Sister Eileen Mary Clifford, CSJ

We come together as a faith community to celebrate and give thanks to our loving God for the grace-filled life of Sister Eileen Mary Clifford, formerly Sister Saint Stanislaus, a Sister of St. Joseph for 77 wonderful years.

As the only child of Nicholas and Mary, Eileen grew up in the tight-knit, predominantly Irish neighborhood of St. Anthony in Brooklyn. Each family’s home became a gathering space for shared meals, supportive conversations, lively music, and fun-filled celebrations. As Eileen so vividly recalled, her early understanding of the phrase the “dear neighbor” universally loved by a Provident God took root on the sidewalks of Greenpoint, Brooklyn with people who proudly lived their Catholic faith.

After attending the Juniorate, Eileen entered and embarked whole- heartedly and joyfully on the life-giving path of an educator, first for 14 years on the elementary level and later for 34 years in high school. History was Eileen’s forte but later, listening deeply to the spiritual longing of her students, she felt called to teach Religion but not without being duly prepared. Off she went to Fordham for a Degree in Theology that grounded her and her students in a rich vibrant love of scripture and the Church.

Eileen’s claim to fame, one of notoriety, was her ability to walk the streets of Brooklyn to her ministry and return home on foot after a full day of teaching ~ 5.10 miles didn’t phase her at all!

In her retirement, Eileen volunteered for 15 years at Bishop Kearney High School ~ again often walking from her home on President Street to Bishop Kearney each day.

Eileen’s former students have filled social media praising her expertise as a teacher coupled with her incredible kindness, understanding and empathy.
To give us a personal glimpse of Eileen, I’m honored to share a reflection written by Marie Bevilacqua that gives a beautiful perspective on Eileen’s life as a teacher, daughter, confidant, caregiver and friend . .

To live in this world, you must be able to do three things:
To love what is mortal,
To hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it,
And when the time comes to let it go, to let it go…
Mary Oliver
I’ve known Eileen for many years and during that time I have gotten to know her many roles. I met Eileen as a teacher here in Brentwood. I was a junior at the Academy and I was in Eileen’s homeroom and in her history class. My brother was born that year and when we found out that Michael was a Downs syndrome child with a serious heart defect, my mother was devastated. During that year Eileen prayed with her and shared spiritual insights with her and me and helped us understand the wonderful gift my brother truly was to our family.
I lost touch with Eileen that year as she was transferred to Brooklyn. About five years after that we got a phone call from Eileen at my parents’ house telling us she was back on Long Island at Deer Park. She wanted to know how we were doing – particularly my mom and brother. And as she spent some time with us, she became a friend.
Eileen went back to Brooklyn soon after but over the years, and from several different missions, she visited us, celebrated birthdays and family gatherings with us, showers, weddings, christenings- the usual occasions important to every family. At one of my brother’s overelaborate birthday parties- the highlight of every year for him and therefore at his insistence for us- I heard him telling one of his buddies- “That’s Sister Eileen. We adopted her”. That’s when I knew Eileen was family. And I was fortunate to become one of her family.
When I moved to Brooklyn, I discovered I lived near Eileen’s mother. I spent a lot of time there and eventually my mother and Eileen’s mother became “girlfriends”, we were incorporated into Eileen’s cousin’s family, the Condons, sharing in many of their special occasions. Nothing surpassed the annual Condon Christmas get together with Eileen’s cousin Mary and her incredible kids and grandkids. It was the shining star of every Christmas.
When the community asked Eileen if she would be willing to teach religion, she agreed but asked if she could go back to school to be sure she was adequately prepared. I got to know Eileen as a student. She chose to go to Fordham and had some of the best theology professors of the time. I could type a little; Eileen couldn’t type at all. She asked if I could type her papers. She was diligent in her research and dedicated to understanding what religion could mean to young people.
I knew Eileen as a caregiver. When Mrs. Clifford’s cousin Kay who lived with Eileen’s mother for many years returned to Ireland, Eileen asked the community for a leave of absence to care for her mother. I witnessed how Eileen juggled the roles of daughter, caregiver and full-time teacher at Fontbonne.
I saw Eileen’s role as a patient here in this holy place, St. Joseph Convent. Ileen was happy to come home to Brentwood as her health faded. She basked in the care, compassion and genuine love she received from aides, nurses, staff and Sisters. I don’t know how words could express her thanks and ours to all of you.
There are many other roles- fellow traveler, fellow retreatant, and one of my favorites- fellow reliefer at Hampton Bays. But the reason I started this reflection with the quote from Mary Oliver is because I got to know Eileen in her most important role as a Sister of St. Joseph.
I thought the quote captured her spirit and the charism of her Josephite community. In the missions she was sent to she had to bring the love of God to God’s people, holding them” close to her bones”. And when she was asked to let them go, she let them go and moved to her next mission with the same spirit.
And now it’s time for us to let her go. Eileen was a great lover of poetry. I think she wants us to be at peace and consoled by a quote from one of her favorite poets Rabindranath Tagore. “Death is not extinguishing the light. It is only putting out the lamp because dawn has come”.
Marie Bevilaqua

Sister Eileen Mary Clifford, CSJ, the former Sister St. Stanislaus, died on March 19, 2025 in the 76th year of her religious life.