YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – Ursuline Sister Jerome Corcoran left a list of her legacies, her work in education, her work for the poor, and the fact that she turned 105.
Sister Jerome died on Sunday. Lots of people talk about their lives, and any talk about Sister Jerome must begin on the lower south side of Youngstown.
Visitors to Mill Creek Children’s Center, a preschool near Market Street in Youngstown, are greeted by a plaque with a picture of Sister Jerome.
Ohio’s Governor DeWine is calling for 200,000 doses of vaccine to be phased out
“When she first developed it in 1976, she had three students. We have now seen more than 4,000 students through our doors, ”said Mary Jane Gingher, general manager of Mill Creek Children’s Center.
Rita Wilson worked for Sister Jerome for eight years.
“If they needed anything, they called Sister Jerome. I remember sometimes she had me taken to the dentist or took her to get a pair of shoes. If they didn’t have socks or a hole in them, she just wanted the best, ”said Wilson.
In a WKBN interview in 1968, Sister Jerome promoted the education of disadvantaged young people.
“We are of course aware that the children in the city center have real problems with reading and time,” she said during the 1968 interview.
In 2005, Sister Jerome was recognized as an Ohio Pioneer in Education.
“I’ve worked hard for a long time and these kids are worth it,” said Sister Jerome.
Monsignor John Zuraw says much of the Mill Creek Children’s Center’s success is due to Sister Jerome’s ability to raise money.
“She was a nun for 85 years. When she asked people to open their wallets, their checkbooks, their purses because they knew their money was going to be used for something that would achieve great things, ”said Monsignor Zuraw.
Ursuline Sister Mary McCormick says Sister Jerome fell and broke a hip a few weeks ago. The hip was surgically repaired.
“But the doctor then said to me and said to her, ‘I don’t know how well your body will respond to this surgery.’ It found she just couldn’t recover, ”said Sister Mary. “She left peacefully, very peacefully.”
“I really believe that she was a holy woman, and holiness shows that your body and your spiritual and emotional work together. She has proven it over the past 105 years, ”said Monsignor Zuraw.
