Mary (Ward) Moll

Mary (Ward) Moll, 66, of Carlisle, PA, passed away on Sunday, September 7, 2025, in her home. She was born November 4, 1958, in Elizabeth, NJ, to the late Anthony J. and Joan (Peters) Ward.

Surviving Mary is her loving husband, Kirk Moll of Carlisle; children, Erin Terrizzi (Amy) of Bellevue, PA, and foster grandchild, Evie; and son Karl Moll of Carlisle & Brooklyn, NY; siblings, Theresa Jackson (Ret. Col., Richard C. II) of Norfolk, VA, Joseph Ward (Linda) of Waldorf, MD, and Anne Ward of Mahwah, NJ, as well as numerous nephews, nieces, grand-nephews, and grand-nieces.

Mary was raised in Allendale, and attended St. Elizabeth’s School in Wyckoff, Brookside School in Allendale, Mary Help of Christian’s Academy in North Haledon, and Immaculate Heart Academy in Washington Township, all in New Jersey. She graduated from Douglass College, Rutgers University, with a double major in Religious Studies and Communications. She also completed significant graduate coursework in an ecumenical program at Princeton Theological Seminary, and graduate studies in Religious Education at Fordham University.

Mary served in many lay ministerial leadership positions over four decades in various Roman Catholic parishes and schools, including: Holy Name Church in Garfield, NJ; St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Bloomfield, NJ; St. Peters Prep School in Jersey City, NJ; St. Dominic Church in Northfield, MN; Delone Catholic High School in McSherrystown, PA, and at St. Patrick Church in Carlisle, PA, where she served in various positions including Youth Minister, Youth and Family Life Minister, and Pastoral Associate. In her last few years, she enjoyed working in various positions: as a Census enumerator, on staff at Hope Station, and at Dickinson College - first as a Covid Case Manager, and for several years as the departmental administrative assistant for the Africana Studies Dept.

Her professional and spiritual commitments were embedded in such a wide array of programs. She was devoted to developing and encouraging the role of families in the religious education of their children. Mary created many innovative programs, such as a home-based, family-led religious education option at St. Dominic Church, and Family Days at St. Patrick Church, which engaged with Church traditions across the globe, as well as building bridges across faith traditions, especially with the Islamic faith in a time of rising Islamophobia. She deeply believed in providing teens with opportunities to develop their faith and to put it into action, with programs like the 24-Hour Famine, raising awareness of food insecurity and homelessness. For adults, she focused on programs, such as Christ Renews His Parish and Stephen Ministry, which greatly strengthened the faith of many parishioners. Mary was happiest working with parishioners to start new programs, training them, then slipping into the background as the parishioners and programs grew and thrived.

She also loved ecumenical work, serving for some two decades on the Carlisle Ministerium, a network of local church leadership, and for many years as the president of the group. She loved the town-wide Good Friday Stations of the Cross, in which church and community members alike process together to different churches, service agencies, and sacred sites in town for each station. All of Mary’s ministry was marked with a deep and continually growing commitment to joyful and inclusive love for all.

Beyond her professional work, Mary was also personally committed to faith in action. For many years she and her husband Kirk were overnight volunteers at the Community Cares homeless shelter, at that time hosted each month by different churches. Mary and Kirk also loved to sing together, which they did for many years in the local Unity Singers gospel choir, and most recently in the choir at St. Joseph Church in Mechanicsburg.

Mary was known for her wide array of passions and hobbies, including: volunteering & charity, beekeeping, music & musicals, knitting, making & wearing costumes, as well as many other arts & crafts. She was also an avid gardener, and with Kirk’s help, filling their yard with over twenty garden beds, for our food and enjoyment and as a home for her honeybees. She was an avid participant in a local barbershop singing group, the Keystone Capital Chorus, serving as president for several years. She was a supporter of the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, an active member of the Capital Area Beekeepers Association, and loved attending local arts programs such as the high school’s Page to Stage Shakespeare plays, the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, serving as a parent volunteer for the Carlisle H.S. Marching band, and attending local events like the Amani Festival and holiday parades.

A mass of Christian burial will be held Friday, September 12, 2025, at 11:00 AM in the St. Patrick Church, 85 Marsh Drive, Carlisle, PA 17015 with the Very Rev. William Forrey as celebrant. A viewing will be held on Thursday, September 11, 2025, from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM at the Hollinger Funeral Home, 501 N. Baltimore Ave, Mt. Holly Springs, PA 17065 and at 10:00 AM on Friday at the St. Patrick Church. Burial will take place in the St. Patrick Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Community CARES, 50 W Penn St, Carlisle, PA 17013, Project Share of Carlisle, 5 N Orange St # 4, Carlisle, PA 17013, or NLC LifeWorks, 64 E North Street, Carlisle, PA 17013. Arrangements are being handled by Hollinger Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc., Mt. Holly Springs. Visit HollingerFuneralHome.com to offer condolences to the family.