Sister Catherine Tahaney, OP, of the Dominican Sisters, Sparkill, New York, died on December 22, 2017 in Nyack Hospital, Nyack, NY.
Born in Brooklyn, NY on August 5, 1929 Catherine Marie was the daughter of Thomas and Anne Killoran Tahaney. She entered the Dominican Congregation of Our Lady of the Rosary in Sparkill on September 8, 1948 and received the name Sister Anne Kevin. She professed her first vows in 1950 and her final vows in 1955.
Sister Catherine received her BS in Elementary Education, Fordham University, Bronx, NY 1956; MS in Business Education, College of St. Rose, Albany, NY 1965; and a MA in Theology, Immaculate Conception Seminary, South Orange, NJ 1989.
Sister Catherine Tahaney served in the Archdiocese of New York as a teacher in St. John Chrysostom School, Bronx (1950-1955); Our Lady of Grace School, Bronx (1955-1956); St. James School, Carmel (1956-1958); Thorpe Secretarial School, New York (1958-1963); Aquinas High School, Bronx (1963-1968); St. Columba School, Chester (1968-1970) and Msgr. Scanlan High School, Bronx (1970-1980). From 1980-1984, Sr. Catherine served on the Executive Team of her congregation. In 1984, Sr. Catherine went to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish, Middletown, NY where she served as Pastoral Associate until 1987 and then went to St. Frances de Chantal Parish, Bronx, NY serving as Director of Outreach until 2001. Sister Catherine returned to Sparkill and from 2001 until 2012 served as the Congregational Archivist.
Sister Catherine is predeceased by her parents Thomas and Anne Killoran Tahaney, her brother Fr. James Tahaney and sister Mary O’Malley. She is survived by her sisters Sr. Anne Tahaney, OP, Alice Tahaney, and Margaret Dunleavy, along with nieces and nephews.
Sister Catherine Tahaney was a kind and compassionate person. She served her God and congregation faithfully for over sixty-nine years as a Dominican Sister of Sparkill. We thank God for her life and her goodness and we pray she be brought swiftly into the fullness of joy in the presence of the God she loved and so faithfully served. We will miss her presence among us.