Sister Catherine Thornton, educator and Dominican sister of Amityville, dies at 89

If one were to put a face to an Irish blessing, it would be of Dominican Sister Catherine Thornton. The Amityville sister epitomized the wishes for health, happiness and good fortune for others, which was apparent in the 72 years she devoted to religious life.

"She believed in the Catholic faith and tried to live it every day," said Thornton's niece, Maureen "Reenie" Murphy of Chatham, Massachusetts. "She always found God."

Thornton died of natural causes on Aug. 4 at the age of 89.

Catherine Thornton was born on Oct. 4, 1935, in Astoria, Queens. She graduated from St. Agnes Academic High School in College Point, Queens, in 1953. Raised in a very Irish Catholic family, Thornton joined the Dominican religious order when she graduated from high school at 17.

"She just believed that it was the right thing to do and her faith guided her," Murphy said of Thornton's lifetime devotion to God.

On Sept. 12, 1953, Thornton, or Sister Kate as she was known to her sisters, entered the novitiate of the Dominican Sisters of Amityville. On Aug. 4, 1954, she received the habit and her religious name, Sister Sean Catherine. Thornton took her first vows on Aug. 9, 1955, and final vows on Aug. 8, 1958. She loved her faith, but also loved children, steering her into a career in education.

"She was a quasi-mother. She was a good teacher and she loved children," Murphy said. "Aunt Catherine got a big kick out of kids, and she would challenge them in the classroom but also made learning fun for them."

Thornton earned a bachelor of arts from St. John’s University and graduated with a master of arts from St. Michael's College in Vermont. She became an educator in the Diocese of Brooklyn in 1955 at Sacred Heart School in East Glendale, then taught at Good Shepherd School in Brooklyn. She returned to Sacred Heart School in 1967. Thornton completed her master's in religious studies in 1972 and became the director of religious education for Sacred Heart Parish and Holy Spirit Parish.

"She went from the classroom to the director of education and then became a hospital chaplain," Murphy said of Thornton, who worked at Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre and Ozanam Hall, a nursing home in Bayside, Queens. "She seamlessly moved from education into caretaking and used the nursing home as a classroom."

According to her nieces and nephews, there were always a lot of laughs with "Aunt Catherine."

"She was really fun. She was energetic, generous and had a really good sense of humor," Murphy said. "She lived a good life, and she had a lot of friends, but her family was very important to her. She was always there — communions, confirmations, graduations — she showed up for all of us."

Thornton retired from her work in 2018 and moved to the religious order's motherhouse in Amityville the following year. According to her family, Thornton frequently visited Ireland and Cape Cod and met lifelong friends through her programs and travels. She also loved the beach, chocolate ice cream and all things Irish.

"She was one of the founders of Irish night in the community, and being a part of that meant the world to her," Murphy said. "She loved raffle tickets and fundraising and could always be counted on for a piece of candy."

She is survived by the Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville and her family. A funeral Mass was celebrated at the Amityville motherhouse on Aug. 8.