REMEMBERING SISTER CHRISTELLA

Sister Mary Christella Mitchell, RSM, age 84, died peacefully at McAuley Convent, in Merion, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, February 23, 2022.

Sister Christella was connected and dedicated to Mercy Education in various settings for over six decades, serving as principal, director, or teacher. Sister extended to all her wealth of knowledge, her wisdom of experience, her sense of humor and her compassionate, tender heart. Sister was a joyful participant in all the activities and functions that were a part of the Waldron Mercy Community, each day living out her motto: “Through Him, with Him and in Him.” Her true passion was the Montessori Program at Waldron Mercy Academy, and it was here that she lovingly nurtured the academic and spiritual lives of the very young.

Maria Montessori said, “Our care of the child should be governed, not by the desire to make him learn things, but by the endeavor to keep burning within him that light which is called intelligence.” Sister Christella fostered that light in each child she encountered along her life’s path. She focused on the uniqueness of each child and allowed them to explore and learn at their own pace. Her guidance, compassion and humor endeared her not only to her students but to all those she touched. She was a true leader you would turn to for guidance, and her wisdom and insight helped each of us to grow personally and professionally.

Even though her physical presence is gone, the spirit of Sister Christella continues to weave itself throughout the halls of Waldron Mercy Academy and in the hearts of all those whose lives she touched.