An Ode to St. Ann’s

annette Krzysiek thompson | st. ann’s school (farrell, pa.) 1949-1957

Our alumnae honor members of the School Sisters of St. Francis who touched their lives
back then and who they consider to have been especially influential in who they are now.

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Home Away from Home

A Critical Lifeline

Eye-Opening Influence

Laughter That’s
Lasted a Lifetime

Before the Parade Passes By

The ‘Type’ of Teacher She Needed

Women of Strength
& Influence

Stirring Her Skills
& Self-Esteem

‘Baskets’ of Fond Memories

THEN

Although not a graduate of Mount Assisi Academy, I have close ties to it and to the School Sisters of St. Francis. Growing up in Farrell, Pa., I was taught at St. Ann’s Elementary School by the Franciscan nuns from grades one through eight. During those years 1949 to 1957, Sisters Geraldine (Pavlik), Eulogia (Ann Marie Sabol), Barbara (Giba), Louise (Mary Louise Vrana) and Carolyn (Mitrichka) were my teachers and led the way towards my love of learning.

In her first year as an educator, Sister Carolyn had my class and continued on with us for grades one, two and three. I attended her 70th Jubilee celebration in 2018 and, until her passing this past December, had been in contact. She called the week before her death to say she had opened her Christmas gifts early. How glad I was that she had that joy, as she died six days after that conversation.

During my time growing up in Farrell, I also had Sister Francesca (Parana) as my piano instructor which, sad to say, did not last! I had to quit in third grade, as I had no talent, nor could I ever read music. I still have my original music books by the J.J. Schaum Company with her signature on it promoting me to the next level. A few years ago, I apologized to her, telling her I never did learn to read those notes but learned to play by ear.

On a closer connection, my sister, Gloria Noel Krzysiek, was inspired by the nuns at St. Ann’s to become a Franciscan sister herself in 1952. Named Sister Mary Claire, she went on to teach elementary students in many Pennsylvania parishes, taught music, played the organ in the churches, taught high school math and, after receiving her administration degree, became principal of Mount Assisi Academy. She died of cancer in May 1972 at age 36. She was gone from my life way too soon. I often wonder what her impact would have been in the upcoming years.

My ties with Mount Assisi will always be permanent, as Glory is buried on the grounds. St. Ann’s School on Fruit Avenue in Farrell is permanently closed, as is the Slovak church there that played a large part in the life of my family. So did the School Sisters of St. Francis!

Now

After graduating from Farrell High School and Edinboro University, Annette taught high school English for six years in Pennsylvania and in Northern Ireland on a Fulbright Scholarship. She worked as a high school guidance counselor for 28 more years before retiring in 1999. Now living near Pottstown, Pa., she has passionately researched her family’s Slovak and Polish roots, visiting those countries and writing several family genealogy books. Widowed in 2016, Annette enjoys poetry, reading and traveling. She’s been to 44 states and about 27 foreign countries.

Sister Francesca Parana served as provincial minister of the Pittsburgh Province from 1972 to 1981 and was elected to our congregation’s General Administration in Rome during the 1980s. After returning to the U.S., she returned to teaching and parish ministry for a few years before serving two terms as provincial vicar and becoming a provincial historian of sorts. Now retired, Sister Francesca lives at Mt. Assisi Place (the former Mount Assisi Convent) in Pittsburgh.

After her time at St. Ann’s in the 1950s, Sister Carolyn Mitrichka went on to teach at other Catholic grade schools in Pennsylvania and New Jersey over the course of three decades. In 1988, she was appointed principal of SS. Cyril & Methodius School in Clifton, N.J., followed by 13 years of service with St. Gabriel Parish in Stowe, Pa. She died in December 2020 at age 90.

Sister Claire Krzysiek died of liver cancer on May 28, 1972. She is buried in St. Francis Cemetery at Mt. Assisi Place in Pittsburgh.

The “kids” from the St. Ann’s graduating Class of 1957 remain in touch. A first-grade reunion held in 2018 drew 17 classmates from around the country. “We had a good time reminiscing about when we were young and remembering the nuns in Farrell,” Annette says. The Sharon Herald newspaper ran a feature story about friendships of 68 years and counting, including mentions of Sister Carolyn.

The St. Ann’s school building remains standing and is for sale. The convent where the Sisters lived was torn down years ago. St. Ann’s Church merged with nearby Our Lady of Fatima in 2008. Also of note — the pastor of Our Lady of Fatima for many years was Father Donald Berdis. Taught by our Sisters at Holy Family School in Erie, Pa., Father was the brother of Sisters Kevin, Colette and Eileen Berdis.