Sister Catherine Wescott papers, 1922 - 2012

Sister Catherine was born Catherine Wescott on September 18, 1923 in Gloucester, NJ. She entered the Newburgh Congregation on September 7, 1941 and received the habit on June 16, 1942 when she was given the religious name, Sister Mary Innocent. (She began using the name, Sister Catherine after Vatican II). She pronounced first vows on June 17, 1943 and final vows on September 25, 1949. During her years in the congregation she served in the following schools: at St. Joseph, Toms River, NJ, 1944-1945; St. Cecilia, Iselin, NJ, 1945-1947; Our Lady of Victory, Mt Vernon, NY, 1947-1954; principal of Immaculata, Durham, NC, 1954-1959; chemistry teacher, Pope Pius XII Regional HS, Passaic, NJ, 1961-1965, and guidance counselor, 1968-1970; psychology professor at Mt. St. Mary College, Newburgh, NY, 1965-1967; Sacred Heart, Raleigh, NC, 1967-1968; and St. Thomas, Pleasantville, NY, 1968. She worked in clerical services at Mt. St. Mary College, Newburgh, NY, 1971-1973, and was supervisor of student teachers at the same college, 1973-1979. She moved to Gallup, New Mexico, where she was a professor at the University of New Mexico, 1981-1997, when she retired to the Dominican Sisters of Hope Newburgh Center. Sister Catherine earned her: BS in Secondary Education and her MA in Educational Psychology from Villanova University; and her PhD in Special Education Administration from the University of Colorado. She died November 27, 2012.