(formerly Sr. Raphael)
ROSARY VIGIL will take place at St. Bonaventure Church
on Friday, December 9, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.
View Livestream.
FUNERAL will take place at St. Bonaventure Church
on Saturday, December 10, 2022 at 12:00 p.m.
View Livestream.
BURIAL will take place at All Souls Cemetery, Long Beach
on Saturday, December 10, 2022 at 3:00 p.m.
Livestream of services will be available at: youtube.com/stbonaventurehb
Download Memorial Worship Aide
View a Memorial Slideshow a lifetime of photos of Sr. Carmel Lynch
It is with deep sadness and with hope in the Risen Lord that the Presentation Sisters announce the death of Sister Carmel Lynch, PBVM, who died peacefully surrounded by her community on November 16, 2022 at Regina Residence, Orange, CA. We thank God for her 64 years of faithful dedicated service as a Presentation Sister.
Sister Carmel Lynch, beloved founding principal of St. Bonaventure School, was born on September 23, 1931 to Michael and Mary Lynch in Kells, Co. Meath, Ireland. One of a family of eight, four brothers and three sisters, she grew up on a farm and loved the simple country lifestyle.
After completing her education, she moved to Dublin where she got a comfortable government job and enjoyed her work. But she wanted something more and she felt God calling her to be a Presentation Sister.
She answered the call to Religious Life by joining the Presentation Sisters. Her strong zeal and compassion for working with the poor led her to Pakistan where she worked for five years. She loved the missionary life as a Presentation Sister. God next asked her to make a U-turn and come to California. Sr. Carmel and three other Sisters started St. Irenaeus School in Cypress in 1963, thus beginning the presence of the Presentation Sisters in Orange County.
Two years later she was assigned to St. Norbert School in Orange. In 1966, Sr. Raphael, as she was then known, was appointed the founding principal of St. Bonaventure School. She and Monsignor Michael Duffy, the founding pastor of St. Bonaventure Church, together set the direction that put the school on a path of academic excellence that continues to the present day.
In 1968 she was assigned to St. Irenaeus School where she was principal for five years. In 1972 she returned as principal of St. Bonaventure School. In 1985 Sr. Carmel took a Sabbatical Year in Rome. When she returned to California, she taught at St. Robert School in San Bruno.
From 1990 to 1994 Sister Carmel became Director of Religious Education at St. Norbert Parish, Orange.
Sr. Carmel returned as principal to St. Bonaventure School in 1994. During that time an Endowment Fund for the school was initiated, a new administration building and the Duffy Center were added. The school also earned the 2006 National Blue Ribbon Award presented in Washington D.C. Sr. Carmel served as principal at St. Bonaventure for a total of twenty-nine years. In 2008 she retired after many years of faithful, dedicated service to Catholic education. She felt she had given her all to the school and was happy to hand over the school to lay administration who would faithfully carry on the vision and mission of the Presentation Sisters.
Sr. Carmel endeared herself to all who knew her and was revered as a gracious, caring, kind and compassionate person. She truly loved the students and wanted the very best for each of them. Her concern for the faculty was very evident. Many times, around 4:00 p.m. she would walk down the hallways and if any teacher was still working in her classroom, Sr. Carmel would say, “Go home to your family.” Staff always felt that they did not work for Sr. Carmel, rather they worked with Sr. Carmel and they called themselves the “Carmelites”!
Sr. Carmel had a California Teaching Credential, a Master’s Degree in Education and a Master’s Degree in School Administration from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
Sr. Carmel is predeceased by her parents Michael and Mary Lynch, and by her brothers and sisters. She is survived and missed by her sister, Alacoque Lynch, Dublin, Ireland and by her nieces and nephews, and the Presentation Sisters. Sr. Carmel influenced so many lives and she will be forever remembered for her love, compassion, understanding, listening heart, kindness, faith, loyalty, charm and generosity.
In lieu of flowers, gifts in Sr. Carmel’s memory may be sent to:
Presentation Sisters Retirement Fund
16441 Bradbury Lane
Huntington Beach, CA 92647