Curran, OSF, Mary Agnes.

Born September 8, 1931 in Chicago, Illinois; died July 30, 2002 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Mary Agnes Curran, OSF was born to Richard and Mary Agnes (Murphy) Curran. She attended Our Lady of Solace grade school, Visitation High School (1949), Cardinal Stritch College in Milwaukee (1966, Education), University of Denver (1974, M.A. in Mass Communications), and Mundelein College (1982, M.A. in Religious Studies). Mary Agnes began teaching in elementary and junior high schools in Wisconsin, South Dakota, and Illinois in 1951. She taught all subjects, but especially focused on Language Arts and teaching creatively with an individual approach during her last eight years of teaching. Eventually, she returned to Chicago, where she began working with local Hispanic communities. In 1983, Mary Agnes became an associate Sister of Maryknoll in order to work in the missions in Central America, as her order did not have any missions there. As an associate, she worked in Nicaragua until July of 1984 and then in Oaxaca, Mexico for ten years, where she founded a women's center. Mary Agnes continued her service in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she joined with the South Albuquerque Cooperative Ministry (SACM) and with them founded St. Andrew's Food Pantry. She began a ministry with Mexican immigrants living on the Pajarito Mesa where she brought in solar technology for households without electricity. She coordinated the Pajarito Community Center, which provided necessary health services for women and children, acted as a community gathering center for women, and helped victims of domestic violence. In June of 2002, Mary Agnes retired to Albuquerque. She was hospitalized about a month later, and died in Albuquerque on July 30, 2002, just two days after her Golden Jubilee.