Sr. James Peter Goggin

Born: Ruth Marie Goggin, December 21, 1927, Braintree, MA 

Died: April 10, 2026, at St. Elizabeth Motherhouse in Allegany, NY 

Daughter of: James and Isabel (Donnelly) Goggin 

Sister James Peter Goggin entered the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany on December 8, 1949, was received into the Congregation on August 15, 1950, and professed her final religious vows on August 16, 1957. Committed to the Franciscan Mission and Charism for over 75 years, Sister James Peter shared her life, gifts and talents within the community and beyond with whom everyone she came in contact. 

She attended Braintree Elementary School in Braintree, Mass., and graduated from Dorchester High School for Girls in Dorchester, Mass., in 1945. She spent the following four years employed as a clerical assistant and upon entering the Franciscan Sisters, she pursued a BS in Elementary Education from St. Bonaventure University. For over 25 years, Sister’s main ministry was in the field of elementary education, especially the primary grades. She served in Congregational schools in the Dioceses of Camden and Trenton, NJ, as well as schools in the Dioceses of Buffalo and Syracuse, NY. In 1978, Sister redirected her gifts and talents within healthcare ministry. She assisted both in clerical and outreach programs for over 20 years throughout our hospitals in Florida, especially St. Anthony Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla. 

She retired in 2012 to St. Elizabeth Convent in Tampa, Fla. and used this free time as an opportunity for prayer ministry in the area. In 2019, Sr. James Peter was warmly welcomed home to St. Elizabeth Motherhouse in Allegany, NY. She continued her outreach via phone to those in need whom she met in Florida, as well as spent many hours crocheting various items for the Motherhouse Gift Shop. She was a true follower of St. Francis! 

Sister James Peter is predeceased by her parents, James and Isabel Goggin, as well as her sister, Gertrude (William) Murphy and her brothers, Richard (Muriel), Arthur (Ruth) and William (Anne) Goggin. She is survived by several nieces and nephews, Kathy (Timothy) Sprague, Joan Goggin, Mary Goggin, William Goggin and Mark Goggin, all from Massachusetts.

 A wake service is scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 15, 2026, in the Chapel of St. Elizabeth Motherhouse. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 16, 2026, in the Chapel of St. Elizabeth Motherhouse. Burial will follow in St. Bonaventure Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Letro-McIntosh-Spink Funeral Home, Inc., 646 East State Street, Olean, NY 14760.