In its 75th anniversary year, Sister Joan Elizabeth Cook came home to Holy Redeemer Catholic School in Kensington, Maryland, where she graduated in 1956. Four years later, she became a Sister of Charity of Cincinnati, the religious order that taught her at Holy Redeemer.
On Nov. 6, 2026 as 470 Holy Redeemer students watched attentively from the circle in front of the school, Sister Joan unveiled a plaque near the school’s entranceway honoring by name the 63 Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati who taught at Holy Redeemer School from its opening in 1951 until 1984. Then applause rang out from the crowd of students, teachers and staff assembled there.
Moments earlier, Father Thomas LaHood – a 1972 graduate of Holy Redeemer School who returned to his home parish as pastor last year – offered a prayer at the ceremony after saying, “Without these sisters, there would be no Holy Redeemer School. They gave their lives for this mission of Catholic education, and it’s their legacy we live today.”
For Sister Joan, it was a happy homecoming. She and her siblings had grown up in the neighborhood, and she walked to the new school when it opened in 1951, attending fourth through eighth grade there.
That morning, she had spoken to the Holy Redeemer students at a school Mass at the parish church, telling them how the land there was once a farm field where cows grazed, and the B.F. Saul family donated the property for the parish, which was established in 1948. Sister Joan said the founding pastor, Father Stephen Hogan, was an Irish-born priest who was determined to build a Catholic school there before a church, so children could get a good education in subjects like reading and math, and most importantly, be grounded in their faith. Holy Redeemer School opened its doors in 1951, and as more and more families moved into the neighborhood, the school expanded to its present size.
A key lesson for students then and now, she said, is, “God loves all of us, and God wants all of us to love one another. That’s the foundation upon which Holy Redeemer School was built.”
Sister Joan told the students how the sisters continue their mission today of teaching and bringing hope and help to people in need.
Joining Sister Joan in unveiling the plaque was Holy Redeemer School alumna and longtime teacher Pam Hurley, who graduated from the school in 1965 and who has taught there since 2000. Now she teaches religion to second and third graders, after being the school’s kindergarten teacher for two decades.
Hurley – who now has seven grandchildren attending Holy Redeemer School – said the key impact that the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati had on her and other students was “teaching the faith to us. It made a big impact on my life. Many times, I remember what I was taught in the second grade and repeat it to my second graders.”
As if on cue, she asked Joseph Connelly, a fourth grade student walking by, what a sacrament is. “An outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace,” he said.
Pam Hurley remembered how her grade at Holy Redeemer School had 180 students during the Baby Boom era. When asked how the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati maintained order with those big classes, she said, “They did it with kindness… We had to be disciplined.”
At the Mass, Sister Joan had told the students how one of her classmates at Holy Redeemer School – Paula Sullivan O’Brien, Pam Hurley’s sister – continues to be one of her best friends.
As the unveiling ceremony was beginning, Tommy Corrigan, Holy Redeemer School’s principal, told the students and teachers gathered there, “None of us would be here without the generosity of the Saul family and the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati.”
In an interview, Corrigan noted how Sister Joan during the school Mass had emphasized why the school opened 75 years ago. “The most important thing is that God loves all the students here, and wants them to love everyone around them. That certainly is a still a guiding beacon for our teachers, parents and the whole community,” he said.
Father LaHood in an interview before the ceremony remembered the impact that the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati had on him and his fellow Holy Redeemer students.
“They taught the faith… They taught faithfulness, dedication to the Church, and the importance of Catholic education,” the priest said, adding, “They taught me virtues and proper behavior and diligence.”
After the plaque was unveiled, Father LaHood said it was very moving to see the names of the sisters who taught him and his six siblings at Holy Redeemer School.
Sister Joan was likewise moved to scan the plaque and see the names of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati who taught her at Holy Redeemer, including Sister Marjorie Ann, her fourth grade teacher; Sister John Christopher, her sixth grade teacher; and Sister Mary Annina, who taught her in the seventh and eighth grade. The plaque also included the names of Sister Mary Edward, her principal at Holy Redeemer, and Sister Gertrude Louise, who gave her organ lessons.
“They were very happy women. They were outstanding teachers. They clearly loved us. It was infectious,” said Sister Joan, who joined them as a Sister of Charity of Cincinnati 66 years ago. She added, “I’m very grateful, because they were the people instrumental in my becoming a Sister of Charity… It was great fun to find out you could be a left-handed Sister of Charity.”
After joining that religious community, Sister Joan taught at Catholic high schools in Colorado, Illinois and Ohio. Later, she taught Biblical studies at St. Bonaventure University in New York, Scripture at the Washington Theological Union, and Biblical studies at Georgetown University. In 2011, Sister Joan was elected as the president of her congregation, and she served in that role until 2019. Now officially retired, she continues to write for Liturgical Press, and she serves on the board of DePaul Cristo Rey High school in Cincinnati.
As the unveiling ceremony concluded for the plaque honoring the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati who had taught at Holy Redeemer School, the principal, Tommy Corrigan, made a special request to the students. “As you walk by in the morning, say a prayer for the sisters. Pray for a new name every day.”
