MARGARET ANN McCAULEY OBITUARY

Sister Margaret Ann McCauley, O.P. Sister Margaret Ann McCauley, a Dominican Sister of San Rafael, died peacefully at Our Lady of Lourdes Convent on January 22 after a long illness. Peggy was born in Los Angeles and raised in Pasadena and Bakersfield. Her mother was an alumna of Dominican College, and Peggy graduated in 1954 with a major in socio-economics and a minor in philosophy. When she entered the convent in 1955 she took the name Sister M. Thomas Aquinas. She completed a master’s degree in economics at University of California, Berkeley and then began an illustrious ministry in education. Sister Thomas Aquinas taught at the high school level for eight years, and then attended Fordham University where she earned her Ph.D. in sociology. She taught for ten years at Dominican College and chaired the Sociology Department from 1969 – 1975. She was greatly respected for her intelligence and insight. Sister Margaret Ann shared her gifts of organization and administration with her congregation for several years. From 1971-1979 she served on the leadership team as second Councillor and, at the same time, as a key member of the General Council’s Administrative Board. Sister Margaret Ann also served on the boards of the two hospitals founded by the Sisters, one in Reno and one in Stockton. She had a reputation as a skilled facilitator. In 1987 Sister Margaret Ann went to Rome to study canon law and received her license from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in 1989. Archbishop Roger Mahoney of Los Angeles appointed her Advocate, Defender of the Bond and Judge of the Matrimonial Tribunal, the first person to hold the position who was not a priest. Sister Margaret Ann distinguished herself as a canonist. In spite of increasing health challenges, Sister Peggy was able to do some traveling and volunteered for the Los Angeles County Jail, the Family Service Agency of San Francisco, and Whistlestop in Marin County. Sister Margaret Ann was predeceased by her sister, Mary Therese (McCauley) Devlin. She is survived by her brother, John McCauley and by her nieces, Terry Devlin, Anne Devlin, Kathleen Devlin, and Kelly McCauley-Durham, and by her nephews, Tom Devlin, Tim Devlin, John McCauley, Chris McCauley, and Pat McCauley, and by her Dominican Sisters. A funeral Mass will be held on Monday, January 30 at 7:00 p.m. at the Dominican Sisters Center, 1520 Grand Avenue, San Rafael. Burial will take place on Tuesday, January 31 at 9:30 a.m. at St. Dominic Cemetery in Benicia. Memorial contributions may be made Dominican Sisters of San Rafael, Development Office, 1520 Grand Avenue, San Rafael, CA, 94901. Monte’s Chapel of The Hills San Anselmo 453-8440