Print Issue: April 4, 2002

Sister Teresa Termini, CSJ, Dies; Founded CSS Outreach To Elderly

ATLANTA-Sister Teresa Termini, CSJ, who directed outreach to the elderly for Catholic Social Services in Atlanta from 1977-89, died in St. Louis, Mo., on March 17 following a stroke. She was 84.

Sister Termini had been living in retirement at the Nazareth Living Center in St. Louis where she died. A Mass of the Resurrection was celebrated on March 21 followed by burial at Nazareth Cemetery.

A memorial Mass in the Archdiocese of Atlanta is planned for Sunday, April 21, at 3 p.m. at Most Blessed Sacrament Church, 2971 Butner Road, Atlanta. Father John Adamski will be the celebrant.

Sister Termini entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in September 1937 and was received as a sister on March 19, 1938. She died two days before the 64th anniversary of her reception as a member of the order.

In the Archdiocese of Atlanta, she served as administrator of the Village of St. Joseph for seven years beginning in 1969 and then, when asked to initiate services to the elderly, returned to school and obtained a nursing home administrator's license. While the archdiocese never opened a nursing home, she was instrumental in the development of outreach to the elderly, including the three personal care homes known as Marian Manor in Atlanta, St. Teresa Manor in Riverdale and St. Thomas Manor in East Point. St. Teresa Manor was named for her patron saint, St. Teresa of Avila, recognizing Sister Termini's role in and lasting contribution to serving the needs of the elderly in the archdiocese.

She began CSS outreach to the elderly, which initially included a telephone reassurance program, transportation to doctors' offices, hospitals and emergency appointments, visits to the elderly poora and homebound, and an information network. Her outreach workers for many years were Sister Marcella Meyer, CSJ, and Sister Roberta Joseph Sutton, CSJ.

She received a bachelor's degree in English in 1944 from Fontbonne College in St. Louis and a master's degree in education in 1958 from Loyola University in Chicago. From 1940-69, she taught in Catholic elementary schools and child care centers staffed by the Sisters of St. Joseph in St. Louis and Chicago.

After leaving Atlanta in 1989, she served as a manager and assistant manager of the Redemptorist Retirement Home in Kansas City, Mo., from 1989-99, finally retiring that year.

Sister Termini has no immediate family survivors. Memorial contributions may be made to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, 6400 Minnesota Ave., St. Louis, MO 63111.