Sister of St. Joseph Ann Lafferty (formerly Sister Adelaide) died on June 17, 2011, at the age of 75.
Sister Lafferty entered the congregation from her home parish of St. Thomas the Apostle in Irondequoit in 1953. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education at Nazareth College in Pittsford in 1960 and a master’s degree in Catholic-school administration in 1996 at the University of Rochester.
From 1955-64, she taught at Corpus Christi, Sacred Heart Cathedral, St. Monica and St. Bridget, all in Rochester. In 1964, she was among the first group of sisters to be sent as missionaries to Mateira, Brazil. She returned to Rochester in 1972, worked as a pastoral assistant at St. Bridget and then as a social-service caseworker at St Ann’s Home for two years. In 1976, Sister Lafferty went back to Brazil where she ministered as a pastoral agent in Sao Simao and Uberlandia. In 1983 she was elected to central administration, and after serving four years she once again returned to Brazil where she remained until 1990. After a brief time teaching at Rochester’s Nazareth Academy, she accepted an assignment as principal of St. Michael School in Penn Yan, a position she held for eight years. Returning to Rochester, she worked as parent empowerment coordinator at Hope Hall for three years, and then as health insurance coordinator at the motherhouse in Pittsford until her failing health forced her to retire.
She is survived by her brothers, Roger F. Lafferty and Gerald L. (Jean) Lafferty; many nieces and nephews; and her sisters in the congregation. Her funeral liturgy was celebrated in the motherhouse chapel on June 23, 2011, with burial in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Sisters of St. Joseph Ministry Fund, 150 French Road, Rochester, NY 14618.
