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Basilian Sister Gertrude Martin died Nov. 28, after 75 years of religious life.
Sister Gertrude was born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, the daughter of the late Nicholas and Ann (nee Kopas) Martin and the middle child of 13 siblings. She entered the community from St. John the Baptist Cathedral Parish in Homestead Oct. 3, 1943. She made her final profession Aug. 19, 1951.
Her teaching apostolate spanned 33 years, 12 of which she also served as principal.
While in the teaching apostolate, she additionally served as a member of the Provincial Council for five years. For another six years, Sister Gertrude ably administered St. Basil’s Home for Women.
A brief return to teaching took her to Trenton, New Jersey, before she returned to the monastery. Her energetic nature and varied talents then led her to be manager of the religious gift shop for more than 10 years. It was a ministry from which it was hard for her to take leave, since she especially enjoyed being there.
In 2005, she retired from active ministry, but busied herself at the monastery with various projects, since she was not one to sit still. She will be especially remembered for directing the Christmas decorating throughout the house.
Each year, the National Religious Retirement Office publishes a poster as the basis of their campaign materials. Sister Gertrude was one of our three sisters to be chosen for the 2009 poster. One could not help but be drawn by her deep-set blue eyes and infectious smile, the face of a happy sister.
Sister Gertrude was preceded in death by her parents, and 11 of her siblings.
In addition to her sisters in community, she is survived by her brother George Martin, her sister Verna Savko, and many devoted nieces and nephews and their families.
The Parastas Service was concelebrated Dec. 3, by Father Andrew Deskevich and Father Jerome Botsko, monastery chaplain. Father Ronald Larko attended. Father Deskevich celebrated the funeral Divine Liturgy Dec. 4; Father Botsko concelebrated. Fathers John Petro, Ronald Larko, James Spontak, Stephen Wahal, and Christopher Burke attended.
Father Andrew Deskevich, in his homily, noted that when people say before God that they are thankful to have known and loved someone like Sister Gertrude, they are in fact thanking God for revealing something of himself yet again in human form.
“It was only in Jesus Christ that we saw the glory and goodness of God fully shining in a human face. And yet it is also true that in the goodness of every human being, there is another, if different revelation of God, incomplete, flawed, but nevertheless a mirror of his love,” he said.
May God grant his handmaiden Sister Gertrude eternal memory and blessed repose.
As published in Horizons, Dec. 23, 2018.
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