Sister Sandra Makowski, the first non-cleric to receive a degree in Canon Law and first non-cleric to work in the Buffalo Diocese Tribunal, passed away May 16, 2025, at Mercy Hospital.
Born June 12, 1947, in Binghamton to John Makowski and Jean Ann Doyle, Sister Sandra entered the Sisters of St. Mary of Namur with her twin sister Carole, on Sept. 8, 1965. Where her sister Carole (later Sister Jean) made her novitiate at Mount St. Mary in Kenmore, Sister Sandra was sent to Namur, Belgium. She made her first vows on Aug. 17, 1968 and her perpetual profession on Aug. 20, 1977. Her professional career started quietly. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Education from Trinity College in Washington, D.C. and her early ministry included religious education and parish work at St. Mary Parish in Binghamton, the four parishes in Strykersville, Sheldon, Java Center, and North Java, followed by parish work at St. Andrew in Binghamton and St. Paul in Kenmore.
Then life changed. She began working at the Buffalo Marriage Tribunal. After a year she got her licentiate degree in Canon Law from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. She worked as a canonist at the Tribunal for 21 years. Later she continued the same work in Charleston, South Carolina. Eventually she was made the first female chancellor of the Diocese of South Carolina, also holding the title of vicar for religious.
Despite the arduous and varied work required by her employment, she managed to write books: “The Side of Kindness: Recovering the Lost Art of Being Kind,” “The Forgotten Women of the Bible,” “The Invisible Women: Naming and Proclaiming the Forgotten Women in Scripture and Church Law.” She also wrote articles for the diocesan newspaper, The Miscellany.
Sister Sandra had a strong sense of justice, and most especially for women’s issues. She brought a profound kindness to every situation. On March 21, 2015, she was given the Religious Woman of the Year Award at the South Carolina Council of Catholic Women Convention. In 2020, Sister Sandra was honored by Pope Francis receiving the Benemerenti Medal while serving as chancellor in South Carolina.
Sister Sandra will be waked at St. Mary Center, 241 Lafayette Ave., Buffalo on Monday, May 19 from 2 to 7 p.m. followed by the Mass of Resurrection at the Sisters’ Community Chapel.