Pax Christi Maine mourns the death of our beloved, long-time member Elaine McGillicuddy, who died on February 17 at the age of 89. Elaine brought a special grace, joy and deep sense of peace to so many Pax Christi Maine gatherings through the years. Several members joined her extensive community for a mass to honor and remember Elaine at Sacred Heart/St Dominic’s Church in Portland on Friday. March 7. Elaine, at one time a nun, was remembered as a teacher, author, poet, yoga instructor, dancer, gardener, peace activist, godmother, and beloved wife. She had chosen readings for the service herself some years ago: Isaiah’s description of the kind of fast God favors (Isaiah 58:6-12) and the Beatitudes as preached by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-13). As people gathered in the church hall afterward, many stories were told of the ways that Elaine had lived and literally danced her way through those scriptures throughout her life.
Elaine’s books recounting the story of her dear husband Francis’s death in 2010 and her adjustment to widowhood afterward, Sing to Me and I Will Hear You – The Poems (2012), Sing to Me and I Will Hear You – The Love Story (2014), and To Commune with the Ancestors: A Widow Reflects (2019) were made available to guests. Copies of Elaine’s books continue to be available at no charge. Please email Mary Beth to receive a copy.
For more photos of Elaine and a look at her amazing life, click here to read the Maine magazine article from November 2013.
Her full obituary in the Portland Press Herald can be read here.
