Rochester - Sister Anne Michelle McGill, who served as a Sister of St. Joseph for nearly 80 years and was the first-ever pastoral administrator in the Diocese of Rochester, died April 18, 2026. She was 96 years old.

Sister McGill entered the Rochester Sisters of St. Joseph in 1947. She taught at St. Alphonsus School in Auburn and St. Anne School in Rochester, and went on to help establish schools at St. Jerome in East Rochester and St. Thomas More in Brighton. She later served as principal of St. Rose School in Lima and Holy Trinity School in Webster; assistant diocesan superintendent of Catholic schools; and pastoral associate at St. Pius Tenth Parish in Chili.

In 1994, Sister McGill became the first pastoral administrator — a person other than a priest overseeing a parish — in diocesan history, serving at St. Gabriel Parish in Hammondsport. She remained in that position for 12 years.

"What happened is, the people and myself as leader fit hand in glove," Sister McGill said in a 2006 Catholic Courier article noting the conclusion of her tenure at St. Gabriel. "We just fit together. The people were open and ready for something new."

Following her relocation to the SSJ motherhouse in 2006, she became director of resident priests there and also served on the board of the Tanzanian Sister Exchange program.

In 2023, on the occasion of her 75th jubilee, Sister McGill remarked, "I have learned so much from the ministries I have undertaken. I love the children, parents and parishioners at every parish I served, and found my service as an administrator to be rewarding and a source of growth for me."

Sister McGill is survived by her nephews and nieces, Darrell, David, Dana, Darlene and Darcy McGill; great-nieces and great-nephews; friends; and her sisters in the congregation.

Calling hour will be held Sunday, April 26, 2026, from 6 to 7 p.m., followed by a prayer vigil, at the Sisters of St. Joseph Motherhouse, 150 French Road, Rochester. Sister McGill's funeral Mass will take place at the motherhouse Monday, April 27, 2026, at 10 a.m. The vigil and Mass will be livestreamed on www.youtube.com/SSJSroch. Interment will follow at Rochester's Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.

Contributions in Sister McGill's memory may be made to the Sisters of St. Joseph, 150 French Road, Rochester, NY 14618, or online at www.ssjrochester.org/donate.

- Courier obituary by Mike Latona