Sr. Julie McDonough, SNDdeN, principal of Saint John School for almost 25 years, went peacefully home to her good God on December 25, 2022 after 72 years of service to the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.
Sister Julie was born Marilyn McDonough, the daughter of William and Ethel (Quinlan) McDonough. Growing up in Woburn, Julie met the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur at her parish school. She loved the stories about St. Julie and felt attracted to the Sisters. After elementary school, Julie went to a public high school in Wellesley, but her love for the Sisters remained strong.
She entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1951 at age 17, taking her First Vows in 1954, and Perpetual Vows in 1959.
Sr. Julie earned her BA at Emmanuel College, and M.Ed. at Boston State Teachers College. All her life, she loved teaching young children. She taught in many schools in the greater Boston area, including St. Mary, Cambridge, St. Laurence, Lawrence, St. John, Peabody, Our Lady of the Angels, Worcester, St. Augustine, Lawrence, St. Charles, Woburn, and Notre Dame Academy, Tyngsboro. She served for more than 25 years as Principal of Saint John School, retiring in 2005.
Sr. Julie had a special devotion to the founder of her congregation, St. Julie Billiart. She worked hard throughout her life to carry out the ideals of St. Julie, reaching out to others with kindness and generosity.
In March of 2017, Sr. Julie returned to Saint John School as a very special guest of honor at our 50th Anniversary Celebrations with Cardinal Sean O’Malley.
Our current principal, Siobhan Mahoney, reflected this week on Sr. Julie’s impact on both the school and her personally:
While I have never met Sr. Julie, I certainly have felt her presence and kindness during the past few years since I became principal of Saint John School. During my first few weeks I received a note from Sr. Julie which included kind words and prayers for SJS that I have held with me when making decisions that impacted the school community. I will continue to hold those close to my heart.
Sr. Julie’s impact is seen every day when children walk through the halls of Saint John School. The systems and structures she had in place up until she concluded her time at SJS in 2005 allowed for a clear blue print for her predecessors to build off of.
Siobhan Mahoney, Principal – Saint John School
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, January 2, 2023 at 10:30am at Our Lady Queen Chapel at the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (30 Jeffreys Neck Rd, Ipswich, MA 01938) Please Note: Masks are required and temperatures will be checked upon entering.
Sr. Julie will be remembered at the Saint John School Mass on Monday, January 9 at 9:00am at St. John the Evangelist Church, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The Mass is open to all members of our collaborative and school community to join in remembering and praying for Sister Julie.
Full Obituary: Sr. Julie McDonough, SNDdeN