Statement on the death of Erie Benedictine Sister Mary Miller

City of Erie officials were shocked and saddened by the May 14 death of Sister Mary Miller, announced by the Benedictine Sisters of Erie on Monday.

Miller, 81, director of the Emmaus Soup Kitchen, was “truly a monk of the inner city, welcoming all with open arms, feeding the hungry, planting flowers and leaving beauty in her wake,” the Benedictines said in a statement. Miller planned to step down from Emmaus on June 1 after 42 years of service.

“All of us who knew Sister Mary Miller were shaken by her untimely passing,” said Erie Mayor Joe Schember on Monday.

“I saw first-hand – on many occasions – how Mary put her faith in action. In addition to the Emmaus Soup Kitchen, she founded the East 22nd Street Poetry Park and co-founded the Trinity Square Foundation, a nonprofit that addressed blight and improved neighborhoods on Erie’s east side.

“We will miss her, but she lives on with us in all her Erie accomplishments.”

Miller was a friend, collaborator, and confidant with many at City Hall. “Mary brought beauty, care, and imagination to the City’s people and neighborhoods that were often overlooked and neglected,” said Erin Carey, neighborhood planner for the City. “Through her work, especially with families in the 600 block of East 22nd Street, where she lived, she cared for and loved so many people and the City. For Mary, there were no strangers who walked into Emmaus Soup Kitchen for the evening meal. She modeled – for all of us – what it means to be a neighbor.”