Updated 05/24/2010 06:53 PM
CEO of Catholic Charities laid to rest
People from all over gather to remember the highly respected CEO of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany. Sister Maureen Joyce died Friday after a long battle with cancer. Our Erin Connolly has more on the legacy she leaves behind.
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ALBANY, N.Y. -- Hundreds pour out of Blessed Sacrament Church in Albany, all paying their respects to Sister Maureen Joyce who died after a long battle with cancer.
Catholic Charities President John Murray said, "She was an inspiration. She really was. She was a terrific lady."
Friend Amber Richardson said, "She was like a person you want to be like. Not that I wanted to be a nun, but I wanted to touch people's lives and have people say nice things about me."
For the past three decades, Sister Maureen Joyce had worked at Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany. For the last 20 years she's been its CEO. She also oversaw one of the Capital Region's largest social services agencies.
Richardson said, "She always did for people that other people forgot about that nobody wanted to touch, the lepers of our society."
Inside the mass, those who knew Sister Maureen the best said she had the heart of a lion and the gentleness of a lamb but said her empathetic spirit and insatiable thirst for justice is what she'll
be remembered for forever.
Bishop Howard Hubbard said, "She was so inclusive. It wouldn't matter if you were the governor or the street sweeper. She treated you with the same dignity and respect and that just came from her heart."
Just this year, Sister Maureen was honored as a recipient of the second nationwide centennial medal from Catholic Charities USA.
Murray said, "It was so well deserved. It captured her legacy, and it captured her service, and it spoke to how important the mission is throughout the world."
People say Sister Maureen's incredible vision and remarkable leadership qualities will be missed the most, along with her warmth, graciousness, and lively sense of humor. And while she may be gone, she certainly won't be forgotten.
Friend Gerri Zandri said, "She'll be thoroughly thoroughly missed, and I'll miss her."