Sr. Mary Paul Augustine of the Passion, O.P. (Edna May Conroy) died peacefully on Jan. 20, 2024, in the Infirmary of Our Lady of Grace Monastery after a brief illness. Sister was born on Sept. 8, 1933, in Meriden, where she was raised and received her early education.

She was awarded a B.A. degree in math from Albertus Magnus College and also did some graduate work in math at Wesleyan University. After a few years of teaching, she entered the Monastery of Our Lady of Grace in September 1958, where she made her final profession of vows in April 1963. Two years later, in April 1965, Our Lady of Grace made a new foundation in Nairobi, Kenya. Sr. Mary Paul Augustine was one of the twelve sisters who were sent to begin the new monastery. She totally immersed herself in the culture and loved the African people. In the early 70s, she returned to North Guilford, and the community in Kenya now consists totally of native sisters. Sister’s great passions were music and gardening. Already an accomplished pianist when she entered the monastery, she became proficient at the organ and, for many years, served as the main organist for the community Mass. And even after her ninetieth birthday, she could still be seen in work clothes, with garden tools in hand, on her way to attend to her beloved flowers and shrubs.

Sr. Mary Paul Augustine was the eldest of five siblings and is survived by John (Helen) Conroy, David (Patricia) Conroy, Robert (Margot) Conroy, and Rita Smith, and innumerable nieces, nephews, and grands. She was predeceased by her parents, John Irving and Edna Rose (Dooley) Conroy.

Calling hours will be held between 7 and 8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 25, and between 2 and 4 p.m. and again between 7 and 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 26, in the chapel of Our Lady of Grace. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27, followed by Interment in the monastery cemetery. Funeral arrangements are being made by Guilford Funeral Home. Memorial donations may be sent to the Monastery of Our Lady of Grace, 11 Race Hill Road, North Guilford, CT 06437-1099 or www.dominicannuns.org. Arrangements in care of the Guilford Funeral Home, 115 Church Street, Guilford. To share a memory or leave condolences, visit www.guilfordfuneralhome.com.