Sister M. Marguerite Hruby, SS.C.M., 87
Sister Marguerite Hruby died at Nazareth Center in Danville, PA on February 14, 2023, on the Feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius. The daughter of Ignatius and Margaret (Dirda) Hruby, Ursula Bernardine Hruby was born in Bridgeport, CT, on November 14, 1935.
After graduating from Saint Cyril Academy in 1953, she received an RN from St Vincent’s School of Nursing in Bridgeport, CT in 1956. She said that she found the mottos of these two schools to be a guiding force throughout her life; St Cyril Academy’s motto was, “Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve,” and St Vincent’s was “The charity of Christ urges us…”
Sister Marguerite entered the Sisters of Saints Cyril and Methodius from St Cyril and Methodius Parish in Bridgeport, CT on February 2, 1957, and was professed on Aug.13, 1959. She said on her 60th Anniversary as a Sister that entering the Community was not a surprise since she had two aunts who were Sisters of Saints Cyril and Methodius; Sister Margaret Dirda and Sister Genevieve Dirda, and an older sister, Sister William Hruby who also entered the Community.
Sister Marguerite served in the ministry of healing for her entire Religious Life, as a nurse, Director of nursing, and Administrator of Maria Joseph Manor, and later as a Congregational Consultant for health issues. She received her Masters in Public Administration with a graduate certificate in gerontology from Marywood University. It was her masters’ thesis on independent living for Seniors which planted the seeds for what eventually bloomed as The Meadows at Maria Joseph Manor. Sister Marguerite was present in 1962 when Bishop George L Leech blessed and dedicated the new home for the aged, and she was present in 2012 when Bishop Joseph P McFadden celebrated the 50th anniversary of the facility.
Sister Marguerite’s life of service was rooted in the Gospel, summed up in two favorite quotes, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, “and “Whatsoever you do to the least of these, you do to Me.”
Sister Marguerite was preceded in death by her parents and a sister, Cecelia and brother, William, and her sister in Community, Sister William.
General visitation will be from 12:00 – 1:00 on Monday, February 20, 2023 in the Maria Hall Chapel. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 1:30 in the Maria Hall Chapel by Reverend Gerard Heintzelman, with concelebrant Reverend Dennis Delassandro. Burial will be in the Sisters’ cemetery.
Donations in memory of Sister Marguerite can be made to the Sisters of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Villa Sacred Heart, Danville, PA 17821.
