Mary Angeline Cushing was born in Hamilton, MA on May 26, 1913 to Walter and Louise Gertrude Cushing. Both of her parents had been married previously. Gertrude and Harold were children from her father’s 1st marriage and Victoria was a half-sister from her mother’s first marriage. Her sister Louise Gertrude was born in 1918.

While growing up, Mary enjoyed dancing, acting in plays, playing the piano, knitting, crocheting and reading. Her spiritual life was nourished by attending daily Mass and frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament. She also had a very special devotion to Our Lady and to the Little Flower.

During the summer months she worked as a waitress in an ice-cream parlor near her home. After graduating from high school, she worked at the Employers Liability Insurance Company in Boston for four years.

When she finally decided to pursue the call to religious life, she wanted to be a missionary “to save souls.” After a brief talk with the Mother General of a missionary order, she became convinced that daily hard work and childcare in the bush were not for her. Having read that St. Teresa of Avila saved more souls by her life of prayer than did St. Francis Xavier in all his missionary work, Mary decided to pursue a life of prayer. She then joined a Carmelite monastery in Newport, Rhode Island in November of 1937. She loved it there. After four months, however, she was asked to leave because she was thought to be too frail to observe their Lenten fast and penance. 

“That was one of my greatest sorrows, following another that had occurred just previous to my entrance with the Carmelites. My closest friend had invited me to stay with her for a visit before entering. Sadly, that night the house burned down and she lost her life in the blaze.” Mary, waking up to a house full of smoke, barely escaped with her own life that night.

She returned to visit the Carmelite monastery several times. Sister Cyril, her former postulant director, recommended she write to the Benedictines in Clyde to continue to discern a call to religious life. She was impressed by their life of prayer for the whole world before the Blessed Sacrament and this satisfied the desires burning in her heart. She entered at the age of 25 on September 15, 1938. She made First Profession on August 24, 1940 taking the name Sr. Mary Gregory. She made Final Profession on September 1, 1945.

Over the years she lived at several of our monasteries: Clyde, Kansas City, Mundelein, San Diego and Tucson. She worked at various duties over this span. She began in the printery at Clyde, helping to stitch Tabernacle and Purgatory, and then was assigned to the writing room in CD to answer letters. She next helped in the sewing department making collariums and then worked in the altar bread departments in several of our monasteries. In San Diego she was assigned to kitchen where she baked bread. She also started a contemplative prayer group there. Her gracious and cheerful personality also served her well in her assignment as portress at many of our monasteries. In Tucson, before her final move to Our Lady of Rickenbach Health Care Center, she worked as archivist, chronicler and part time receptionist.

Because of her background in piano, she was asked to take organ lessons as a novice. She would serve the community as organist for 52 years, retiring in 1992. She served as choir director and liturgist at various times during those years. One of her fondest memories was touring European monasteries in 1982 with the “Benedictine Musicians of the Americas.” These fourteen Benedictines from the U.S. visited five countries in Europe during that trip. Four other sisters from our congregation were also part of that group.

In an interview for the diocesan paper in San Diego in 1990 on the occasion of her golden jubilee, she stated that the most important lesson she had learned in religious life is God’s loving fidelity. “If you’re really seeking God he overwhelms you with his love and help. Religious life is not an easy life; it is a great challenge and you can count on him to help you through.”

Sr. Mary Gregory was also part of the “Elders of the Benedictines” project. Mark W. McGinnis conducted written interviews with elders of Benedictine monasteries throughout the U.S. and created acrylic portraits of each person. He then had a traveling exhibition of these portraits and interviews. This finally culminated in the book: The Wisdom of the Benedictine Elders.

During her leisure time Sr. Mary Gregory enjoyed listening to music and reading books on various topics: mysteries, archaeology, theology, biographies, astronomy and spirituality. She also did ham radio for a few years. 

She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December of 2010. No further treatment was considered helpful so she made the decision to wait quietly for the Lord to come to take her home. When asked how she felt knowing the Lord would soon be coming, she responded, “Oh, I am thrilled!” She also told God not to come for her before Christmas “because it is such a busy time for everyone.”

Many sisters spent time with Sr. Mary Gregory during her last days. She had a great devotion to the Divine Mercy chaplet and spent much of her last days praying for God’s mercy upon the world. She was talking and occasionally singing up until the last 24 hours.

She died very peacefully shortly before 10am on December 28, the Feast of the Holy Innocents. Sr. Virginia Anne and Sr. Grace were with her at the time. She was 97 years old and had celebrated her 70th jubilee of Profession this past summer. Sr. Mary Gregory was preceded in death by all of her siblings. She was buried on January 3rd at Clyde.