Sister Maria Homberg, MM, Past Director of Maryknoll Mission Institute, Celebrates 50 Years with Maryknoll Sisters

Maryknoll, NY -- Sister Maria Homberg, MM, director of Maryknoll Mission Institute, Maryknoll, NY, from 1997-2014, celebrated 50 years with Maryknoll Sisters at a Mass for seven Maryknoll Sisters marking 50 with the congregation on October 12, 2014, at Maryknoll Sisters Center.

Born in New York, NY, Sister Maria entered Maryknoll in 1964 at its Topsfield, MA, novitiate from Holy Rosary Parish, Hawthorne, NY, the parish in which she was raised. A graduate of Columbia University Teachers College, New York, NY, where she earned both an M.A. and Ed. D. in education, as well as an M.Ed. in nursing education, she also holds a B.S. from College of Mt. St. Vincent New York, NY.

Following her formation years, Sister Maria served as Director of Nursing Services at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Manapla, Philippines, from 1967-70, and as a college and residence nurse, as well as adjunct faculty member, teaching psychology in the Department of Social Work at Maryknoll College, Manila, Philippines, until 1972.

Upon her return to the United States in September, 1972, Sister Maria worked briefly as a nurse in the Maryknoll Sisters Center infirmary until January 1973, and as an assistant professor of nursing at Pace University, from 1973-1980.

From 1981-1992, Sister Maria was an associate professor of nursingat Bethlehem University, Palestine. There she served as Dean of Nursing and instituted a post-graduate midwifery program to meet the needs of Palestinian women. She then was a member of the nursing faculty of the College of the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, from 1993-1996. She was named director of Maryknoll Mission Institute in 1997.

Founded in 1912, Maryknoll Sisters is the first US-based congregation of women religious dedicated to foreign mission. Working primarily among the poor and marginalized in 22 countries around the world, they now number 458 members from both the US and overseas.