Sister Mary Cecilia of Jesus, O.C.D.

Courtesy photo

+ Enlarge

Sister Mary Cecilia of Jesus, O.C.D.

February 24, 1934 ~ January 21, 2020

Sister Mary Cecilia of Jesus, O.C.D., 85, a nun of the Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Holladay, passed away peacefully at the monastery January 21, 2020 surrounded by her religious family of Carmelite nuns.

At the January 23 vigil, Bishop Oscar A. Solis led the rosary, reciting the Glorious Mysteries. The celebrant at the January 24 funeral Mass was Father Erik Richtsteig, pastor of St. Ambrose Parish. Concelebrants were Msgr. M. Francis Mannion, pastor emeritus of St. Vincent de Paul Parish; Father Jose Barrera Cruz, administrator of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish; Father Dominic Briese, O.P., chaplain of Juan Diego Catholic High School; and Fr. Francis-Hung Le, O.P., superior of St. Catherine of  Siena Newman Center.

“Sr. Mary Cecilia of Jesus died in the presence of the Lord Jesus; she died in his house, which is this Carmel; she died in the presence of his mother, with her sisters in Christ praying the blessed rosary – that is dying in the presence of the Lord,” Fr.  Richtsteig said in his homily.

Sr. Mary Cecilia’s life in Christ began with her baptism and continued when she took vows as a Carmelite nun and embraced the evangelical counsels, “so that she would live in him, hidden from the world, so that she could die for him and be a great spiritual light for all of us,” Fr. Richtsteig said.

“Where is she now? As the Sacred Scripture tells us, she is in the hands of the living God … and we have great hope because of that,” he added.

Sr. Mary Cecilia was born Dong Im Yoo on February 24, 1934, in Chung Buk, South Korea into a Buddhist family, and spent part of her childhood with her mother and three sisters during the Japanese invasion and occupation of Korea. Her father, Chang Dak Yoo, died during her childhood.

When she was 14, she felt an intense drawing to go inside Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church in An-sang, which she did. It wasn’t long before she was baptized a Catholic, receiving the new name of Teresa.  

As a young adult, Dong lived with her family near the border between South Korea and the Communist North Korea. Once again they experienced the rigors of war, and narrowly escaped the bombs bursting around them. As it turned out, an American GI married Dong’s sister and brought her back to the United States and Utah. This became the excuse for Dong to travel to the U.S., visit her sister, study, gradually acquire a green card, and finally become a U.S. citizen. Dong also worked incessantly to help her mother and family to come eventually to the U.S. Learning the English language was a real challenge to Dong, which she only partly achieved, but her sweet and agreeable personality helped to make up for this difficulty.

 It was through her contact with the Trappists in Huntsville that she first began to seriously consider the vocation of a Carmelite. She entered the Salt Lake Carmelite monastery in 1976 at the age of 41. On March 25, 1977 she received the habit of Carmel and a new religious name of Sister Cecilia of Jesus, O.C.D. Next came Temporary Vows, and at last the final step took place – her Solemn Vows for life, April 25, 1982. As she went through the years of formation as a religious, she was filled with gratitude that she was able to live the Carmelite vocation.

She was preceded in death by her parents and sister Ok Wha Yoo. She is survived by her two sisters, Maria (Dong Yai) Faerber (Sandy, Utah) and Cecilia Chenet (Sandy, Utah); many nieces, nephews, grandnephews and grandnieces; and her religious family of Carmelite nuns.  

Interment at Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery.  

Requiescat in pace.