June 23, 1931 to July 13, 2012
The youngest of seven, Sister Mary Gallagher came from a family of Scots. Since she was the only child born in the U.S., her siblings called her "The Yankee." Although she spent time in Scotland as a child, she returned to the U.S. to attend St. Dorothy elementary school and Mercy High in Chicago where she met the Sisters of Mercy.
Hispanic culture drew her in during almost 30 years of teaching at schools in the Dioceses of Milwaukee and Chicago. She had wanted to go to Peru on mission, but fragile health prevented her. Instead, she attended the University of Illinois and received her master's in Spanish. She was a gift to schools such as Precious Blood Elementary in Chicago where English was a second language in many of her crowded classrooms. At Mother McAuley High School she was a teacher of Spanish and art while also serving as the school's business manager.
Her business skills became more evident as she served as administrator at Mercy Manorin Aurora, St. Margaret Mary Parish in Naperville, Il., and then again in Aurora at St. Joseph Parish.
Her years as pastoral coordinator of St. Nicolas Parish in the Rockford Diocese prepared her for what was to come.