Sister Sandra Makowski

1947 - 2025

Makowski, Sister Sandra, SSMN

Jun 12, 1947 - May 16, 2025

Formerly Sr. John, was born in Binghamton, New York. Her parents were John Makowski and Jean Ann Doyle. After graduating from high school, she entered the Sisters of St. Mary of Namur with her twin sister Carole, on September 8, 1965. Where her sister Carole (later Sr. Jean) made her novitiate at Mount St. Mary in Kenmore, Sr. Sandra was sent to Namur, Belgium. She made her first vows on August 17, 1968 and her perpetual profession on August 20, 1977. Her professional career started quietly. She received her B.S. in education from Trinity College in Washington, D.C. and her early ministry included religious education and parish work at St. Mary Parish in Binghamton, the four parishes in Strykersville, Sheldon, Java Center, and North Java, followed by parish work at St. Andrew in Binghamton and St. Paul in Kenmore. Then life changed. She began working at the Diocesan Center in Buffalo at the Marriage Tribunal. After a year she got her licentiate degree in Canon Law from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. She worked as a canonist at the Tribunal for twenty-one years. Later she continued to the same work in Charleston, S.C. Eventually she was made the first female Chancellor of the Diocese of South Carolina, also holding the title of Vicar for Religious. Despite the arduous and varied work required by her employment, she managed to write books: The Side of Kindness: Recovering the Lost Art of Being Kind, The Forgotten Women of the Bible, The Invisible Women: Naming and Proclaiming the Forgotten Women in Scripture and Church Law. She also wrote articles for the diocesan newspaper, The Miscellany. Sister Sandra had a strong sense of justice, and most especially for women's issues. She brought a profound kindness to every situation. On March 21, 2015, she was given the Religious Woman of the Year Award at the South Carolina Council of Catholic Women Convention. In 2020, Sandra was honored by Pope Francis receiving the Benemerenti Medal while serving as Chancellor in South Carolina. Sister Sandra passed away at South Buffalo Mercy on the morning of May 16, 2025. Sister Sandra will be waked at St. Mary Center, 241 Lafayette Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14213, on Monday, May 19th from 2 to 7 p.m. followed by the Mass of Resurrection at the Sisters' Community Chapel. Memorials may be made in Sandra's name to the Sisters of St. Mary of Namur Memorial Fund.