75 years:
Sister Rose Margaret Noonan, CSJ, is celebrating her 75th anniversary as a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Born in Glens Falls, N.Y., and raised in Troy, Sister Rose Margaret entered the novitiate of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet on March 19, 1935.
Sister Rose Margaret received a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in mathematics, both from the College of St. Rose, Albany. For over 30 years, Sister Rose Margaret taught in schools in the Syracuse and Albany Dioceses, including Sacred Heart and St. Patrick’s Schools, Utica; St. Aloysius and St. Peter’s Schools, Rome; and St. Anthony’s School, Syracuse.
Sister Rose Margaret also served the Sisters of St. Joseph as assistant provincial superior. In addition, Sister Rose Margaret served with Catholic Charities in Syracuse and as a parish minister in St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, Binghamton. For the past 17 years, Sister Rose Margaret has served in St. James Parish, Johnson City.
In reflecting on her anniversary, Sister Rose Margaret said, “These 75 years as a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet have been happy, fulfilling and blessed. My life, like everyone else’s, has been a mixture of joys and sorrows. Through it all, however, I have been at peace because I knew I was loved by God and because I had such loving support from my CSJ Sisters and from the wonderful friends I have met through my ministry. Indeed, ‘God has done great things for me and holy is God’s name!’”
Sister M. Bernice Eib, OSF, was invested in 1935. She is celebrating her 75th year of life as a woman religious.
Born in Riverside, N.J., Sister Bernice attended St. Peter Elementary School and Camden Catholic High School, both in New Jersey, before attending the Convent School in Syracuse. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the College of St. Rose in Albany. She took math courses at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and the University of Hawaii. She also took religion courses at Chaminade University in Honolulu, Hi.
Sister Bernice taught grades one through 12, and while her teaching in high school focused mostly on math, she taught some English and religion classes as well.
She celebrated her jubilee by proclaiming a Scripture reading during a jubilee liturgy celebration. She also went to dinner with friends.
Sister Bernice said what has sustained her during her vocation has been living the Franciscan life in her community.
Sister Francis Marie Caroli, OSF, is celebrating 75 years as a Sister of St. Francis.
Born in Clarksburg, W. Va., Sister Francis Marie’s family moved to Utica when she was young, and it was there that she attended elementary and high schools. She completed her high school years at the Convent School in Syracuse.
She entered the Franciscan Community on Sept. 8, 1934 and made perpetual profession on Aug. 21, 1940 at St. Anthony Motherhouse in Syracuse.
Sister Francis Marie attended St. Francis Normal School, Le Moyne College, SUNY Plattsburgh and Marywood College. She spent many years in education at missions in Syracuse, Amsterdam, Oswego, Utica and in Riverside and Camden, N.J. For three years, Sister Francis Marie ministered at Covenant House in New York City.
Sister Francis Marie’s love of teaching, her concern, love and compassion for those less fortunate were gifts she was able to give all by preaching the Gospel through example. She celebrated her jubilee with friends and family in April with a special Liturgy followed by dinner at St. Anthony Convent.
70 years:
Sister Gladys Zimmerman, OSF, is celebrating 70 years in her community. She professed her final vows on Aug. 19, 1945.
Born in Lorain, Ohio, Sister Gladys graduated from Convent School and earned a bachelor’s degree in humanities from Le Moyne College, a master’s degree in education from the College of St. Rose in Albany, and a master’s degree in Franciscan studies from St. Bonaventure University.
For 17 years, Sister Gladys was a teacher and administrator in elementary education. She taught at St. Mary’s in Utica, at St. Joseph’s in Syracuse, at St. Matthew in East Syracuse, and at the Convent School, where she taught math for 10 years and served as principal for five. “Those were happy years,” Sister Gladys said. She also served as principal and superior at St. Joseph the Worker in Liverpool, and as superior and taught mathematics at Assumption. Sister Gladys ministered in Hawaii for two years and in Florida for 20 years. She served as pastoral minister in Temple Terrace and in Port Charlotte, both in Fla., and was the resident manager of Villa San Carlos, a HUD-housing and urban development complex for the elderly and disabled in Port Charlotte from 1986 to 2000. “I said to the [parish priest], I don’t know if I can do this, and he said, ‘All you have to do is smile, and if you get bored you can walk the dog.’ Well at the end of it all I said, ‘Father, I never got to walk the dog.’ It was a great experience.”
A Jubilee Mass was celebrated for Sister Gladys and her Sisters who were also marking their 70th jubilee on April 11. Sister Gladys currently ministers at Stella Maris Retreat Center in Skaneateles.
“My mother died before I received the habit and she was a secular Franciscan, and I always say I was born Franciscan,” Sister Gladys said.
Sister Dolorosa Lenk celebrates her 70th jubilee this year. She was born in Utica and attended St. Joseph Elementary School in Utica and the Convent School where she later became principal. She took her final vows in 1945 at the Franciscan Motherhouse in Syracuse.
Sister Dolorosa received a bachelor’s degree from Le Moyne College and a master’s degree from the College of St. Rose in Albany and La Sorbonne in Paris.
She taught in various high schools in Oswego and Syracuse as well as in Hilo, Hi.
The highlight of Sister Dolorosa’s career is that she traveled to all the continents, the last being Antarctica where she studied penguins.
Sister Dolorosa celebrated with her group at Stella Maris Retreat Center in Skaneateles in April of this year.
After 43 years in the teaching field, she is now working in the medical library in St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Utica.
“Living the Franciscan spirit has made my life meaningful and productive,” Sister Dolorosa said. “I hope to continue in the Franciscan Way for years to come.”
This year marks the 70th jubilee for Sister Laurine McDonald, OSF. Sister Laurine professed her final vows on Aug. 19, 1945 at St. Anthony Convent in Syracuse.
Born in Hilo, Hi., Sister Laurine graduated from St. Francis High School in Honolulu, Hi., and went on to attend The Catholic University in Washington, D.C.
Sister Laurine served as a graduate nurse for 34 years at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse and at St. Francis Hospital in Honolulu. During this time, she worked as an operating room supervisor, an assistant on open heart surgery teams at St. Joseph’s and as a nursing instructor.
She also served as pastoral assistant at St. Michael’s in Central Square, at St. Martha’s in Sarasota, Fla., and as a missionary in Pativilco, Peru and Timau, Kenya.
She will celebrate her jubilee with a pancake breakfast for her friends who live on the street at Northside Ministries on Salina Street in Syracuse. “I’ve been sustained by participating in community living and daily Eucharist,” Sister Laurine said.
60 years:
Sister Robertine Palladino, OSF, is celebrating her 60th jubilee. Born in Syracuse, Sister Robertine grew up in Solvay and received degrees from Le Moyne College and St. Bonaventure University.
She taught elementary school in Utica, East Syrac
use, Syracuse, Albany, Camden, Liverpool and Fairmount as well as at schools in New Jersey.
Sister Robertine was the principal of Mount Carmel School in Utica and Fulton Catholic School. After being involved in schools for 33 years, Sister Robertine began teaching religious education and parish ministry in Fulton. She worked at Covenant House in New York City, ministered at a Franciscan guest house in Rome, Italy and worked in the Catholic School Office for the diocese. Sister Robertine currently ministers at The Franciscan Place in Syracuse.
“Through all of my years of community life and various ministries, I have been blessed with good people surrounding me no matter where I ministered,” Sister Robertine said. “I am grateful to God who has always been the source of peace and joy for me.”
Sister Robertine said jubilee celebrations are ongoing, and she said she looks forward to a celebration with her community on June 19. She is also looking forward to a small gathering with family and her Sisters in the fall.
Sister Madeleine Merritt, IHM, is celebrating her 60th jubilee. She entered the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Scranton, Pa., in September of 1947, made her first vows in May of 1950 and professed her final vows in August 1953.
Sister Madeleine was born in Providence, R.I. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in theology-religious education from Marywood College, now Marywood University. She also did graduate work in theology at Providence College and English at Marywood College.
Sister Madeleine taught religion, language arts and creative writing in junior high school. She received a grant through which she was able to lead the GED program for men and women at the Lackawanna County Prison in Scranton. She taught religion and math and served as supervisor for residents at Independence House in Brooklyn. She served at a day camp in Tunkhannock, Pa. and taught art and English composition to teens in Appalachia, where she was part of a pastoral team that reached out to Baptists as well. At Covenant House in New York City, Sister Madeleine also tutored young people from six to 21 years of age.
She has been at St. Ambrose in Endicott for 24 years, where she serves as pastoral minister to the sick and elderly. At the end of June, she will leave the parish for the IHM Center in Scranton, Pa.
Sister Mary Norma Mihalko, OSF, is celebrating her 60th jubilee this year. Her home parish is St. Anthony of Padua in Endicott and she entered the community of the Sisters of St. Francis in Syracuse.
Sister Norma attended The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Ind. where she received a bachelor’s degree in theology.
She served in catechetical ministry most of her religious life. Sister Norma taught religion in many parishes of the Syracuse Diocese, including St. Mary of the Lake in Skaneateles, Immaculate Heart of Mary in Liverpool, St. Ann’s in Manlius and St. Anthony’s in Chadwicks.
Sister Norma ministered in Kalaupapa, Hi., where Blessed Mother Marianne began her ministry to the lepers. In 1960, she worked at St. Joseph Hospital Health Center in the medical microfilm center. She currently serves as a community minister in St. Anthony Convent in Syracuse.
She celebrated her 60 years as a Sister of St. Francis with her community family and friends during a special liturgy at St. Anthony Convent Chapel, followed by a reception and dinner.
“My community life of prayer, daily Mass, reception of the Eucharist and living wih other sisters who chose to follow Christ has sustained me throughout my entire religious life,” Sister Norma said. “Knowing that I was able to bring the knowledge of God to children in my catechetical ministry has affirmed me and it is my prayer that I have made a difference in their lives.”
Sister Winifred Guinan, OSF, is celebrating her 60th jubilee. She entered the Sisters of St. Francis in 1949, received the habit in 1950, took her first vows in 1952 and professed her final vows in 1955.
Sister Winifred was born in Johnson City and attended St. James Elementary School. She attended the Convent School in Syracuse and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in European history from Le Moyne College. She also earned a master’s degree in American history from St. Bonaventure University in Bonaventure, N.Y.
Her ministry included serving as a teacher or principal in elementary schools in New Jersey, Ohio and New York, including schools in Vestal, Utica, Baldwinsville, Fulton and Syracuse. She has also worked in the diocesan Finance Office. In 2003, she began her current ministry in pastoral care at Community General Hospital in Syracuse. She said she finds the work very enriching and that it helps her gain a new perspective on life.
“The years have passed very quickly,” Sister Winifred said. “God has been very generous with His many blessings and experiences that have enriched my life and brought much joy and peace. God’s grace and the support and encouragement of my Sisters in community over the years have sustained me and help me to grow in my vocation.”
Sister Valerie Boone, OSF, is celebrating her 60th jubilee. She was invested as a Sister of St. Francis in 1950.
Born in Utica, Sister Valerie attended SUNY Potsdam before earning her bachelor’s degree from the College of St. Rose, Albany. She went on to earn her master’s degree in library science from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
She taught in New Jersey for one year and in the Albany Diocese for 11 years. She then taught at St. Rose of Lima in North Syracuse and St. Anthony’s in Utica. She served as librarian at Oswego Catholic High School and as director of library sciences for 14 years at Maria Regina College. She also worked at St. Ann’s School in Syracuse before beginning her current ministry tutoring adults through the Pen and Pages program and working with children at Gingerbread Day Care Center in Syracuse.
“I love the little kids,” Sister Valerie said.
She said she has celebrated her jubilee year with her Sisters at the Motherhouse on April 23 and looks forward to another community celebration in June. She said she has often relied on the things her parents taught her, and asked what has sustained her in her vocation, Sister Valerie said, “God is all I can think of.”
Sister Myra Richards, OSF, is celebrating her 60th jubilee. She professed her final vows at the Motherhouse Chapel, St. Anthony Convent in Syracuse on Aug. 13, 1955.
Born in Auburn, Sister Myra attended St. Alphonsus Elementary School in Auburn. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Le Moyne College and a master’s degree in Franciscan Studies from St. Bonaventure University.
Sister Myra taught at St. Peter’s in Riverside, N.J., St. Joseph’s and St. Francis’s both in Hoboken, N.J., at St. Anthony’s in Lorain, Ohio, St. Joseph the Worker in Liverpool, St. Peter’s in Utica and St. Mary Mount Carmel School in Utica. She taught for 38 years. For 13 years, she also served as director and manager of volunteers in St. Joseph Hospital Health Center. For the past nine years, Sister Myra has served as coordinator of spiritual services at Jolenta Convent in Syracuse.
She also helps the elderly at Loretto and St. Joseph Home in Beverly, N.J. and taught religious education classes at Racquette Lake, N.Y. or at vacation school in Hoboken.
Sister Myra said she will celebrate her jubilee with a “Thank you, God” party with those who have supported her in faith and love over the years.
“During these past 60 years I have been sustained by the faith and lessons I learned from my parents,” Sister Myra said. “I have been helped by the many promises of the Lord, especially His words, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love.’ Having the c
oveted jobs of teacher and working with the volunteers and the elderly and especially my dear Sisters has given me so many opportunities to enjoy life and feel useful at the same time.”
Sister Margaret Woods, OSF, is celebrating her 60th jubilee. Sister Margaret entered the Sisters of St. Francis in Syracuse in 1949 and professed her final vows on Aug. 13, 1955.
She was born and raised in California and earned a bachelor’s degree in theology from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas.
Sister Margaret has ministered across the country, serving as a religious education teacher, DRE, coordinator for charismatic renewal, hospital chaplain and prison minister. She is currently working with Father Arthur Krawczenko and Father Jim Cesta as pastoral minister to the homebound and those in nursing homes.
“The gift of life is so precious and I praise and thank God for His merciful love and belief in His word, which has truly sustained me,” Sister Margaret said. “I also thank God for my family, friends, community and all those who have walked this journey with me.”
Sister Margaret will celebrate her jubilee with family and friends in Wofford Heights, Calif.
Sister Patrice Ward, OSF, has been a Sister of St. Francis for 60 years. She professed her final vows on Aug. 13, 1955 at St. Anthony Convent in Syracuse.
Born in East Syracuse, she grew up attending St. Matthew Church, a parish which she said she still loves. Both Sister Patrice and her biological sister, Sister Stephanie, are Sisters of St. Francis.
Sister Patrice graduated from Le Moyne College and earned a master’s degree from La Salle University in Philadelphia, Pa. She also received certification to become a Catholic chaplain from the National Association of Catholic Chaplains.
Sister Patrice’s many ministries include catechetical ministry in parishes in Fayetteville, Manlius and Chadwicks. She served as a DRE in Riverside, N.J. and in Oswego. She taught at Holy Cross School in DeWitt and was a chaplain at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Utica and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse.
“From the earliest days of my novitiate, I learned that being a Franciscan meant walking in the footprints of Jesus as St. Francis did,” Sister Patrice said. Her prayer life, both private and communal, has sustained her throughout her vocation she said.
She plans to celebrate her jubilee “by making someone or someones happy.”
50 years:
Sister Mary Ann Remus, IHM, is celebrating 50 years of life as a religious. She professed her final vows at Marywood Convent in Scranton, Pa. in 1960.
Sister Mary Ann was born and grew up in Port Griffith, Pa. After attending St. John’s High School in Pittston, Pa., Sister Mary Ann attended Misericordia University in Dallas, Pa., where she earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She then went on to earn a master’s degree in theology from Manhattan College.
Sister Mary Ann taught at elementary schools in Scranton, Maria Regina High School in Long Island, and was religious education coordinator in parishes in Oyster Bay, N.Y. and Lake Ariel, Pa. She also ministered at Our Lady of Sorrows in Vestal. For the past 10 years, she has coordinated the before- and after-school programs at Our Lady of Sorrows-Seton campus in Endicott.
She said she will celebrate her jubilee “very quietly.” What has sustained her through her vocation, she added, was “the Holy Spirit and a lot of prayers from people.”
Sister Nancy Emerick, OSF, is celebrating 50 years of life as a religious. She was born in Albany, where she received her elementary and high school education.
She received a bachelor’s degree in English from Le Moyne College and a master’s degree in religious education from Aquinas Institute in Grand Rapids, Mich. She made her final vows at the Franciscan Motherhouse in 1967.
Sister Nancy taught at many schools in the Syracuse Diocese, including St. Margaret’s in Mattydale, Our Lady of Sorrows in Vestal, St. Rose in North Syracuse, St. Matthew in Eas t Syracuse, Mount Carmel in Utica and Holy Family in Fairmount. She served as director of religious education at St. Anthony’s in Lorain, Ohio, St. Francis Parish in Auburn and Assumption Parish in Syracuse.
She said she has been sustained through the years by her devotion to Mary and to the Eucharist and that the support of her friends and family has also been a great help.
She will celebrate her jubilee at St. Anthony Convent in Syracuse with her community. To highlight the special year she made a two-week Divine Will retreat in Garabandal, Spain.
Sister Laurita Kelly, OSF, is celebrating her 50th jubilee this year. Born in Cassville, N.Y., she began her journey with the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities on Sept. 7, 1959. She was invested on May 22, 1960 and made her final profession on Aug. 18, 1964.
She has attended Maria Regina College in Syracuse and earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Medaille College in Buffalo. Sister Laurita also earned a master’s degree in elementary education and reading from SUNY Cortland.
Her career as a first-grade teacher began at St. Joseph’s School in Amsterdam, N.Y. and continued at St. Anthony’s in Utica, Epiphany in Venice, Fla., Incarnation in Tampa, Fla., Holy Cross in DeWitt, St. Rose of Lima in North Syracuse, St. Mary’s in Minoa and St. Martha’s in Sarasota, Fla.
Sister Laurita then moved to preschool as the math and reading readiness teacher at the Gingerbread House Preschool in Syracuse for 11 years. She is currently an academic intervention services teacher at Cathedral Academy at Pompei.
“I give praise and thanks to God for the gift of my vocation as a Sister of St. Francis for the past 50 years. God’s many surprises have enriched the fabric of my life along with the love and support of my Sisters in community, my family and wonderful friends,” Sister Laurita said. She celebrated with family and friends at a Mass of thanksgiving at St. Margaret’s Church in Mattydale on May 15.
Father William J. Bosch, SJ, is celebrating his 50th jubilee this year. He was ordained by Cardinal Spellman at Fordham University in June, 1960.
Father Bosch was born in Milwaukee, Wis. and attended St. Sebastian Elementary School. He “collected” high schools attending Marquette University High School, was one of the rare boarding students in the history of Canisius, Buffalo, and graduated from Aquinas Institute in Rochester. After a year at Fordham University he entered the Society of Jesus at Poughkeepsie, N.Y. where he spent four years — two as a novice and two in college studies. His philosophy was done at West Baden, Ind. He taught at Canisius High School for three years and then studied theology for four years at Woodstock, Md. After tertianship, a year of spiritual renewal at St. Buno’s in Wales, he went for his graduate studies to the University of North Carolina, in Chapel Hill where he received his doctorate in 1966. His dissertation, which was later published, was entitled Judgment on Nuremberg—American attitudes toward the major Nazi War Crimes Trials.
Father Bosch arrived in Syracuse during the blizzard of ’66 from Carolina in a short-sleeve shirt and has remained at Le Moyne College ever since. He taught a great variety of courses, specializing in American intellectual and cultural history. He was noted for his academic rigor—“there is no A in Bosch.” For 30 years Father Bosch was the director of International House, a Christian community of Le Moyne students who were dedicated to social justice. Although considered radical throughout Le Moyne’s history, many major programs and policies current at the college were initiated by International House. He resided in the student dormitory with the student community for over 30 years. In 19
97, after teaching in the history department for three decades, Father Bosch was appointed Le Moyne College archivist. In the years since, the archives have processed over 700,000 documents, 12,000 photographs and a hundred oral history interviews.
Besides academic work, Father Bosch has been involved for over 18 years as assistant back-up to the Chaplain at the Justice Center and is the oldest trail steward for the Onondaga Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club.
Father Bosch is a firm believer in a benevolent providence. At each period of the 13 years of formation, he has lived in the best place in the Jesuits. Le Moyne was personally the best choice for him. The priesthood for these 50 years has been a marvelous gift from God.
Father Joseph Neville, SJ, is celebrating 50 years since his ordination on June 18, 1960.
He was born in the South Bronx, N.Y. of parents from County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. He attended St. Jerome’s Grammar School and Fordham Prep.
After graduation, he entered the Society of Jesus on Sept 7, 1947 at St. Andrew-on-Hudson, Poughkeepsie N.Y.
In 1951, he studied philosophy at Berchmans College in Cebu City and taught at the Ateneo de Zamboanga, Philippines.
He returned to the U.S. and studied Theology at Woodstock College, Md., from 1957 to 1961. He made his last year of seminary in Auriesville, N.Y.
In 1962, he was assigned as assistant principal at Regis High School in New York City until 1972. Then he studied religious studies at Fordham University and then taught religious studies at Fordham Prep.
He came to Christ the King Retreat House in Syracuse for two years and then to the Loyola House of Retreats in Morristown, N.J. Afterwards, he went to Mount Manresa Retreat House on Staten Island, N.Y.
Father Neville came back to Christ the King Retreat House from 1992 to 1994.
When the Jesuits sold the retreat house to the Diocese of Syracuse in 1994, he moved to Le Moyne College where he has remained giving retreats and doing spiritual direction to priests in the area.
During all the years of his ministry, Father Neville has been doing spiritual direction for priests and finds that work the most rewarding work he could do and receives more from the priests than he gives them.
Father Daniel J. Mulhauser, SJ, was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Spellman at the Fordham University Chapel on June 18, 1960. A native of Syracuse, his family had been parishioners of St. Bridget’s Church. A World War II veteran, he then attended Regis University in Denver, graduating in 1949, and then earned a master’s degree in philosophy from St. Louis University. In 1951, he entered the Jesuit novitiate. Nine years later, a week after his ordination, he celebrated his first solemn Mass at St. Rose of Lima Church in North Syracuse.
After two more years of study that completed his theological and spiritual formation, he had his first assignment as a priest at Le Moyne College, where he was college chaplain and taught theology from 1962 to 1974. These were days of many currents: of protests, long hair, Vatican II, the Vietnam War. During that time, Father Dan received a Danforth Campus Ministry Grant that allowed him a two-year study leave, from 1968 to 1970 to earn a Doctor of Ministry degree in pastoral counseling at the Chicago Theological Seminary of the United Church of Christ. In 1974 Father Dan was assigned to be the Director of Vocations for the New York Province, a responsibility he held until 1980. He lived on the Fordham campus in the Bronx.
In July of 1979 the Jesuit Provincial, Father Vincent Cook, SJ, asked Father Dan to work overseas, in Guam, as the director of St. Ignatius House of Studies. He joked that he had forgotten to volunteer. As he also remarked, “Here today, Guam tomorrow.” He travelled to Guam in the summer of 1980. Located near the University of Guam, St. Ignatius House was designed as a residence for college-aged men who seriously wanted to become either priests of the Diocese of the Caroline and Marshall Islands or Jesuit priests or brothers of the New York Province mission in Micronesia.
At the conclusion of that assignment, he remained in Guam as a counselor at the university. After six years, he was assigned, from 1994 to 1997, to be the director of novices at the Jesuit Micronesian Mission novitiate at Koror in the Republic of Palau. Father Dan then returned to Guam and served as the priest-secretary to Archbishop Anthony Sablan Apuron, OFM Cap., from 1997 to 1998. He was then asked by the mission superior to return to the directorship of St. Ignatius House of Studies from 1998 to 2002.
During the years in Guam, Father Dan usually returned on home leave, for a month during the summer, once every two years. In June of 2001 he came back to Le Moyne to celebrate his golden jubilee as a Jesuit. After the Jubilee Mass, held at the Panasci Family Chapel, Father Charles Beirne, SJ, the college president, came into the sacristy and offered him a position at Le Moyne, should he ever wish to return. So it was that Father Dan, then 75, returned to the college in the summer of 2002 as the chaplain to the alumni. Although he retired last year, he still continues to be present to the college. He also continues his favorite sport: downhill skiing, but now, at 83, without the giant slalom racing. In 2004 he began weekend celebration of the Eucharist and preaching at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Baldwinsville, a ministry he continues to enjoy. Father Dan recently remarked that the older he has gotten, the more he has realized that his vocation to the Society and to ordained ministry is a grace from God. For this he is truly grateful.
Father Don Kirby, SJ, celebrates 50 years a Jesuit and 38 years as an ordained priest. He is a native of Ogdensburg, N.Y. and St. Mary’s Cathedral Parish. He entered the Jesuit order in 1960.
A professor in Le Moyne College’s Religious Studies Department since 1976, he also served as founding director of the Center for the Advancement for Values Education (CAVE) from 1987-2003 where he worked with his colleagues to create and develop the Values Program. This model for values education has been adapted at educational institutions such as Georgetown and the University of Pennsylvania and internationally in the Netherlands.
After completing initial graduate studies at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School, Father Kirby taught two years at Canisius High School in Buffalo. He then completed theological studies and the master of divinity degree at Woodstock College, the Jesuit School of Theology. He earned his doctorate at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. His sabbaticals included studies at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and at the Jesuit Institute at Boston College.
He is the author of Compass for Uncharted Lives: A Model for Values Education (Syracuse University Press, 2007) and coauthor of Ambitious Dreams: The Values Program at Le Moyne College (Sheed and Ward, 1990). Father Kirby has published journal articles on business ethics, values education, institutional investment policies, corporate responsibility, universities and town/gown tax controversies and teaching moral issues in the classroom. A workshop facilitator on ethics, values, and institutional cultures, he has presented in the U.S., Central America, Europe, and Asia.
Father Kirby has served numerous parishes in the diocese, especially Our Lady of Solace and St. Mary’s of the Lake in Skaneateles. He has served on the boards of Wadhams Hall Seminary College and the Syracuse Interreligious Council and currently serves on the boards of the Syracuse Spiritual Renewal Center and the Shrine of the North American Martyrs at Auriesville, N.Y.
Father Kirby’s goal is “to assist students to recognize and understand the importance of the religious and moral dimension in their personal and professional lives and to en
hance their commitment to ethical decision-making.”
Sister Katharine Anne Earley, CSJ, (Sister Agnes Edward) is celebrating her 50th anniversary as a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Born in Binghamton and raised in St. John’s Parish, Sister Katharine graduated from St. Patrick’s High School and entered the novitiate of the Sisters of St. Joseph on March 19, 1960.
Sister Katharine received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in reading, both from the College of St. Rose, Albany. She taught in schools in the Albany and Syracuse Dioceses, including St. Patrick’s School, Binghamton, and St. Thomas Aquinas School, Binghamton, where she also served as administrator. In addition, Sister Katharine served as coordinator of SisterCare and as a member of the Community Life Team, both at St. Joseph’s Provincial House, Latham, N.Y. Sister Katharine presently resides in Binghamton where she is caring for a relative.
“Being and becoming a Sister of St. Joseph has been a very fulfilling life,” said Sister Katharine. “I am where God has called me to be — in a congregation of prayerful, faithful women. I feel a deep satisfaction in helping people and making a positive difference in their lives. It has been
