Sister Virginia Immaculate Murthum, CSJ

In the words of Isaiah: “I rejoice heartily in my God.”

We come to celebrate the life of Sister Virginia Immaculate Murthum who lived her life rejoicing in Gods great love and revealing it to the childlike, encouraging them to always come into God’s presence with their successes and burdens. A Sister of St. Joseph for seventy four years, Virginia relied on her God and encouraged others to do so.

Born to Mildred and Christopher who named her Marilyn Jean, Virginia grew up in Brooklyn and attended Holy Innocents Parish School and St. Saviour High School. She was close to her two sisters and her family has been very attentive to her, even in these later, more challenging years. Soon after high school she entered our congregation and began teaching young children. For almost twenty years, Virginia taught Kindergarten, first or second grade in nine parish schools, all in the Brooklyn Diocese. She earned a degree in education and also taught pre-schoolers in Nazareth Day Care in Manhattan.

Always sensitive to the openness and simplicity of young children, Virginia also  earned a Masters’ Degree in Special Education from St. Johns University. She brought her learning and experiences to minister to the mentally challenged in the Brooklyn Diocese.

It is no surprise that Virginia’s deep faith and simple trust in God drew her to devotion to the angels. It was a rare day that she did not have an angel pinned to her clothing as a reminder of God’s presence, protection and constant care. It was that deep trust in God that helped her bear the diminishment she experienced with age. Faithful, consistent and open to God’s will Virginia, as Matthew’s gospel implores, came to God with her labors and burdens, confident that she would find rest.

Sister Virginia Immaculate Murthum, CSJ died on January 6, 2021 in the 74th year of her religious life.