Sister Elizabeth ​Cawley, CSJ

(Sister Mary Ellen)

We remember her in the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn.

April 24, 1935 – September 13, 2026

In the 73rd year of her Religious Life.

Entered: September 8, 1953

She was exceptionally thoughtful, humble, and kind, and quietly elevated the conversation of every room she entered.

While teaching in local high schools, Betty was studying for her bachelor’s degree in Latin from Regis College, and her master’s degree and doctorate in classics from Tufts University. The latter included a year of study in Italy and a year of full-time study at Tufts in Medford. In 1970, she began her long commitment to Regis College as Professor of Latin, and then as an academic dean, and later in institutional research. Betty’s time at Regis was interrupted twice with calls to leadership in our CSJ Congregation as Assistant President. To quote an obituary item from Regis, “Sister Betty was known at Regis for her scholarly achievements, her leadership, wit, and good humor. She was exceptionally thoughtful, humble, and kind, and quietly elevated the conversation of every room she entered. Sister Betty inspired generations of Regis students and is remembered by many Regis Alumni and her former colleagues as one of the college’s most beloved faculty members.” Then, after retiring from Regis at the age of 80, Betty began a new ministry as Justice Promoter for our congregation.

While in Congregation Leadership, Sister Betty faced many challenges with her calm and steady presence. Perhaps you heard about the meetings that she attended and/or led as our congregation was selling property in Brighton or developing Bethany Hill School in Framingham in the early 1990’s. They were challenging. Her wisdom and vision helped to enable these projects to move forward as smoothly as possible. Betty was a key part of the dream team that created Bethany Hill Place, housing with supportive services that was unique in the country and impacted hundreds of lives over the past thirty years. Who can forget seeing Betty with her hard hat as the unofficial ‘Clerk of the Works” as the Motherhouse was being renovated? Betty was a valuable member of the Property Committee for many years, bringing her insight and perspective to complex questions, involving the purchasing, renovating, repurposing, and selling of properties.

Betty had a passion for justice. She was one of the founding members of RNR, Rerum Novarum Revisited, a social justice committee formed in 1972 by our Congregation to address critical justice issues. Later she was instrumental in establishing our own Office of Justice and Peace. As Congregation Justice Promoter from 2016 – 2023, Betty challenged us to respond in many areas, including non-violence, commitment to the poor, immigration, respect for the earth, anti-human trafficking, and voting responsibilities — all through the lens of our CSJ spirituality. Working with the writings within Laudato Si’, she provided opportunities to turn the encyclical into a lived reality. Truly, she was the conscience of our congregation.

Betty’s financial expertise enabled her to establish and become a vital member of the Congregation Investment Committee. Her keen knowledge and astute perception impressed those with whom she worked, as they advised the congregation to make critical decision about our investments for the future. Her outstanding memory and discernment skills made her a valuable asset on any project or committee.

Community was a vital part of Sister Betty’s life. While teaching at Regis, Betty and others moved into the “Pit” in Domitilla Hall to form a small community. When Lee Hogan began her ministry at Regis in 1974, she joined this local community and thus began their wonderful supportive friendship.

Betty treasured all of her “Communities” — her local community and her Congregation, her family members whom she treasured dearly, her Regis Community, those with whom she worked on Committees, those relationships that she made and kept while in leadership, both locally and nationally while on the Board of LCWR.

Additionally, Betty was an avid reader, who cherished her time with the earth as a gardener, sharing her gift of music, her energy for cooking with her local community, and her enjoyment of golf with her dear friend, Lee.

We CSJs say, “Relationship is at the Heart of Mission,” and Betty lived this to perfection. Thank you, Betty, for all that you did in such a wide spectrum of areas — but so much more importantly, we thank you for the person that you have been as you interacted with each and every one of us in your unique manner, and for all of those relationships that you had that none of us know about.

Mary Ellen O’Connell, CSJ
September 18, 2026