Maria Regina Residence, in Brentwood, New York. She was born in East New York, one of seven children of Harry and Angela Clines. She waited a year after high school to enter Sisters of the Good Shepherd so she could enter during the Marian Year of 1954.
Sr. James’ apostolic journey began when she worked with girls at Mt. Florence in Peekskill, New York. She earned a degree in Social Work from Fordham University and later used her social worker skills as executive director of Madonna Heights in Dix Hills._
The girls at Madonna Heights loved Sr. James. One girl she remained in contact with over the decades said, “She won my heart! The best relationship I ever had.”
Sr. James left Madonna Heights to serve in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where Good Shepherd Sisters had settled in 1971._She spent 18 rewarding years there until the mission closed in 2013.
Being with the children touched her heart the most. Sr. Winifred Doherty, who lived with Sr. James, said, “Her total investment – her prayer, her energy, everything was devoted to
the care of those children.”__“Her life embodied kindness and the joy of being with family, friends, and the Ethiopian people.”
Sr. Mary James will be remembered as a woman of faith and zeal for the mission.