Kearney, Sister Frances “Fran” (Thomas Joseph)

Reflections on the Life of Sister Fran Kearney, SNJM

by

Sister Rosemary Everett, SNJM

St. Mary’s Church, Los Gatos, California

Mass of Resurrection, Sept. 15, 2025

It is thrilling to see the love for Fran reflected in this church!

Every one of you present at this Mass of Resurrection for Fran, whether present in this church or joining us on livestream, is a witness to this extraordinary woman religious we all know and love.

What were the influences that formed Fran Kearney?

Certainly, the atmosphere of faith and prayer in the Sonoma home of Jim and Wanda Kearney in which Wynn, June, Pat and Franci, the youngest, grew up, She expressed deep love and appreciation for the life lessons she learned from each of her Sisters.

Fran wrote: “My dad contracted TB in the first year of my parents’ marriage. This acceptance of his life-long illness and my mother’s trust in God, with the financial limitations resulting from hospitalization and surgery, made them strong persons and models for each of us.”

Educated by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and the Ursuline Sisters, Fran met our Holy Names Sisters in her two years at Holy Names College, in Oakland.

In a summer in Hawaii, God’s presence became very evident, and she began to reflect deeply on her life goals. She speaks of our Sister Emily Marie and Sister Albert Joseph, CSJ, as important women in her discernment.

Fran expresses gratitude for the spiritual, educational and personal growth opportunities offered by our community throughout her life, and the personal sharing of Sisters in difficult times which strengthened her in perseverance. Sister Michaeline Mary was her Formation Director and later a cherished housemate in S.F., and a beloved travel companion.

A National Science Foundation scholarship to Portland University gave Fran a strong basis for teaching physics and chemistry. The Portland U. learning community included students with young families whom Fran greatly enjoyed.

An excellent educator, after a few years in elementary grades, she taught in 3 high schools: St Monica’s in Santa Monica, St. Andrew’s in Pasadena and Marin Catholic High School in Kentfield.

At St. Andrew’s she experienced the African American and Latino culture of the girls and Introduced community-based education in which the students spent time in local businesses.

As freshman theology teacher at Marin Catholic High School, Fran initiated the Reverence for Family Life Program in which she involved faculty members as presenters to the students and their parents who experienced the classes prior to their children receiving them. Some of these faculty members are present here.

Fran loved to go to school early to experience the camaraderie in the faculty room prior to the start of the school day.

She introduced the faculty and staff to our SNJM tradition of Strawberry Day commemorating our 1868 foundation day in CA. For years after leaving MC¹ Fran arrived there on May 10 with strawberries for her former colleagues.

Fran kept up with many past students and attended their alumni gatherings. It was at MC² that the close friendship between Fran, Archbishop John Wester and I began and has continued for almost 50 years.

Following her teaching years she moved into early childhood education and then spent 23 years at the Daughters of Charity Sisters’ Epiphany Program in San Francisco.

During the years 1991-2005 she continually attended training sessions and acquired 6 certificates in this field. She loved caring for these drug- affected infants and toddlers; as well as supporting their mothers in their struggle for sobriety from alcohol and drugs.

Even after leaving that program Fran continued giving personal and video workshops to parents including infant massage.

Fran and I shared 8 years together as ministers of hospitality in the Rincon Guest House on the property our community purchased from the Episcopal Church. She loved to call it the Beloeil of the West, because, in addition to welcoming relatives of Sisters and our Sisters, we provided rehab space for recuperating Sisters.

As part of the Health Team, Fran accompanied Sisters to appointments, to the ER, and those Sisters on Hospice. Many nights or early morning, I heard the phone ring and then the car engine start as she left for the hospital.

An avid sports fan, Fran loudly cheered her SF Giants, had a fun rivalry with a Dodgers fan; and we rarely missed a Golden State Warriors basketball game.

Fran was a strong community woman, wholeheartedly involved in our Provincial and Congregational events and activities. She contributed significant leadership to our Spiritual Ministries Committee. Once ZOOM was available, she used it to expand her presence and relationships across the Congregation, especially on the International Solidarity Committees.

Fran, thank you for years of precious friendship.

Fran, you showed us how to live and how to die, trusting totally in your God who was calling her home.

Fran, we love you and will miss you greatly; but now, in your Risen life, you will be with all of us in new and unique ways.

In honor of Fran, I close with a reflection from Karl Rahner.

“When we have genuinely loved someone
We donate a part of ourselves to that other
In a way that is beyond recall,
And when they go from us
They take that part of us with them.
When they go in the permanence of death
They take that part of us with them permanently.
Where have they gone?
They have gone to be with God,
The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.
Not the God of the dead but of the living.
So the calm we eventually experience,
When our necessary period of mourning is done,
Is not a sign that things are again as they were before,
That cannot be.
It is rather a sign
That part of us lives now.
Already in eternity
With our loved living dead.”

^{1 Marin Catholic High School in Kentfield, California
2 Ibid}

Reflections on the Life of Fran Kearney, SNJM

by

Susan M Maloney, SNJM

St. Mary’s Church,

Los Gatos, California

September. 15, 2025

A week before her death, Fran shared her hopes for this life celebration. She recounted that years ago, during a retreat, the director invited participants to envision their own death. Fran imagined herself at home in Sonoma, out in the fields with her loved ones gathered for a great party and feast. As the sun set, a glowing red air balloon arrived. Jesus invited Fran to join Him in the basket, and off she went to heaven waving good-bye in peace and gratitude. Although we are not in Sonoma, we are Fran’s loved ones ….gathered to celebrate her amazing life. We share precious memories in sadness, gratitude and peace.

In order to capture the dynamic of Fran’s life I spoke with several of you, received emails from her friends, family, and members of the Holy Names Community. I have incorporated some of your thoughts and feelings into my reflections. With thanks to Sister Nancy Clemmons from the Holy Names “tech team”, I was able to view the 1700 photos on her phone. Thanks to Catherine Ferguson, SNJM we created a slide show that gives us a glimpse of how Fran saw the world. And thanks to SNJM friend Lynore Banchoff we have a binder of written memories from many of you. These visual and written memories from loved ones and colleagues are treasured moments. Both the slideshow and binder are available to see in the reception hall.

Many of you described Fran as loving, generous, warm, humorous, kind and a forgiving woman. She was ardently loyal to her family and friends. Her laughter was contagious. She had a preternatural ability to connect everyone she knew. She was the connector for so many of us. Whenever possible, she glued us together.

Fran, genuinely liked people, enjoyed music, ballet, baseball and gazing at the wonderous Solar System. For her these were all reflections of God’s loving Energy. She intertwined her deep interior life with God into all her delights, events, ministries and relationships. I always thought her magnetic way of being and smiling reflected this special Divine relationship she exuded.

Her natural drive to connect was not born out of curiosity but genuine caring. A name of some distant relative, a former colleague, neighbor, co-worker or even a fan of the Giants made her happy. Once she called me to say that during a hospital visit, she met a nurse who in the 1970’s had attended HNHS with my younger sister and did I want the nurse’s email address to give to my sister?

Several of you mentioned similar experiences, we might call them coincidences. These moments for Fran were the interconnectedness of humans brief moment of Divine unity beyond technology, information or knowledge. On more than one occasion she would mention this energy as the Community of the Trinity.

Even with the passage of time these moments of connections not only delighted her but increased her openness to more bonding that energized her. Some of us would tease her as Fran of the freeways and funerals. What might have been perceived as an “overload of caregiving” for others, for her it was a vocation –a call to be present with other people during their deepest sorrow, suffering, grief and joy. And yet, she tried not to miss a chance for a good meal, party and of course a quick run to Baskin Robbins for an ice cream. I cannot remember one visit, meeting, gathering or event with her than DID NOT include laughter.

For Fran the cosmic connection of life on all its levels, the biological, physical and relational world was part and parcel of the world of the Spirit. An avid reader, two books in her room demonstrate these profound CONNECTIONS.

One is the biography of Ella Young: Irish Mystic and Rebel and the other, Astrophysics for Busy People. That’s our Fran!

Fran had the following poem on her phone a message for us:

Follow the star in your heart …Work at what you love … Each person has a destiny, a work ….What you do, and do not do, affects the whole earth ¹

Fran embraced life and left no aspect untouched. Her experience of God’s Divine presence in everyday life and relationships included the political realm. She left the following memo in her file, illustrating her strong commitment to justice and peace.

I quote.

“The SNJM Justice and Peace Committee’s on-going challenge for prayer, study and action continues to be a strong guide for me in these days of political and economic challenge. I depend on the members to provide us with research, clarity and practical ways to interpret the signs of the times and to bring Jesus’ promise to reality: “The Truth will make you free.”

Fran embraced her destiny by greeting each day as the rest of her life. She yearned to see and love people as God saw them. Through her struggles and challenges, she practiced the virtue of acceptance in order to fulfill her destiny to love God, herself, others and her vocation.

One of the major turning points in Fran’s life was her acceptance of the disease of alcoholism. Not one to shy away from the truth, Fran publicly admitted she had the disease. Thirty-three years ago, along with Sister Mary Rogers and SNJM Associate Joan O’Connor she initiated the “Women’s Spirituality Group.” This was designed for Catholic women committed to the AA Recovery program. As recently as six months ago she attempted to gather the group together via Zoom.

During my last visit with Fran on August 18th, the day before her transition in the red balloon she recited the Serenity Prayer for me as a gift. In closing, I share this gift with you.

Mary Haupt passes Susan the audio recording of Fran praying the Serenity Prayer. Susan holds the audio recording to the microphone for all to hear. Only Fran’s voice is heard praying the following.

God, grant me the Serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and the wisdom to know the difference.

^{1 Fran Kearney, SNJM Photo Poem from her phone accessed August 23, 2025}