2019 Alumna of the Year
Living in Mercy
Without saying a word, Ann Marie Sloan ’53, Outstanding Alumna of the Year, can get people to sit up and listen. That’s because this humble and soft-spoken retired schoolteacher has a gift that’s rare in our busy world these days: the ability to truly listen to others. A Mercy Associate for nearly 40 years, Ann gives renewed meaning to the words of Catherine McAuley, who reminds us that nothing on Earth matters more than compassion for others.
Honored May 19 during reunion weekend at Bay View, Ann wants to be remembered only as someone who knew how to listen to others. But those who know and love her admire her for much more.
After graduating from St. Mary Academy - Bay View, she earned degrees from Catholic Teachers College and Rhode Island College. At the age of 23, she began a distinguished teaching career that would last for 35 years.
A teacher in both Belize and Rhode Island, Ann taught hundreds of children with dyslexia to read, worked with Alzheimer’s patients and served as a companion to aging Sisters of Mercy in need.
Now retired, Ann remains tireless in her mission to serve others in the spirit of Mercy. She continues to provide transportation to the homebound, serving as a Eucharistic minister and companion to the Sisters and residents of Mount St. Rita Health Centre, visiting the elderly in nursing homes, and acting as the 24-hour, on-call support person to Sisters of Mercy for many months of the year. In addition, Ann has remained faithful to her alma mater, supporting Bay View philanthropically and was one of our donors who helped bring Catherine McAuley to our front entrance.
Humble to the core, Ann chuckles when people call her a saint. “They say that because they don’t really know me,” she says with a laugh. “You shouldn’t be rewarded for things you’re supposed to do, like being good.”