Date of death: 8/28/2026
Saint Meinrad Class: SS
Sister Catherine (Joan Therese) Madigan died at Seton Residence on August 28, 2026. Sister was born on February 26, 1940 in Chicago, Illinois and is one of two children of James Francis and Catherine Rita (McInerney) Madigan. After graduating from Academy of Our Lady in Chicago, she entered the Daughters of Charity in St. Louis, Missouri in 1957.
After initial formation and a BA in English from Marillac College in St. Louis, Sister Catherine began her ministry as a secondary English teacher at St. Vincent School in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, St. Joseph School in New Orleans, Louisiana, St. Vincent High School in Perryville, Missouri and St. Louise de Marillac High School in Northfield, Illinois. She also received a MA in English from Xavier College in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1981, Sister became a Councillor at the Mater Dei Provincialate in Evansville, Indiana until 1990 when she became Director of Religious Education at St. Mary’s Parish in Huntingburg, Indiana. She then served as Visitatrix of the East Central Province in Evansville, Indiana until 2005. The following year she was assigned a writing project for the Province and lived at Our Lady of the Gardens residence in Chicago. From 2006 until 2017 Sister served as a Foreign Missionary at Holy Cross Parish in Thigio, Kenya in Africa. When she returned, she worked at Rebuild Center in New Orleans until she came to Seton Residence in 2017 to serve in the Ministry of Prayer.
Sister was preceded in death by her parents and her sister Mary Agnes Madigan and she is survived by other loving family members, many friends and her Sisters in community.