We share news of the death of Sister June Ann Kirby, CSC, who died at 11:30 a.m. on December 2, 2025, in Residencial Santa Cruz, São Paulo, Brazil. Sister June Ann entered the Congregation from Washington, D.C., on January 28, 1950. Her initial profession of vows took place on February 2, 1953.

Please join us in prayer for Sister as we renew our faith in the resurrected Jesus and strengthen our hope that all the departed will be raised to eternal life.

Memorial Mass

Monday, December 15, 2025

Memorial Mass: 11 a.m.

Church of Our Lady of Loretto
Notre Dame, Indiana

The birth of the youngest Kirby child came in June, hence her name, June Ann. By being born on June 24, 1930, the infant came under the patronage of St. John the Baptist, a prophetic figure of humility who pointed others to Jesus, the Christ, rather than to himself. James Kirby, Sr., and Marie Agnes (Timmons) Kirby welcomed the birth of their daughter in Cleveland, Ohio, where they raised her and her five brothers and one sister. The Kirby family were devout Catholics who were described as people of character and intelligence. June Ann shared fully in these qualities, in addition to having a quiet and cheerful disposition.

The family moved from Cleveland, Ohio, to Washington, D.C., when June Ann was in the sixth grade. She was taught by Holy Cross sisters at Blessed Sacrament School and then at The Academy of the Holy Cross. During high school, she was on the varsity basketball team and a member of the Legion of Mary, a lay apostolic association for Catholics. Her father died in 1948, the same year she graduated high school. After graduating, June Ann stayed in Washington, D.C., to work at Brentano’s Bookstore as an assistant and then at Dunbarton College of Holy Cross in the business office. Her faith in God was strong and apparent, as her high school peers believed that June Ann was the most likely to consider religious life. She had felt a vocation to serve God “in the most perfect way,” and entered the Sisters of the Holy Cross on January 28, 1950. Upon receiving the holy habit on February 2, 1951, she received her name in religion, Sister Imelda Marie.

As Sister Imelda Marie, she began teaching in elementary schools from 1953 to 1964 in Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Ohio. While she could be shy and quiet, she utilized her creativity and “animation for teaching” to create an engaging learning environment for her students. In 1964, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in elementary education from Dunbarton College of Holy Cross, Washington, D.C. She felt a calling to “continue to serve Christ in His little ones and further the work of Holy Cross” abroad in 1962, and left for São Paulo, Brazil in November of 1964.

Although Sister June Ann returned to using her baptismal name in 1967, her religious name seemed to predict her ministry in Brazil. Blessed Imelda is the patroness of first communicants, and Sister June Ann was heavily involved with catechetical programs from 1964 to 1991. She was a teacher and director in catechetics for Convento San José in São Paulo, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Telêmaco Borba, and Colégio Santa Maria in São Paulo. She was also a teacher for elementary and junior high schools around São Paulo between 1965 and 2018, 36 years of which were spent at Colégio Santa Maria. In addition to teaching during the day, Sister June Ann would teach English and religion to adults, mostly women, at the night school of Colégio Santa Maria.

Sister June Ann’s ministry extended further than Brazil, as she went to Tiberias, Israel, several times. In Tiberias, she staffed the international formation program created for religious congregations in the Middle East and Africa. The Mater Ecclesiae Center (MEC) was founded by Holy Cross sisters and no longer exists, now that there are other options for sisters globally. From March through August of 1975, she assisted with retreat work and biblical studies related to the MEC study program. She returned to take part in a summer renewal program from May to August of 1989. Sister June Ann also worked with the MEC study program from January 1992 to July 1997, in addition to managing accounts, archives and travel planning. After the closure of the center in 1997, she returned to São Paulo to continue being an archivist for Vila Nazaré convent and sponsor for the high school student council’s activities. Sister June Ann also began teaching at PRISMA, a center for extended education at Colégio Santa Maria that offers courses of enrichment for retired and elder adults. In 2004, she briefly served as a substitute novice director at the Holy Cross Formation House in Jinja, Uganda. Although she enjoyed traveling, Sister June Ann adored the Brazilian people and always found her way back to São Paulo. Once arriving back to São Paulo, she became a religious presence for the women at the St. Martha’s Social Service Center. It gave her great joy to help the women at the center learn practical skills such as sewing and providing first aid. Sister June Ann continued teaching until she transitioned to a full-time ministry of prayer in 2018, when she moved into Residencial Santa Cruz, São Paulo, a center for elder adults sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.

In a reflection she wrote in 1991 at 60 years old, Sister June Ann remarked that she wanted to be as free as possible in the latter half of her life so she could be sent to wherever she was needed, no matter the country. Her selfless service had no boundaries as she traveled around the world to teach about God’s love. A vowed woman religious for 72 years, Sister June Ann Kirby died at 95 years old after a long illness at Residencial Santa Cruz. While her loved ones mourn the loss of Sister June Ann, they also celebrate her long life and dedication to causes, people and God. She was preceded in death by her parents and six siblings, whom she reunited with in eternal life on December 2, 2025, during the first week of Advent.

We invite you to donate to the Congregation in Sister’s name.