Sr Rosaleen Sheridan

sr. rosaleen sheridan rshm (1932-2021)

In April 2021 Sr. Rosaleen Sheridan RSHM, our longest-serving Headmistress at Marymount London, passed away peacefully Tuesday afternoon in the RSHM Retirement Center in Tarrytown, New York. She was aged 88. Born in Ireland on September 2, 1932, Sr. Rosaleen Sheridan was part of a large family of five brothers and three sisters. From a very early age she felt a great love for God. When she turned 18, she decided to join the Institute of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary. Reflecting on this life-changing decision, Sr. Rosaleen once said: “In my heart I knew I had a calling to give my life to God. I knew I only had one life, and that I would give it the best try I could.” Sr. Rosaleen joined Marymount London in 1980. She taught psychology, conducted guidance and religion courses and was also a Boarding Moderator, before becoming Headmistress. In their yearbook dedication to Sr. Rosaleen, the Senior Class of 1985 said, “Sister’s devotion to Marymount has gained her the respect and love of faculty and students alike.” Sr. Rosaleen served as Head of School of Marymount London for thirteen years, between 1990 and 2003. During her time as Headmistress, Sr. Rosaleen oversaw many developments to the campus, including the addition of the 'Our Lady's' building (which now houses our wonderful Library), led the School through its 40th anniversary celebrations and was at the helm when we stepped into the 21st century. She was a powerful and lifelong advocate for the IB and was instrumental in ensuring that Marymount London was one of the first schools in the world to adopt the Middle Years Programme, which it did in 1995. Marymount’s Deputy Head (Academic) Mr. Marcou, described Sr. Rosaleen as “someone utterly dedicated to the formation of the whole person., Sr. Rosaleen was, above all, an incredible example of the RSHM mission in action. She gave of herself and her many gifts with such love and kindness to all those who were lucky enough to be part of the community under her stewardship.”

Mrs. Langan, Deputy Head (Safeguarding) who joined Marymount under Sr. Rosaleen, said of her; “She was a force of nature, passionate about girls' education and had high expectations for her students and staff. This was all done with kindness, wisdom, good humour and a smile suggesting that she was determined to have some fun along the way.”

In the 1995 yearbook, on the occasion of our 40th anniversary in London, Sr. Rosaleen reflected: “the chain which bound each class was strengthened by the contributions of everyone in the group, and the heritage they left you will treasure and pass on, through your own excellence, to future classes.” As a community, we treasure her contribution both to the RSHM and to our school. We will endeavour to pass on, through the excellence of our students, the heritage she has left us.

IN MEMORIAM

We were all blessed to have met and known Sr. Rosaleen, even if only for a short time. In my brief two years at Marymount for my junior and senior years, I came to know Sr. Rosaleen through volleyball and yearbook my first year, and senior year as our boarding moderator also, not to mention the various scheduled outings in London plus campus activities where all of us crossed paths often like chapel, choir, dances and movies in the Student Lounge, study hall, House events, and of course psychology class. When something or someone had gone astray, Sr. Rosaleen was on it like a detective - which was unfortunate for any of us caught in an intentional "astray" moment - but ultimately she was focused on and acting out of care and concern for our wellbeing. Maybe due to her psychology background, Sr. Rosaleen had a gift for recognizing even a slight change in a person's normal demeanour and always took the time to offer her support and guidance. She could intuit an individual's strengths and weaknesses and seemed to know with every different person that unique way to make their particular positive traits and talents blossom to overcome any shortcomings. This was particularly evident to me in her leadership and guidance of the yearbook staff: she always assigned the right person to the right task. Sr. Rosaleen brought out the best in people from both afar and up close. My wish for Sr. Rosaleen is that she knows the joy and friendship she brought to our lives and is in blissful comfort now that she is home with God in Heaven. Rest in peace and happiness dear lady. Au revoir!

Into the freedom of wind and sunshine We let you go Into the dance of the stars and the planets We let you go Into the wind's breath and the hands of the star maker We let you go We love you, we miss you, we want you to be happy Go safely, go dancing, go running home Ruth Burgess

I do not think Sr. Rosaleen would want us to be sad either but rather celebrate her life with happy memories. These are a few fond and funny moments involving Sr. Rosaleen from my days at Marymount that I often recall and keep in my heart. • As carefully as I tried, whether coming or going, I could never manage to sneak past Sr.

Rosaleen's room - there was that one board that would always squeak!

• "Visiting" after lights out on retreat with our contraband food and drink, hearing heavy footsteps coming closer sending half a dozen or so girls in PJs scattering, trying desperately to hide when the door flew open! Needless to say we were soon back at it, just mindful of the noise level.

• Junior year going out on Saturday with a scheduled group of 5 of us, splitting up at

Wimbledon with a planned meeting back up in Kingston to return together, as the rules were to stick with your group and minimum of 3 people. Unfortunately, three of us were stood up, and had to return incomplete to campus. We laid low so as not to be noticed until we knew our partners in crime had also snuck back on campus. A few hours later, at the weekend movie in the Student Lounge, we found ourselves being called out one by one by Sr. Rosaleen. Three left and did not return, so the two of us remaining in the Lounge said our goodbyes: we knew the end of us was near.

Soon enough I found myself last girl standing and being quietly led to an empty classroom for a Sr. Rosaleen interrogation. My fellow rulebreakers had simply been banished to their rooms, and so was I. To this day I wonder

HOW in the world she knew the details of when and where we split up and came back to campus.

I hope this leaves you smiling and recalling your own fond and funny Sr. Rosaleen and Marymount moments. May God bless us all and keep us safe in these uniquely trying times.

May the roads rise up to meet you, May the wind be always at your back, May the sun shine warm upon your face, May the rains fall soft upon fields And until we meet again May God hold you in the palm of his hand. Anonymous

Diana Stone (Class of 1983)

MEMORIES of Sr Rosaleen Sheridan Although my time at Marymount was brief, it was probably one of the most impactful experiences of my life for a number of reasons and Sr. Rosaleen was one of the primary ones. My time there made such an impression on me that I returned years later and got married in the chapel on campus. My sister, an alum and valedictorian of MMI, was my maid of honour, and one of my best friends from MMI was a bridesmaid.

I was 15 years old when I was preparing to embark on my journey to Marymount in 1990. I lived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the time with my family. In the summer of that year, the first Persian Gulf war broke out. Families in Saudi Arabia had to be evacuated back to the United States. My time at MMI was to start in a few weeks. My father was in charge of the operations for his company and would be staying while his wife and two daughters left the country. Needless to say, the thought of being separated as a family was difficult to accept and also frightening. We were in contact with Sr. Rosaleen at the time, and she invited me to come to Marymount early instead of travelling all the way back to the United States and then flying to London. She also invited my mother and sister to join and stay with me until school started. Her generosity and warmth overwhelmed us, and yet, as we came to experience, it was naturally who she was. Sr. Rosaleen was a woman who exuded love, life, kindness, and spirit. And she had the most beautiful and energetic smile. Sr. Rosaleen’s love for God was palpable. After my mother and sister left for the United States, I felt so alone and scared. Sr. Rosaleen was always there to provide Sr. Rosaleen was, and will always be, an absolute example to look up to. I have always admired strong, kind-hearted women. Sr. Rosaleen was indeed one. I will never forget Sr. Rosaleen´s words in the very first Assembly I attended at Marymount London: “Girls, you are a credit to your countries, to your families and to yourselves.” She had a gift for making young girls feel confident in themselves and give their best in every endeavour. I will always remember her rectitude, intelligence and goodness. She was one of those extraordinary persons that make an impact on other people´s lives. She certainly did in mine. Thank you Sr. Rosaleen. I will always remember you fondly. God bless you. Elena Oñoro (Class of 1999) reassurance and such deep, genuine care. There was more than one occasion that I found myself crying in her office, and she would listen and comfort me.

As a student, I remember her high expectations. As a boarding student, I’ll never forget the talk she gave us about being modest and not changing our clothes in front of windows without curtains drawn. During the same talk, she warned us of the dangers of smoking and told us a hilarious story of how her father convinced her of this. It was so clear during moments like these, how seriously she took her role as headmistress and how important it was to her to provide mothering to us boarders. I was grateful to participate in the burial mass for Sr. Rosaleen. My heart was flooded with the memory of and emotion for such a remarkable human being. My family and I will miss her so and look forward to the day we see her again with God in Heaven. Kathy Carberry (Class of 1993) I have fond memories of the support and kindness Sr. Rosaleen shared with me as I struggled to find myself in a boarding school environment and generally work through school life. Equally, I remember with a cheeky smile when I would get myself in little bits of trouble and be called to the "office"! She touched so many lives and hope that in her retirement she knew the impact that she had on so many of us. You will always have a place in our hearts Sr. Rosaleen. Nathalie Hinrichsen (was Turpin - Class of 1996) Sr. Rosaleen was indeed, as Mr. Marcou said, "utterly dedicated to the formation of the whole person." She had the courage to set boundaries that, at that moment, were "unpopular" amongst a gaggle of headstrong young girls, but a love of God and a heart of gold held such deep compassion that you just couldn't help but love her. On a trip to Egypt where she mixed her guardianship with good times and laughter, I really got a feel for her sense of humour and how she did not take herself too seriously. We had been taken to a restaurant where there was belly dancing for entertainment, and the next morning when we were all assembled before heading out on a tour I remember her doing a very brief shimmy. It was so surprising and had us all in stitches. One never knew when that side of her personality would shine, but it was endearing and heartwarming to know that she was a Sister, and a sister. God blessed us with Sr. Rosaleen. Aida Tohala (Class of 2006)

Sr. Rosaleen recruited me for a Religious Studies Maternity Leave position back in 2002. She wisely told me that the main part of my job was to help each student develop their spirituality from wherever they were at that point in their lives. She greatly inspired me to look open-mindedly at the international diversity of our student body and to be there for our students on their journey of faith. She was a formidable Headmistress, taking care of all of the students with the help of the Sisters in Boarding. At that point we did not have departments or middle management so it really did all rest on her shoulders. She had great stories of the boarders' antics as they tried to get past her in a bid for freedom on a Saturday night. She would enthusiastically defend the goal when playing the Staff-Senior Football match or would eagerly pull the rope for Tug-of-War at the family Bar-be-que. She always had a twinkle in her eye and I think secretly enjoyed the mischief of the girls. Her enjoyment definitely came from being with young people and would advise them with wise words whenever she felt there was a need. Sr. Rosaleen, you will be sorely missed from our Marymount community. You changed my life by giving me the opportunity to work at Marymount and I will always remember you for what you gave me and for your kindness to my daughter many years later when you were travelling back to Tarrytown. Keep praying for us! Annah Langan (staff) I am not sure how I discovered Marymount. It was just 10 minutes from where we lived! One day I said to my 11-year-old daughter: “let's just pop by and knock on the front door”. We did and Sr. Rosaleen opened the door. We didn't know who she was! She said “would you like to look around?” We did, and we felt an enormous warmth with her, finally kissing her goodbye. It was not until I Iooked at the school details again that we realised she was the Headmistress!

Elaine Clements, mother of Marie-Danielle (Class of 2007)