In Memoriam: Sister Mary Ann Luke, OSB
October 2, 1932 ─ July 23, 2025
Our sister, Mary Ann, has returned to the
heart of God, resting now in Infinite Love.
A woman of keen intellect and wry wit,
she often appeared stern and somber,
until, with a teasing glint in her eye, a
grin appeared as her dry humor hit the mark.
In life she reveled in the beauty of nature:
her photographer’s eyes saw its intricacies
while her scientific mind contemplated its mysteries.
Mary Ann was as at home with solitude and
with her cats and birds as she was with us.
Beloved by her students at SBA, and
depended on by those with whom she worked,
Mary Ann modeled stability and faithfulness
for her sisters, family, and friends.
May we, too, love as deeply and give as freely.
Amen
Sister Mary Ann Luke, OSB, 92, died on July 23, 2025, at Mount St. Benedict Monastery in Erie. She was born October 2, 1932, in North East, PA, and baptized at St. Gregory Thaumaturgus Parish, North East. Her parents were Geraldine (Ish) Luke and Charles Luke, both from North East. Sister Mary Ann graduated from North East High School in 1950. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and biology in 1954 from Villa Maria College and began teaching at St. Benedict Academy that same year.
Mary Ann first entered the Benedictine Sisters in June 1959 taking the name Sister Mary Matthew but left religious life two years later. A popular teacher who instilled a lifelong love of science and nature in her students, she continued to teach science and mathematics at the Academy until 1964.
After twenty years of single life during which time she worked twelve years as a crown and bridge technician for dentist Dr. Joseph O’Leary in North East, six years as an insurance administrator, and two years at the Erie Community Food Bank, Mary Ann returned to the Benedictine community in 1984 and made her perpetual monastic profession on August 26, 1989.
After her return to the community, Sister Mary Ann taught one year at St. Gregory School in North East (1984-1985) before joining the staff of Pax Christi USA where she served as an administrative assistant. She then held numerous positions in the Benedictine community including at Benet Press, a printing ministry of the Benedictine Sisters that closed in the 1990s, administrative assistant to the prioress, writer for The Mount magazine, and in the monastery library.
Sister Mary Ann was a pre-digital photographer who had a great love of nature and a special fondness for birds and cats. Her keen intellect and sharp wit were immediately obvious to anyone who conversed with her. She was a broad and avid reader and an aficionado of crossword puzzles who could make the New York Times Sunday puzzle look easy.
Sister Mary Ann was preceded in death by her parents and siblings, Barbara, James, and Susan. She is survived by several cousins and her Benedictine Community.
Services will take place at Mount Saint Benedict Monastery: Thursday, July 24, Visitation from 2:00-5:00 p.m. and a Service of Memories at 7:00 p.m.; Friday, July 25, Visitation from 2:00-5:00 p.m. and a Mass of Christian Burial at 5:30 p.m. Interment will be Saturday, July 26, at 8:30 a.m. at Trinity Cemetery. Brugger Funeral Homes and Crematory, Pine Avenue Branch, 845 East 38th Street, is handling arrangements. Memorials may be made to the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, 6101 East Lake Road, Erie, Pennsylvania, 16511.
Memorials may be made to the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, 6101 East Lake Road, Erie, Pennsylvania, 16511, click here.
