Margaret Harrison,
OSB Her cheerful smile, twinkling eyes & kind words brought us joy. Sister Margaret Harrison, a Benedictine Sister of Erie for 80 of her 96 years, died quietly at her home, Mt. St. Benedict Monastery on Monday, June 16, 2008. Sister Margaret
was the daughter of the late Samuel and Elizabeth Mahony Harrison. She was born on May 8, 1912 in Chester, West Virginia, a small town on the Ohio River. Soon after, her family moved to St. Joseph parish in Sharon where she was baptized and confirmed and where she came to know the Benedictine Sisters who taught in the parish school. Margaret, who was a graduate of St. Benedict Academy, entered the community as a postulant at age 16. When Margaret was the youngest member,
the oldest was a sister who had entered the community in 1861. Margaret herself became the senior member and witness to half of our history. She began her novitiate on February 11, 1929. At that time, she received the name Sister Antoinette, her mother’s middle name. Later, she returned to her baptismal name. She made her first profession of Benedictine vows on February 11, 1930 and her final profession on August 21, 1933. These were the years of the “Great Depression” and the community was materially poor. Nonetheless, Margaret was a gifted musician and resources were found to educate her accordingly. She earned both the bachelor’s and the master’s degrees in music at the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester, New York. For 39 years, Sister Margaret taught music in several schools: St. Benedict Academy, Erie; St. Michael, Fryburg; Immaculate Conception, Clarion; St. Joseph and Sacred Heart, Sharon; St. Joseph, St. Stephen, and Venango Catholic High School, Oil City. She formed and directed choirs in these schools and gave private lessons. The success of many of her students as professional musicians has been a joy to her through the years. Sister Margaret has had several other ministries. She became involved in care of the elderly, became a nurse aide and worked at Brevillier Village. She was one of the early hospice volunteers in the Erie area. Margaret then began her next career, sewing. She made custom draperies and, in her spare time, sewed for the sisters whose skills were unequal to the task. She was a kind and gentle woman whose greatest gift to her community was her constant, unfailing presence, her peaceful, smiling presence throughout the house but always, always in chapel at the Liturgy of the Hours and at the Eucharistic Liturgy.
As well as her parents, Sister Margaret was preceded in death by her sister, Eleanor,
and her brothers, John, Frank and Robert Harrison.
She is survived by her Benedictine Sisters,
her brother Ted of Hubbard, Ohio
and cousins, nieces and nephews.
Viewing at Mount St. Benedict, 6101 East Lake Road, Wednesday, June 18, 3 to 5 p.m., with a Service of Memories at 7:00 p.m. Further viewing there Thursday, June 19, 2:00-5:30 p.m. followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 5:30 p.m. Memorials may be made to the Benedictine Sisters, 6101 East Lake Road, Erie, PA 16511. Arrangements assisted by A. Brugger & Sons Funeral Home, 845 East 38th at Pine Ave.


St. Michael, Fryburg; Immaculate Conception, Clarion; St. Joseph and Sacred Heart, Sharon; St. Joseph, St. Stephen,