Sister Agnes Bonville, RSM (whose religious name was Mary Bonaventure John) a Sister of Mercy for 76 years, died on February 19, 2025 at Catholic Memorial Home in Fall River, Massachusetts.
Agnes was born in Fort Fairfield, Maine, the daughter of John T. and Mary (Mosher) Bonville. She was predeceased in death by her parents, her sisters Louise Calden and Isabel Cousten, and her brothers Phillip and Stanley Bonville and her cousin Ralph Bonville. She is survived by her nephews David Bonville of Presque Isle, Maine and George P. Hickey of Olympia, Washington; and nieces Bonnie Levesque of Farmington, Maine; Linda Krysiak of Presque Isle, Maine; Mary Seeley of Fort Fairfield, Maine; Kai Logan of Frederick, Maryland; and Carol Cousten of Mesa, Arizona. She is also survived by her cousin Daniel Bonville of Porter, Maine and Sister Frances Thomas RSM with whom she lived for many years.
Agnes entered the Sisters of Mercy in Portland, Maine on September 8, 1948. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Education from St. Joseph College in Standish, Maine. She taught elementary school in Maine for 19 years and still had connections with some of her first-grade students.
In 1971 having acquired a Master of Arts in Religious Education from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, she transferred to the Sisters of Mercy in Providence, Rhode Island. She was a Religious Education Director at St. Philip parish in Greenville, St. Joseph parish in Scituate and St. Joseph parish in Cumberland. For 11 years she served in prison ministry at the Adult Correctional Institution in Rhode Island and for 3 years at the Medium Correctional Institution in Norfolk, Massachusetts.
Agnes’s motto chosen at profession was “As Mary would so would I” which she lived by her presence and concern for the children she taught in elementary school. In the prisons she was able to listen to and remind the inmates of God’s love and forgiveness for each of us. Her time in religious education offered opportunities not only for programs for students but also for adults seeking the sacraments or wanting to deepen their knowledge and faith. Upon retirement she said her mission was prayer and presence. Like Mary her life was centered in the mission of Christ to let all people know God’s love and mercy.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at Saint Aidan Church, Cumberland, February 26, with burial in Resurrection Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Sisters of Mercy, 15 Highland View Road, Cumberland, RI 02864 would be appreciated.
