Martha Roughan, RSCJ

Birth: April 11, 1944
Profession: September 8, 1976
Death: March 1, 2024

Religious of the Sacred Heart Martha Roughan died on March 1, 2024, in Albany, New York. She was 79 years old and a religious for 57 years. Martha was born on April 11, 1944, in Lowell, Massachusetts, to Leslie (Mills) and John B. Roughan, former director of advertising at the Lowell Sun. Martha graduated from Newton College of the Sacred Heart in 1966 with a B.A. in French. She would later earn a MEd in Religious Education from Boston College and a MSA in Administration from the University of Notre Dame. Martha entered the Society of the Sacred Heart in September 1966 at Kenwood in Albany and pronounced her first vows there in 1969. She made her final profession on September 8, 1976, in Joigny, France.

Following first vows, Sister Roughan taught French and Religion and served as dean of students of the middle school at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart (1969-1975). She then went to Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart where she was assistant headmistress (1975-1976). Sister Roughan spent the next two years at Newton Country Day School where she was director of studies and dean of students. She returned to Stone Ridge in 1978 as head of the middle school for five years. In 1983, Sister Roughan was named dean of students at Duchesne Academy in Houston for one year. She then went on to serve as headmistress at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan (1984-1987). After a sabbatical year, Sister Roughan returned to Duchesne Academy in Houston as dean of students until 1996. She was a director of Catholic Charities in Washington, D.C., for the next two years.

From 2001-2003, Sister Roughan served in campus ministry at Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich. She loved the work and her students enabling them to grow in their lived values. She served as principal of Josephinum Academy for five years beginning in 2003. In 2008, Sister Roughan became the first formation to mission director at Sacred Heart Schools in Atherton, California. She was a much-loved member of the school community and stepped in as a two-year lower middle school principal when the school was in need. The school holds memories of her as a “strong, wise and thoughtful leader, graced with humor and patience, and a wonderful colleague and mentor.”

In addition to her ministerial assignments, Sister Roughan served as a trustee for several Sacred Heart schools as well as a member of the Society’s provincial team (1996-1999). Mid-career she worked with the homeless in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. She also traveled to Uganda to bring books and supplies to Sacred Heart schools. 

Sister Roughan dedicated her life to the goal of educating young women and later, young men, in the Sacred Heart tradition. She loved the beach and family gatherings and especially the outings with her ever-faithful group of friends from Newton College. 

Sister Roughan retired to the Oakwood Retirement Community in 2018. When she required further care, she moved to the community at Teresian House in Albany. On March 1, 2024, Sister Roughan made her final journey to our Lord.

Martha was predeceased by her younger brother, John B. Roughan, Jr. She is survived by her sister Jacqueline (Roughan) Gray and her husband Gerald Gray of Dunstable, her niece, Kate (Gray) Joyce and her husband Vincent of Braintree, nephew Michael Gray and his wife Andrea of Burlington. She is also survived by her grandnieces, Maggie Joyce of South Boston, Molly and Colleen Joyce of Braintree, and her grandnephews, Patrick, Brendan, Matty, and Justin Gray all of Burlington. She is also survived by many Flanagan and Nelson cousins and their families, with whom she shared many happy family gatherings.

Funeral services will be held Friday, March 15, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Madeleine Sophie Parish, 3500 Carman Road, Schenectady NY, followed by an interment service at Kenwood Cemetery in Albany, New York. The funeral services will be livestreamed and may be viewed at https://smssgabparish.org. (Scroll down on the homepage until you see the video box. Once we are live it should automatically show up there.)

The livestream can be viewed via the parish website or on YouTube and FaceBook.  

YouTube Link - https://www.youtube.com/@churchofsmsandsga788/streams

FaceBook Link - https://www.facebook.com/SMSandSGA

Memorial contributions may be made in Martha’s memory to the Society of the Sacred Heart, P.O. Box 958047, St. Louis, MO 63195-8047 or online at https://rscj.org/donate.