Summer is the time when our community traditionally celebrates its jubilarians — those Sisters among us who mark milestones in religious life during any given year. But this is not like any other year. Our jubilee celebrations set for both Pittsburgh and Bethlehem, Pa., have been postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our 2020 jubilarians may not get to celebrate during a special Mass with family and friends, yet their many years of service to the Lord remain worthy of celebration here, in our community publications and on social media. Please join us in acknowledging milestone moments for:

Sister Anita Kuchera (70th Jubilee) — A native of Egypt, Pa., Sister Anita entered our community in 1948, made first vows in 1950 and professed final vows in 1955. In her early ministry days, Sister taught in the Pennsylvania towns of Pittsburgh, New Castle and Bethlehem, as well as in Boonton, N.J. She also served as a pastoral associate for several years at St. Matthias Catholic Community in Somerset, N.J. But Sister Anita’s main focus over the years has been on retreat ministry at our St. Francis Center for Renewal (SFCR), where she served from 1970 to 2003 and again from 2009 until her retirement at the close of 2019. Today, she remains active with our lay Associates program and in occasional offerings at SFCR.

Sister Margaret Elaine Rovnak (70th Jubilee) — Sister Margaret Elaine followed her older sister, Rose Ann, from their native Erie, Pa., to join our community in 1948. She made first vows in 1950, and before making final vows in 1955, was already a veteran of teaching assignments in the Pennsylvania towns of Tarentum, Charleroi and Pittsburgh. She went on to teach grade school and CCD in the towns of Barnesboro, Farrell, Canonsburg, Ellsworth, Perryopolis, Ambridge, Springdale, Erie and Clymer, Pa., and served for five years as principal of St. John the Baptist School in Perryopolis. Sister Margaret Elaine served for 22 years as administrator of a senior high rise in New Castle, Pa., before retiring to Mount Assisi Convent in Pittsburgh in 2016. Sister Margaret Elaine died on August 20, 2020. Read Obituary

Sister Jo Goolish (60th Jubilee) — Originally from Bakerton, Pa., Sister Jo entered our community in 1959, made first vows in 1960 and final vows in 1965. Her first teaching assignment was at St. Patrick School in Canonsburg, Pa., before moving on to St. Joseph School in San Antonio, Texas. Sister Jo taught for four years at Mount Assisi Academy in Pittsburgh before moving to San Antonio long-term in 1972 to teach art at St. Joseph for six years and at our former St. Francis Academy for 20 years. A seasoned artist, Sister Jo designs our community Christmas card each year and has created a bounty of Franciscan artwork over the years, including detailed murals, notecards and other printed materials. She has been an art teacher at St. Gerard Catholic High School in San Antonio since 2002.

Sister Jeanne Marie Ulica (60th Jubilee) — Born and raised in Farrell, Pa., Sister Jeanne Marie entered our community in 1959, made first vows in 1960 and final vows in 1965. Her earliest days in ministry were spent teaching in the Pennsylvania towns of Erie, Barnesboro, New Castle and Hellertown, as well as in Westfield, Mass., and Jersey City and Guttenberg in New Jersey. In addition to ministering as a sacristan and liturgist, Sister Jeanne Marie served as principal of our St. Francis Academy high school in San Antonio, Texas, from 1986 until it closed in 2002. She has held various leadership roles, including provincial vicar of the former Pittsburgh Province and the United State Province and general councilor at our international headquarters in Rome, Italy, where she ministers today.

Sister Carol Ann Papp (50th Jubilee) — A native of Bethlehem, Pa., Sister Carol Ann is the daughter of the late Zoltan and Caroline Papp. She entered our community in 1968, made first vows in 1970 and professed final vows in 1977. She has taught in elementary and secondary Catholic schools in the Pennsylvania towns of Emmaus, West Lawn, Hellertown, Bethlehem and Northampton and served as director of the former St. Francis Child Care Center in Bethlehem. In 2002, Sister began a 13-year tenure as principal of St. Irenaeus Catholic School in Oakmont, Pa. A 2014 recipient of the Diocese of Pittsburgh’s Golden Apple Award for educators, Sister Carol Ann currently teaches Art and Religion at Northside Catholic Assumption Academy in Pittsburgh and serves as Peace & Justice coordinator for the United States Province.

Sister Gracy Kundukulam (25th Jubilee) — The youngest member of the U.S. Province came to us by way of our international congregation’s Region of India. Sister Gracy entered religious life in 1990 in her native Kerala, India, made first vows in 1995 and final vows in 2000. She spent nearly 10 years at our international headquarters in Rome, Italy, completing her formation, attending nursing school and serving in our congregation’s health clinic there. In 2001, she came to the U.S. to minister as a nurse at our former Marian Hall Home in Pittsburgh, Pa. It was there that Sister Gracy felt called to become a permanent member of the U.S. Province in 2016 to serve, in part, as a caregiver to our elder Sisters. She has worked at Mt. Assisi Place in Pittsburgh and collaborates with other Sisters on decorating the chapel there for special observances.

Our community also remembers late Sisters Rose Ann Rovnak, Pauline Bolecek, Florence Crea, Marcelline Goceljak, Claudia Mamros, Emilia Suchon, Mary Louise Vrana, Ricarda Husava, Margaret Koval, Joan McMullen and Therese Sedlock, who would have celebrated jubilees this year.