Elaine F. Crimmins - Sr. Michael of Christ the King, OCD

Sister Michael of Christ the King (Elaine Frances Crimmins), 82, beloved Carmelite nun of the Discalced Carmelite Monastery, passed away from declining health on Saturday morning, March 1, 2025, at St. Joseph Manor in Brockton, where she resided since March 2023 after the Discalced Carmelite Monastery in Danvers closed. Sr. Michael’s life was one of silence, solitude, work, and deep prayer for the Church and the world, following the life of St. Therese. She lived her life as a cloistered Carmelite nun at Mount Carmel for 59 years.

Elaine was the much beloved daughter of the late Francis T. “Mike” and Helen M. Crimmins. She was born in Norwood on January 29,1943. 

Elaine attended St. Mary School in Stoughton, Fontbonne Academy in Milton, graduating in 1960, and graduated from Emmanuel College in Boston in 1964. She touched countless teachers and classmates from St. Mary, Fontbonne, and Emmanuel, who were among the throngs who attended Sr. Michael’s Silver Anniversary in 1991 at Danvers Carmel. Many whom she had not seen in years. 

Elaine’s calling to live a contemplative life began after her eighth teacher, Sr. Maris, gave her a book on the autobiography of St. Therese of the Child Jesus (St. Therese of Lisieux). She endeared herself to the Lord in the contemplative life of Carmel. She would later refer to St. Therese as her idol. 

The summers before and following her college graduation, Elaine along with her closest friends from Emmanuel College, worked in Arequipa, Peru as a lay apostle helping the poor to improve their lives as part of the Peruvian American Council for Education Exchange. She did weekly tutoring and guidance work with the high-school students in Boston’s South End as part of Emmanuel’s Chemical Society. In recognition of her outstanding Christian service, she was awarded Emmanual’s annual Focus Civic Citation for her habit of going out of her way to help others. 

Elaine entered Danvers Carmel on February 13,1966, received the Carmelite habit of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on February 13,1967, with the endearing name of Sister Michael of Christ the King, and was professed on February 13,1971.

Sister Michael fulfilled various offices each for several years such as prioress, elected by her community and residing for 9 years, sacristan, novice mistress, turn sister, and member of the council assisting the prioress.

She was well known across the St. Teresa Association, an association consisting of 12 Carmel Monasteries throughout North America, as their Coordinator from 2003 to 2009.

In the spring of 2009 Carmelite Friars held their General Chapter in Fatima, Portugal. Sr. Michael was invited as a representative of all the American Associations of Carmelite nuns. She spoke on several occasions weaving together the sentiments, hopes, and aspirations of all Carmelite Associations. She traveled several occasions to speak to the tenets of the Carmelite communities.

While in Europe she travelled to Lisieux, France to see the birthplace of St. Therese, the patroness of Mount Carmel in Danvers. So overjoyed to see St. Therese’s little cell, St. Michael threw herself on the saint’s bed.

She was invited to attend the Assembly of the Union of Canadian Religious Contemplatives. Despite most of the nuns speaking French – she endeared herself to the French speaking Camels through her smile and her expression of gratitude just to be in their company.

She served with generosity and love. She will be sorely missed by her sisters in Carmel, her family, the friends of Carmel from the Northshore community, and many who knew her as a dear and loving friend.

In addition to her Carmelite sisters, Elaine is survived by her siblings and spouses: Michael J. Crimmins and his wife Karen of Plymouth, Kathleen M. Swanson and her husband Rick, Francis T. Crimmins and his wife Joanne, and Barry R. Crimmins and his wife Janet, all of Stoughton. She is also survived by several nieces and nephews, Dana, Adrian, Ryan, Jacqueline, Carolyn, Melissa, Tom, Will, Sean, Megan and Brian along with sixteen adoring grandnieces and grandnephews and a very close cousin, Marie (Sullivan) DiFabio.

Sister Michael's Mass of Burial will be celebrated on Saturday morning, March 8, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, 122 Canton Street, Stoughton, MA with visitation in the church prior from 9:30a.m. to 10:15a.m. 

Interment will be on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at the Discalced Carmelite Nun’s cemetery on the grounds of the former monastery at 15 Mount Carmel Road, Danvers, MA 01923. Relatives and friends are invited.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Emmanuel College, 400 Fenway, Boston, MA 02115 or St. Joseph Manor Health Care, 215 Thatcher St. Brockton, MA 02302.

Arrangements are by Farley Funeral Home, 358 Park Street, Stoughton, MA. To share an expression of sympathy, please visit www.Farleyfh@aol.com.