Obituary

Sister Mary Hugh Placilla, IHM

Posted

SCRANTON, Pa. - Sister Mary Hugh Placilla, IHM, of the Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, died on Sunday, January 17, at Regional Hospital in Scranton.

She was born on June 6, 1930, in Bayville, N.Y., and given the name Gertrude. She was the daughter of the late Melford and Gertrude Schrader Placilla. She entered the IHM Congregation on September 8, 1949, and made her temporary profession of vows on May 8, 1952. She made her final profession of vows on August 2, 1955.

Sister Mary Hugh served as a teacher at many schools in New York, PennySylvania, Idaho, Maryland, Delaware, including Rhode Island at St. Paul Elementary School in Cranston, from 1963 to 1964; Sister also served as principal at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Elementary School in Rocky Mount, N.C., from 1966 to 1969.

Sister Mary Hugh served as director of religious education and pastoral minister at Holy Rosary Mission in Philadelphia, M.S., from 1988 to 1997; coordinator of spiritual development at Catholic Charities in Wilmington, Del., from 1998 to 2005; prayer minister at St. Matthew Convent in Wilmington, Del., from 2005 to 2007; and pastoral administrator assistant at Holy Trinity Parish in Williamston, N.C., from 2007 to 2010. From 2010 until the time of her death, Sister Mary Hugh was a prayer minister at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in education and a Master of Science degree in religious education from Marywood College.

She is preceded in death by three brothers, Donald, Melford, and Richard; and a sister, Betty Horn. She is survived by nieces and nephews; and the members of the IHM Congregation.

A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Saturday, Jan. 23 at Our Lady of Peace Residence, in Scranton. Interment will follow Mass at St. Catherine’s Cemetery in Moscow, Pa.