Sister of Mercy Susan Cain (formerly Sister Mary Catherine), who served the poor for many years as director of Steuben County Rural Ministry in Canisteo, died May 6, 2019. She was 81 years old.
Sister Cain entered the congregation on Sept. 1, 1957, after graduating from Notre Dame High School in Elmira. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Nazareth College and studied math at Seton Hill College in Pennsylvania and calculus/probability at the University of South Carolina. She earned a master’s degree in secondary education at the SUNY Brockport.
She taught at St. James School in Irondequoit, Our Lady of Mercy High School in Brighton and Elmira Notre Dame High School, where she spent 28 years.
Sister Cain was a member of the Sisters of Mercy vocation team for several years and in 1995 was appointed regional coordinator of Mercy Corps, an organization through which laypeople dedicate a year of their lives to the Mercy mission.
In 2000, she became director of Steuben County Rural Ministry. She stepped down as director in 2013 but remained involved as a volunteer.
Sister Cain is survived by her sister, Mary Jo (Paul) Minch; brother, John (Marilyn) Cain; nieces and nephews; and her sisters in the congregation.
Calling hours will be at the Mercy Center chapel in Brighton on Friday, May 10, from 4 to 7 p.m., followed by a vigil service. Her funeral Mass will be celebrated at the Mercy Center chapel on Saturday, May 11, at 10 a.m., with burial at Ss. Peter and Paul Cemetery in Elmira.
Contributions in her memory may be made to Steuben County Rural Ministry, PO Box 61, Canisteo, NY 14823, or the Sisters of Mercy, 1437 Blossom Road, Rochester, NY 14610.
