By Florida Catholic staff - Florida Catholic

ST. AUGUSTINE | Sister Mary Alexius Murray passed away on July 20, 2025, at the age 99. She served as a nurse at Mercy Hospital in Miami and celebrated 75 years as a Sister of St. Joseph last year.

Born in County Galway, Ireland, on June 17, 1926, and named Mary Teresa, she traveled to Florida in 1949 to enter religious life, where she later took the name Mary Alexius as a Sister of St. Joseph, a name she kept the rest of her life.

Sister Mary Alexius served a few years teaching in Catholic elementary schools in Florida. In the late 1950s she was asked to study nursing full-time in Kentucky. From 1959 to 2008 she served as a nurse in Catholic health care in Florida, primarily at Mercy Hospital, but also for a short time at St. Cloud Hospital, St. Cloud, and Mercy Medical Center, Orlando.

She retired at St. Joseph Convent, Miami, in 2008, and moved to Our Lady of Lourdes Convent, St. Augustine, in 2011.

Sister Mary Alexius funeral liturgy was July 28, in the Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Joseph in St. Augustine, Florida, with interment at San Lorenzo Cemetery.

Her funeral liturgy was held July 28 at the Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Joseph in St. Augustine, Florida. She was buried at San Lorenzo Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Sisters of St. Joseph, P.O. Box 3506, St. Augustine, FL 32085.

The Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine, the only congregation of Catholic apostolic women religious headquartered in Northeast Florida, have served the people in Florida continuously since 1866. Their mission is to foster unity and reconciliation in the service of the Dear Neighbor. They currently serve in St. Augustine, Miami, and Jacksonville in a variety of ministries.

For more information, contact Phyllis Croucher, at (904) 824-9100.