June 27, 2017 // Special

Sisters of the Holy Cross celebrate jubilees

Sister M. Marcelle serves in the ministry of prayer at Saint Mary's, Notre Dame

Todays Catholic

Fourteen Sisters of the Holy Cross will celebrate their jubilee years of consecrated life on July 16, in the Church of Our Lady of Loretto, Notre Dame. Five sisters are celebrating 75 years since their initial profession, two are marking 50 years and seven are celebrating 25 years — a collective 650 years of vowed life in the congregation. Five jubilarians have served in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.

Sister Rita McQueeney, CSC, celebrates 75 years of consecrated life. Sister Rita shared her gifts as an educator for 34 years, serving in Ohio; Virginia; California; Maryland; and Washington, D.C., and at Saint Mary’s Campus School in Notre Dame. Sister Rita also held various roles in health care, working as a hospital chaplain, receptionist and patient advocate for Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Md., where she served for 20 years. Her main ministry today is to pray for the church and the world.

Sister M. Lorraine (Black), CSC, a 75-year jubilarian, served for 40 years in the field of elementary education, sharing her gifts as a teacher, principal and office manager. She served as principal at St. Vincent de Paul School and St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic School in Elkhart, and at Christ the King School, St. Joseph School and Holy Cross School in South Bend. She later worked as an accountant and administrative assistant for the Congregation at Saint Mary’s, Notre Dame. Currently, her ministry is to pray for the church and the world.

Sister M. Geralda (Lamping), CSC, is a 75-year jubilarian who ministered in elementary education for nearly 40 years, working for 10 years with children with special needs. She held teaching positions in Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana, including St. Vincent de Paul School and St. Thomas the Apostle School in Elkhart, and St. Joseph School and St. Patrick School in South Bend. She currently serves in the ministry of prayer.

Sister Dorothy Ann Reppen, CSC, celebrates 75 years of consecrated life. She served in education for 35 years, sharing her gifts as a teacher at St. Joseph School and Christ the King School in South Bend and as a teacher and principal at St. Thomas the Apostle School in Elkhart. She later worked for 15 years at Renew, Inc., a South Bend organization that helps low-income families attain housing. She continued in business management roles at Mary’s Solitude, a retreat center in Notre Dame, and in positions with the Congregation at Saint Mary’s. Her main ministry today is to pray for the church and the world.

Sister Mary Ann Pajakowski, CSC, a 50-year jubilarian, shared her gifts as a teacher, serving 22 years in secondary education. She taught at Saint Mary’s Academy and Saint Joseph High School, both in South Bend. She later moved into the field of social work, providing care and services at La Casa de Amistad in South Bend. Sister Mary Ann currently serves as education director for Holy Cross Ministries Inc., in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Sister M. Marcelle (Frizzie), CSC, who serves in the ministry of prayer at Saint Mary’s, Notre Dame, celebrates 75 years of consecrated life. Sister Elsbeth Mulvaney, CSC, has been professed 50 years and currently serves in Boise, Idaho. Twenty-five year jubilarians who are in ministry in other countries include Holy Cross Sisters Shopna Cecilia Gomes, Semita Nokrek, Susuma Costa and Salome Nanwar, who are in ministry in Bangladesh; Sisters Elizabeth Tusiime and Stella Maris Kunihira in Uganda; and Sister Parboti Gomes in India.