Sister of Charity Sister Mary Dugan Celebrates Diamond Jubilee

Sister Mary Dugan celebrates 60 years with the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati Community in 2021. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Sister’s family moved to Dayton, Ohio, when she was 5 years old. She attended St. Joseph Grade School and then St. Joseph Commercial High School where she graduated in 1960.

At an early age Sister Mary became familiar with the Sisters of Charity. Her great-aunt, Sister Eugenia Fealy, was a Daughter of Charity. Her father’s sister was a member of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, Sister Agnes Regina Dugan.

Sister Mary attended the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she received her bachelor’s degree in education in 1968. In 1973, she received a master’s degree in special education from the University of Cincinnati, and in 1984, Sister earned her master’s degree in religious studies from the University of Detroit in Michigan. 

During her 60 years as a Sister of Charity, Sister Mary has served in the Dioceses of Cincinnati, Ohio; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Denver, Colorado; Owensboro, Kentucky; Rockford, Illinois; Covington, Kentucky, Indianapolis, Indiana; and Lexington, Kentucky; 40 of those years were spent as a teacher and religious education coordinator.

“My work in education was blessed by God in many ways,” Sister Mary said. “I was able to teach in areas where there were many impoverished people.”

Among her fondest memories were those years spent as the director of the diocesan office for the hearing impaired in the Diocese of Rockford, Illinois. There she trained several catechists to visit residents of Dixon II, a home for the multi-handicapped and the hearing impaired.

“The catechists were beautiful people of faith,” Sister Mary said. “They treated the disabled people with respect and care.”

Sister Mary served from 1985 to 1986 working with the deaf and hard of hearing in Eastern Kentucky, where she learned that many men had lost their hearing in the coal mines.

“We now have laws to regulate the sound pressure levels in the mines. Some of the children in Kentucky have hearing losses to this date,” Sister Mary said.

After 20 years serving the speech and hearing impaired in Kentucky and Southern Ohio, Sister Mary returned to Mount St. Joseph. As a Sister in transition she is currently assisting her own Sisters at the Motherhouse and Mother Margaret Hall with hearing ability issues. She hopes to improve their quality of life and to help them self-advocate. Because many adults are not taught how to properly take care of their hearing aids, Sister Mary enjoys being able to teach them and set them up with the necessary supplies, warranties, and insurance coverage to keep them safe and protected.

In addition, Sister Mary is a volunteer with the English Speakers of Other Languages (E.S.O.L) classes. She has developed a small workbook to help her students learn and then use the knowledge gained to assist other family members.