Sister Barbara Giba

JULY 4, 1924 - SEPTEMBER 22, 2004

Sister M. Barbara (Anna) Giba, a member of the School Sisters of St. Francis, died on September 22, 2004, in Pittsburgh, Pa. She was 80 in her 61st year of religious life.

The daughter of John and Julia (Poruba) Giba, Anna was born on July 4, 1924, in Pittsburgh, Pa. She entered the community in 1942 and was given the name of Sister Barbara. One of four blood sisters to serve as School Sisters of St. Francis, she professed first vows in 1943 and final vows in 1949. Sister earned a bachelor’s degree in education in 1959 from Mount Mercy College (now Carlow University) and a master’s degree in education from Duquesne University in 1970.

Between 1943 and 1999, Sister Barbara taught at Catholic grade schools in the Pennsylvania towns of McKees Rocks, Farrell, Barnesboro, Ambridge, Erie, Canonsburg and Uniontown. Sister frequently taught CCD and the First Communion classes, served as sacristan, and was in charge of the altar boys in the parishes where she served. She also did parish mission work in Webster, Mass.; worked with disabled children in Dayton, Ohio; and taught math and reading at St. Joseph School in San Antonio, Texas.

Sister Barbara was small in stature with small hands, small feet, smiling eyes, a gentle laugh, a prayer spirit and a big heart. Remembered as a very quiet and humble Sister, she acted with simplicity and kindness and strived to do things honestly in the eyes of God. Even during her final illness, Sister did not complain, but found solace in singing to God in Slovak, her native tongue.

She loved to cook and enjoyed making homemade bread for her Sisters in community. During her mission time in Texas, she created a dining room centerpiece each week that in some way evoked that Sunday’s Gospel. “It was such a loving and thought-provoking way of setting the table,” one of her housemates remembers.

“My image of Sister Barbara is in the midst of a group of little ones in the classroom and on the playground — herself no taller than most of them,” one Sister recalls. “I know there are many mature members of the church and society who remember Sister Barbara as having a great influence on their lives.”

Sister Barbara is buried in St. Francis Cemetery at Mt. Assisi Place in Pittsburgh, Pa.