Sister Kathleen Ann Gorres, OP, of Dominican Convent, Sparkill, New York, died on September 5, 2013. Born in the Bronx, NY on September 15, 1941, Kathleen was the daughter of Fritz and Anna Short Gorres. She entered the Dominican Congregation of Our Lady of the Rosary in Sparkill on September 8, 1959 and became known as Sister Marita James, professing her first vows in 1961 and her final vows in 1966.
Sister Kathleen earned a BS in Natural Sciences from St. Thomas Aquinas College, NY; an MST in Geology and Physics from Colby College, ME and an Administration Certificate from Fordham University, NY. Sister Kathleen Ann was an elementary, high school and college teacher serving in the Archdiocese of New York. She taught at St. Agnes, Sparkill, NY (1962-63); St. Rose of Lima, New York, NY (1963-64); Cathedral HS, New York, NY (1964-66); Aquinas HS, Bronx, NY (1966-72) and Rosary Academy, Sparkill, NY (1974-81). She was also an adjunct faculty member at St. Thomas Aquinas College, Sparkill, NY. For twenty-four years (1981-2005) she was the principal at St. Gregory Barbarigo School, Garnerville, NY. At the time of her death, Sister. Kathleen served as the Director of Dominican Learning Center in Sparkill, which offers tutoring services to elementary and high school students in Rockland County. Sister Kathleen is predeceased by her mother and father, Fritz and Anna Gorres. She is survived by her cousin Lucie Peltier, Tacoma, WA, her Dominican family and many friends.
We will remember Sister Kathleen Ann for her commitment and dedication to the field of education and the tremendous impact she had on the lives of so many students by the example she set. She shared freely her many gifts and talents and was always quiet and gracious as she went about her work. Katie treated others with respect and dignity and made each individual feel important. She loved her fifty-four years as a Dominican Sister of Sparkill and we are grateful for the time she spent among us. We now ask the good Lord to give her peace among the company of the saints in heaven.