In Loving Memory

Sr. Beverly Furtado SUSC
Sr. Beverly Furtado died peacefully at the age of seventy-two at the Holy Union Sisters Community, 570 Rock Street, Fall River, MA after a long illness. She was born in Fall River, MA, the only child of Manuel and Mary (Connie) Pereira Furtado. Her father died in an industrial accident before she was born, and her mother raised Beverly surrounded by a large extended family. In addition to her Holy Union Sisters, she is survived by her aunt, Alice Cabral and several cousins. 
Sr. Beverly entered the Holy Union Sisters on September 13. 1964 and pronounced her final vows on August 14, 1976.  She was a graduate of the Academy of the Sacred Hearts, Fall River and received a Bachelor of Arts in Teaching from Trinity University, Washington D.C.
After teaching for a few years in Holy Union schools in Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania she began nursing training. She received a certificate from Diman Regional Practical Nursing Program and an Associate Degree in Nursing from Massachusetts Bay Community College. Sr. Beverly received a Certificate in Clinic Pastoral Education from Interfaith Health Care, Providence.
Her first nursing position was at St. Anne’s Hospital, Fall River. She was on the staff at the Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center in Boston from 1987 to 1993 and from 1993 to 2003 she served as a crisis intervention nurse at the Brockton Multi-Service Center. She later served as chaplain in two facilities of St. Anne’s Hospital in North Dartmouth and in Swansea.
Throughout her life, Sister Beverly generously shared her gifts with her Holy Union Sisters. She served as a geriatric nurse at the retirement community in Fall River and spent four years in the Holy Union Mission in Moloundou, Cameroon. She was a member of an international planning group for a congregational Charism Conference and served as novice director for the province. From 2003 to 2008 she was a member of the U.S. Province Leadership Team. Her last Holy Union ministry was as coordinator for the Holy Union Sisters at The Landmark, Fall River. Throughout the years, she was an active member of several province committees.
In whatever ministry she found herself, Sr. Beverly always took the opportunity to participate in professional workshops and in-service training as well as volunteer opportunities. She took great pleasure in volunteering at the Sacred Heart Parish Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry. She enjoyed travelling both within the United States and abroad with her dear friend, Sister Mary Rogers, CSJ. She had the joy of preparing a surprise celebration in honor of her mother’s ninety-ninth birthday in 2017 and her mother’s one-hundredth birthday celebration when she was a resident at The Landmark.
During her long illness, Sr. Beverly showed great faith, courage and realism which inspired all those with whom she came in contact. While illness kept her from full-time ministry, she volunteered at Charlton Memorial Hospital’s Surgi-Center and participated in cancer patient support groups and the outreach programs of Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care in Fairhaven.
The Mass of Christian Burial was on Tuesday, October 15, 2019 at 10:00 AM in Holy Trinity Church, 951 Stafford Rd., Fall River. Burial was at Notre Dame Cemetery, Fall River. Visiting hours were Monday from 3:00 to 6:00 PM, with a Memorial Prayer at 6:00 PM, in the Waring-Sullivan Home at Cherry Place, 178 Winter St., Fall River. Donations in Sister Beverly’s memory may be made to HOLY UNION SISTERS Mission Advancement Office, P.O. BOX 410, MILTON, MA 02186.

We rejoice now in the sure knowledge that Bev is enjoying fullness of eternal life as she is reunited with her mother, Connie and meets her father, Manny whom she did not know here on earth and her ever-faithful God. These words of Fr. Alfred Delp, SJ in a final testament to his friends are a reflection of Bev’s life:
               “If through one person’s life there is a little more love
                        and kindness, a little more light and truth
                   in the world, then she will not have lived in vain.”
To download a copy of Sr. Beverly’s biography, click here: Biography – Sr. Beverly Furtado