A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated in the chapel of Mary Immaculate at the Motherhouse of the Sisters of Christian Charity in Mendham, N.J., on Aug. 26 for Sister John Marie Hickl, who died on Aug. 22 at Mallinckrodt Convent, also in Mendham. She was 94.
During her long ministry devoted to faith, education, music, and service, Sister Hickl served as principal of the former St. Cecilia School in Rockaway, N.J., from 1970 to1972.
Born Eleanor Hickl in Philadelphia, Penn., Sister Hickl was the youngest of four children of John and Marie (Daubner) Hickl. She attended Our Lady Help of Christians School in Philadelphia, where the Sisters of Christian Charity taught her.
From an early age, Sister Hickl showed a love and talent for music. She took piano lessons and occasionally served as a church organist. She continued her studies at Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls in Philadelphia, where she learned to play the cello and joined the school orchestra.
After graduating from high school in 1950, Sister Hickl worked for two years as a typist at Dun & Bradstreet in Philadelphia.
In 1952, Sister Hickl began her candidacy with the Sisters of Christian Charity at the motherhouse in Mendham. At her investing in 1953, she received the religious name, Sister John Marie. She made her first profession in 1955 and her final profession in 1961.
Sister Hickl earned an associate’s degree from Assumption Junior College in Mendham, a bachelor’s degree from Nazareth College of Rochester, now Nazareth University, in Rochester, N.Y., and a master’s degree in administration from the University of Scranton in Scranton, Penn.
Throughout most of her religious life, Sister Hickl was devoted to education. She served as a classroom teacher and principal and frequently carried the additional responsibility of superior or local leader of the convent community.
Sister Hickl’s ministries brought her to Reading, Wilkes-Barre, and Allentown, Penn.; Kensington, Conn.; Rockaway, N.J.; Winter Park, Fla.; and Philadelphia.
During her 14 years as principal of St. Boniface School in Wilkes-Barre, Sister Hickl shepherded the school through its transition to an interparochial school. She also served on committees that celebrated the school’s 75th anniversary and the parish’s 100th anniversary.
Upon retiring as principal, Sister Hickl assisted at Bishop Hoban High School in Wilkes-Barre and later at Holy Redeemer High School, also in Wilkes-Barre, until taking up residence at Holy Family Convent in Danville, Pa., in 2011. In 2018, she was among the Sisters who moved to the new motherhouse in Mendham, where she took part in the ministry of prayer and presence until her death.
Sister Hickl was predeceased by her parents and by her siblings, Madeline, John, and Edward. She is survived by the Sisters of Christian Charity, as well as by many loving nieces, nephews, and their families. She is also remembered by members of the Glunk family, especially her friend, Sister Josine Glunk.
