Sr. Ruth Handren

Beloved Sister of Mercy Ruth Handren, (formerly known as Sister Mary Scholastica), passed away peacefully on August 27, 2025, at Mercy Springwell, the retirement home for the Sisters of Mercy in Baltimore. She was 104 years old and had been a Sister of Mercy for 81 years. Born in Norristown, PA, on November 13, 1920, she was one of six children born to George W. Handren and Agnes Jones Handren. She attended St. Patrick's Elementary School, and Girls' West Catholic High School in Philadelphia, graduating in 1937. Sister Ruth knew from a young age that she wanted to be a nurse. She began her studies at Misericordia Hospital School of Nursing right after high school and soon became a licensed RN.

Having accomplished that goal, she was certain God was calling her to use her nursing skills within a religious community. Her high school had been staffed with sisters from a number of different orders, and she had decided on the Immaculate Heart of Mary Community. Her plans were thwarted when she learned that her chosen order had no nursing ministry. Being sure that she was meant to be both a nurse and a sister, she looked into other communities, but none of them felt right to her. Sr. Ruth's brother Walter, a Jesuit priest, introduced her to the Sisters of Mercy in Baltimore, and in only a year she entered the community, believing, "The Lord apparently wants me here."

She began her nursing ministry at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore, and at the same time completed her BSN at Mount Saint Agnes College. Following her college graduation, she was sent to the University of St. Louis where she earned double master's degrees in Social Welfare and Social Work. Years later she remembered her disappointment, since it was clear that she would not be doing hands-on care of patients, which had been her goal in becoming a nurse. She saw that sisters were quickly made supervisors and managers, not bedside nurses. So, she was not surprised when, on her return home from St. Louis, she became an administrator in the Social Services Department.

In 1959, Sister Ruth became Administrator of Mercy Hospital and was a key figure and a significant guiding force behind the construction of the Tower Building, now known as McAuley Tower. She was much admired and respected at Mercy Hospital for her quiet strength, her leadership and her flexibility, evident in the various positions she held there. Proof that she was held in high esteem is visible to all as her photograph hangs in the Mary Catherine Bunting Center at Mercy.

Much of Sister Ruth's ministry throughout her religious life centered around administrative duties in the area of social work, having served in Daphne and Mobile, Alabama, and in Dahlonega, Georgia. In 1973, Sister Ruth was elected to community leadership, serving for six years on the Council of the Sisters of Mercy for the Province of Baltimore. Afterwards, she returned to her ministry in social work, with her last ministry being Resident Manager at Portier Place in Mobile. This ministry was her favorite since she was able to spend her time with elderly residents there on a one-on-one basis.

Sister Ruth retired from active ministry in 2006 and moved to The Villa, the Sisters of Mercy retirement convent in Baltimore. In 2018, the sisters moved to Mercy Springwell in Mt. Washington. Despite health issues, Sister Ruth remained cheerful with the sisters and staff and was serene and peaceful in her last days.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on September 4, 2025, at 10:30 AM at Mercy Medical Center's McAuley Chapel, 301 St. Paul Place, Baltimore, MD 21202. Interment will follow in Woodlawn Cemetery in Baltimore. She is survived by her Sisters in the Mercy Community, her niece Mary Jo Clarkson of Elverson, PA, and many friends. Donations in memory of Sister Ruth Handren can be made to the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, 8403 Colesville Rd., Suite 400, Silver Spring, MD 20910