Sister Sallie Harrington, OSB
August 16, 1939 - April 10, 2017
Our sister, Sallie, a woman of faith,
now enjoys fullness of peace.
With a welcoming heart
full of acceptance and care,
Sallie reached out to all.
Her kindness was simple;
her interest was sincere.
Faithfulness and sacrifice
helped her raise children;
determination and stamina
helped her overcome adversity.
Commitment and desire
helped her seek God in community,
a place where she gave of herself
in hope of making life better for others.
God of all goodness,
may we, like Sallie, be steadfast in love,
upright and constant in our efforts
to uphold one another and all,
with tenderness and compassion,
now and evermore. Amen.
Sister Sallie Harrington, 77, mother, grandmother and Benedictine Sister of Erie, died on April 10, 2017, at Mount Saint Benedict Monastery in Erie, PA. She entered the community in 1994 after raising her four children and having worked as a business woman. She was born and raised in Washington, DC before settling in Virginia.
Sister Sallie was a licensed real estate agent and appraiser as well as a licensed sanitation and food handler, both of which allowed her to work successfully in the business world before she entered religious life. In addition she was certified as a CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) teacher and chaired the CCD Steering Committee at St. Phillip Church in Falls Church, VA, was a Chaplaincy Volunteer for Fairfax Hospital (Falls Church, VA), and a coordinator of weekend retreats for the seriously ill at Dominican Retreat House in McLean, VA. Sister Sallie also volunteered at SOME (So Others Might Eat, Washington, DC) both before and after she became a sister.
On September 14, 1996 Sister Sallie professed her first vows; perpetual monastic profession followed in 2000 on May 27. As a Benedictine Sister she served at Emmaus Ministries, was a teacher aide at St. Benedict Child Development Center, and worked as a nurse aide in the monastery infirmary before taking on various responsibilities in internal ministry at the monastery in 2015. Sister Sallie remained active until recently when ill health prevented her from doing what she loved: helping in any way she could.
Sister Sallie embraced the charism of Benedictine hospitality. She reached out to the guest with warmhearted welcome and acceptance. She endeared herself to many through expansive love and sincere care, something she learned as a mother and grandmother. Faithfulness and sacrifice helped her raise her children; determination and stamina helped her overcome adversity; commitment and desire helped her seek God in community as a monastic woman.
Sister Sallie was an only child and she was predeceased by her parents, Ella (Griffith) and Francis Harrington and her daughter-in-law, Gina (Gregg). She is survived by her Benedictine community, her children: Cheryl Stern of Midlothian, VA; Tracy (Diep) Johnson of Richmond, TX; Kimberly (Robert) Lewis of Bishop, GA; Gregg Johnson of Sand Spring, OK; 12 grandchildren, several great-grandchildren and dear friend, Hilda Schmid of Wilmington, NC.
Services will take place at Mount Saint Benedict Monastery the week after Easter: Visitation, Tuesday, 2:00– 7:00 p.m. and Wednesday, 2:00 – 5:00 p.m., a Service of Memories on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. and a Mass of Christian Burial on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Interment will be on Thursday at 8:15 a.m. in Trinity Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, 6101 East Lake Road, Erie, Pennsylvania 16511. Brugger Funeral Homes and Crematory, Pine Avenue Branch, 845 East 38th Street, is in charge of the arrangements.
Memorials may be made to the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, 6101 East Lake Road, Erie, PA 16511. Click here to offer an online memorial.
