Sister M. Joyce Burkhart, OSF

SEPTEMBER 13, 1938 - jANUARY 30, 2024

Sister M. Joyce (Helen Margaret Mary) Burkhart, a member of the School Sisters of St. Francis, United States Province, died on January 30, 2024, at Mt. Assisi Place in Pittsburgh, Pa. She was 85 and in her 67th year of religious profession.

Helen was born on September 13, 1938, to Sylvester and Helen (McCormack) Burkhart in Pittsburgh, Pa. She had two brothers and one sister. Her father was a registered plumber, and her mother a devoted wife and homemaker. They were of German and Irish descent.

Sister Joyce was baptized at St. Boniface parish and attended school there from first through third grade. From fourth to eighth grade, she attended St. Gabriel the Archangel School on Pittsburgh’s Northside, and then Mount Assisi Academy in Bellevue. She entered the School Sisters of St. Francis from St. Gabriel, beginning her novitiate in August 1955 and making first vows in August 1956 at Mount Assisi Convent Chapel. Sister Joyce earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Carlow College and a master’s degree in education from Duquesne University.

Sister’s early years of ministry were spent teaching in elementary parish schools in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. She later served as religious education coordinator in the Pittsburgh Diocese and in the Archdiocese of San Antonio, Texas. For many years, she did pastoral ministry and the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in the Greensburg Diocese.

Within her religious community, she served as director of the Associate Program, Provincial Chapter delegate, and local minister. She often participated in spiritual and pastoral enrichment programs to enhance her ministry skills. Toward the end of her years in active ministry, she assisted in the Mount Assisi Academy Preschool office, in care for the elderly, and as sacristan for the chapel at Mount Assisi Convent. In 2019, she became part of the Powerhouse of Prayer ministry while living at Mt. Assisi Place.

Throughout her life she was known for her love of nature, especially animals and plants. Her ability to nurture plants back to life and help them to thrive is well known. When she first entered personal care, she and another sister volunteered at Animal Friends to help socialize cats. Her contagious smile was an indication of how much she (and the cats!) enjoyed this activity.

Sister Joyce is remembered by the Sisters with the following statements:

She was always a calm presence with quiet words of wisdom. She was devoted to service and possessed a special love for those who were poor and disadvantaged. Kindness and calm were gifts she possessed throughout her life, and she shared these with all she met.

She was a kind, gentle, quiet and listening sister to all those she lived with and encountered in her ministries. People felt free to talk with her about what was on their mind, and trusted that it would remain with her.

She loved the Good Shepherd in her prayer life, and considered herself fortunate to have used the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in her religious education programs in recent years.

Sister Joyce knew herself well, and her tranquil presence was in itself a strength. She did not allow external circumstances to disturb her interior union with God, thus living out our community’s charism. She did not just say prayers, but became a prayerful presence.

In the final few years of her life, Sister Joyce endured with dignity and strength the effects of Parkinson’s disease and other health issues. She continued to participate in community activities until shortly before her death.

Sister Joyce was preceded in death by her parents, Sylvester and Helen (McCormack) Burkhart; her brothers, Peter and Ralph; and her sister, Grace Lennon. She is survived by her religious community and several nieces and nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held on February 5, 2024. Sister is buried in St. Francis Cemetery at Mt. Assisi Place in Pittsburgh, Pa.