Senior Jubilarians

Barbara A. Bray, SNJM

Barbara was born in San Francisco, the oldest of six children of Ira and Alice Bray. She continues to cherish the love and support of her two sisters and brother and their families.

Barbara attended St. Cecilia’s Elementary School where she was influenced by the goodness, inspiration, and example of the Sisters of the Holy Names. In 1961, she entered the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Names in Los Gatos. Barbara’s ministries included teaching in elementary schools, mostly in junior high grades, and administrating as Principal at St. Bede’s Elementary School, Hayward, and at St. Theresa’s Elementary School, Oakland. She served in the Diocese of Oakland as an Assistant Superintendent and as Superintendent of Catholic Schools and currently serves as volunteer coach for teacher leaders.

Barbara’s ministry in Catholic Education is rooted in the vision, charism, and mission of her SNJM Community, and is shared by her many colleagues and friends who, in turn, have brought joy and blessings to her life and service.

Mary Breiling, SNJM

Sister Mary Breiling began her SNJM ministry teaching adolescents in Portland, Coos Bay and Medford, Oregon. She found they were challenging, energizing and fun. She treasures this time for the gifts shared by the young people, grateful for their playfulness, sense of humor and wit.

Mary was invited to serve as principal at Immaculate Heart School, a K-8 grade inner-city school in Portland. She found this to be the most difficult and rewarding experience of her teaching career. She learned so much from the students, their families, staff and volunteers in this African American community. It deepened her understanding of poverty, violence, and unjust systems that fail to provide equal opportunities for all to achieve the American dream. She was inspired by people so dedicated to building their community.

Following this ministry, Mary served for 14 years as a member of the Sisters’ Leadership Teams. Here she brought her prophetic vision and financial acumen to the SNJM community.

Recognizing the critical need for senior housing and inspired by the vision and values of the Sisters of the Holy Names, Mary joined with others to create and bring to life Mary’s Woods at Marylhurst. This welcoming, energetic, spirit-filled continuing care community opened its doors in February 2021.

Mary lives in Oregon City where she’s focusing her energy in social justice advocacy, with a particular interest in the care of the earth and the people on it.

Sally Brown, SNJM

As one of nine children, Sister Sally Brown cheerfully notes that this is where she developed a passion for fun and laughter and the dynamics that can only come from family. She acknowledges it as a vitally important preparation for her future ministry as an educator.

After entering, Sally taught in SNJM schools in Medford and Eugene, Oregon. Earning a master’s in religious studies, she moved to Portland, teaching for two years and then serving as principal for 13 years. During this time, she completed an MA in Counseling Psychology and went on to be a school counselor in the Oregon City Public School District.

Embracing the charism of the Holy Names Sisters, and with gratitude for the gift of her own education and a wealth of professional experiences, she focused her energies on at-risk and disenfranchised students, especially those from difficult homes. In being an educator, her love was working with children and helping them discover their own personal gifts.

Now retired, Sally, who lives in Milwaukie, Oregon, enjoys time with family and friends and serves as part of the Oregon Associate Coordinating Committee walking with SNJM Associates in the spirit of Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher and the SNJM mission.

 

Anne Burgard, SNJM

Sister Anne Burgard grew up in San Francisco, the first of two children of Leo and Julia Burgard. After graduation from high school and one year of college at Lone Mountain College, Anne entered the Sisters of the Holy Names at Los Gatos, CA, on August 30, 1961. After two years of formation and a first teaching assignment at St. Monica’s in Santa Monica, Anne professed her first Vows August 5, 1964.

After continuing her education at Holy Names College in Oakland, she then taught elementary school in San Francisco, San Gabriel, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and Alhambra. After a break year with the Spiritual development program at Loyola Marymount university, she began a long journey in parish pastoral ministry in the Los Angeles Archdiocese, Sacramento diocese, Stockton diocese, and the Oakland diocese until retirement from compensated ministry. Parish ministry time was broken up by two years (1988-1990) at Boston College securing a Masters in Pastoral ministry. All those unique experiences have enriched her life with loving friendships and challenges in personal development and ministry.

God has called her in unexpected ministry directions since being retired. Her main ministry has evolved to be visiting and bringing communion to the homebound for St. John Vianney Parish in Walnut Creek. Those have been precious experiences of being present and supporting those living on an extreme margin.

Love calls differently each day, and her delight is leaping into each moment with, “YES, Love!”

 

Cynthia Canning, SNJM

Cynthia is the oldest of four daughters born to Marie O’Sullivan and Lawrence Canning. She is the proud older sister of Marcia (RIP), Mary, and Claire – all amazing women!

As a student at Holy Names High School, she was impressed with the Sisters there – their interest in and kindness to the students, and the happy spirit they seemed to have among them as a community. She entered the Sisters of the Holy Names after graduation, along with Maureen Delaney, Mary Margaret Mulgrew, and several other HNHS classmates.

Her first years in teaching were in elementary school, where she taught not one, but two grades in the same classroom: fifth and sixth, first at St. Joseph in San Francisco and then at St. Mary’s in Oakland. Later, after twelve years teaching English in high school at Ramona and Holy Names High School, she served as principal at Holy Names for two years – a position she loved.

The next twelve years were spent in Province leadership, six as Director of Ministry and six as Provincial. These were wonderful years, filled with opportunities to come to know individual Sisters better, to see their wonderful ministries firsthand, and to work with talented and compassionate team members.

In 1994, along with Sisters Rosemary Delaney and Margaret Kennedy, she was a co-founder of Next Step Learning Center, a community-based nonprofit in Oakland with a mission of education and opportunity for Oakland families. For over twenty years she had the privilege of serving as Co-Director, working with dedicated staff and volunteers and with the courageous and determined Oakland youth and adults who came to Next Step, hoping to earn their GED or high school diploma and build better lives.

Most recently, and another highlight of her life over the past eight years, has been the privilege of serving as Chair of the Corporate Members and helping to develop the new Vatican-approved entity, Holy Names Educational Ministries (HNEM) that will ensure the future sponsorship of our beloved educational ministries. In this capacity she has worked alongside and come to know and admire people of great integrity, generosity, vision, and commitment to the SNJM mission and its importance in our world.

Carolyn Coleman, SNJM

After graduating from Sacred Heart Academy, Salem, Oregon, Sister Carolyn Coleman joined the Sisters of the Holy Names at Marylhurst. She spent her early years as an elementary school teacher in Astoria, Salem and Eugene in Oregon. This was followed by several years in community service working in the Sisters’ Care Center and by driving for the Sisters as well as assisting at Immaculate Heart and Holy Redeemer Grade Schools in Portland.

After spending a year at the Provincial House in Los Gatos, California, Carolyn returned to Oregon where she was asked to be the groundskeeper at the Marylhurst Provincial House. This proved to be the perfect fit for Carolyn, blending her needs to be creative and to be physically active. Later when the retirement community of Mary’s Woods came to be, she worked for a few years with the groundskeeping department before retiring to… guess what… gardening.

Over the years, Carolyn designed and created the garden grove at Marylhurst, known as Heartwood Park, which she continues to maintain, offering a quiet space to enjoy the wonders of nature or have a pleasant picnic lunch.

Maureen Delaney, SNJM

Sister Maureen Delaney grew up in Alameda, CA and attended Holy Names High School in Oakland. She entered the convent from Holy Names High School in 1961. As a missionary novice, she went out to St. Augustine’s School in Oakland and enjoyed teaching the second grade. She later taught primary grades at Our Lady of Lourdes, Old Saint Mary’s and St. Francis de Sales schools all in Oakland, CA.

After teaching elementary school for several years, she became interested in community organizing. Fathers John Bauman and Jerry Helfrich came to talk to St. Mary’s school staff and parish leaders about a community organizing project they were starting in East Oakland around Saint Elizabeth’s Parish. At the end of the talk, Fr. John Baumann asked if anyone was interested in learning more about community organizing and all it entailed. Here’s where Maureen said, “Count me in!”

She participated in the first 7-week Summer Institute that Frs. John and Jerry held and every summer institute for the next 10 years. There she learned how to work with the community to develop leadership among the people, to have local men and women name issues that would improve their neighborhoods, and to work behind the scenes in a supportive role so that people directly affected could speak up for themselves. She learned how to build people power and to form a strong community organization.

At this time, Maureen was assigned to St. Francis de Sales School to teach third grade. The pastor and parish council decided to hire a Community Organizer to work in the neighborhoods around St. Francis. In conversation with Sr. Elizabeth Davis, her community leadership member in the California province, Maureen applied for the job and was hired.

In March 1975, Father Don Osuna was appointed rector of St. Francis de Sales Cathedral. She was privileged to be part of the very supportive and innovative staff of priests, Sisters, and lay people during the “Osuna years” at the Cathedral. Maureen learned the importance of ritual, lay leadership and community building, which would lead to outreach in the neighborhoods in Oakland. “This experience at the cathedral as well as my organizing experience, gave me the necessary credentials, skills and background to be part of the ministry in Tutwiler, Mississippi,” commented Maureen.

As a delegate from California, Maureen attended the 1986 General Chapter in Canada. There she met SNJM Sisters from the New York Province who told her about Anne Brooks, a Doctor and Holy Names Sister who was ministering in Mississippi. Sister Anne was looking for someone to start the outreach part of the Tutwiler Clinic. At this point, Maureen had been at St. Francis for 11 years and thought it was a good time to move on. During a 10-day visit to Mississippi in 1987, she found the people to be friendly, welcoming, and became very aware of the many needs in the area.

When Maureen returned to the Mississippi Delta, she started out by talking to people to find out what they wanted to have happen. She used her transition skills as a Community Organizer and as a staff person at St. Francis de Sales, to teach people to speak up for themselves, build community, and use their own rituals from the African American culture of the Mississippi Delta. Maureen was Foundress and Executive Director of the Tutwiler Community Education Center for almost 25 years. She says, “It was a privilege to work for and with the people of the Mississippi Delta area to help bring educational, recreational and enriching activities into the lives of children, teens and adults.”

Since 2016, Maureen has been a member of the SNJM U.S.-Ontario Province Leadership Team and holds the title of Provincial.
“My only brother, Bill, was a Precious Blood Priest who passed away in July 2023. My only sister, Rosemary, is a Holy Names Sister who served as co-director of the Next Step Learning Center in Oakland, CA for over 20 years. We are family with lots of great cousins and good friends!”

Catherine Ferguson, SNJM

Lolita Krebsbach, SNJM

Lolita, the second child of Raymond and Lucille Krebsbach, was born in Berkeley, California, and lived in Richmond with her loving parents, four sisters and one brother until she was nine. After moving to San Rafael, she began her Catholic school education at St. Raphael, and continued it at Marin Catholic High School where she met the SNJMs. Upon graduating from high school in 1961, Lolita entered the Congregation at Los Gatos.

For more than forty years, Lolita has served in elementary education as teacher and as principal. During some of those years, she was a volunteer chaplain visiting inmates at the Bryant Street Jail in San Francisco. From 1990 until 1996, Lolita was privileged to work with Sisters and staff at Convent of the Holy Names, Los Gatos. Following her ministry there, she returned to teaching predominately English language learners from East Palo Alto at St. Elizabeth Seton School for 17 years. She then returned to teaching at St. Patrick School (sponsored by The Daughters of Charity) in San Jose for five years. Now retired, Lolita enjoys greeting people and showing caring interest in the residents at Merrill Gardens in Campbell, CA.

The best parts of Lolita’s ministries are the people who have touched and enriched her life. She is very grateful to belong to a religious community that stands on the side of the marginalized. Whether it is inmates, English language learners, the materially poor, or the blind, Lolita feels she has received more than she has given.

 

Mimi Maloney, SNJM

Sister Mimi Maloney was born and raised in Spokane – in St. Aloysius Parish – the fifth child in a family of nine. Her mom and dad, Geneva Walsh and Justin C. Maloney, were deeply spiritual people who influenced her life profoundly.

Mimi was drawn to religious life and to the SNJMs both by a hunger she had always felt in her heart for God, and by the desire to be of service to those who were poor, vulnerable and on the margins, and to work for social, economic and environmental justice.

Her ministries included teaching, parish outreach, and working with the Spanish speaking. For nearly 24 years she was privileged to work in a home in Olympia, Washington, for men with developmental disabilities. Recently she worked at Villa Del Mar Retreat Center in Santa Cruz, California. Throughout, Mimi offered retreats, preached, and wrote articles as an expression of her deep passion for the Great Story of Evolution and advocating with others for economic and environmental justice.

Once again in Spokane, Mimi is so grateful to her family, friends and to the Sisters of the Holy Names for the support and for the opportunities in ministry she has been given to live out the SNJM charism. “This is the day our God has made. Let us rejoice and be glad!”

 

Patricia McCrann, SNJM

On August 25, 1961, Sister Pat McCrann crossed the Provincial House threshold at Marylhurst, Oregon, a first step in becoming a Holy Names Sister. Reflecting over her 60 years of vowed life, Pat is full of gratitude for the ministries calling her to serve and inviting her to become more than she ever dared to dream or imagine.

She is grateful for the SNJM charism that continues to challenge, deepening our awareness of the unmet needs of God’s people and of our planet.

Pat thanks the parents who entrusted their sixth- and seventh-grade children to her in Portland and Medford. She loved opening pathways for each young person to reach their full potential.

Called to serve as Associate Pastor in the inner-city parish of Immaculate Heart, Portland, the community invited her to experience a variety of cultures, bringing forth gifts she had no idea were there. She treasures the friendships that continue to this day.

In 1986 Pat, who lives in Oregon City, responded to the Spirit’s invitation to found a Center, the name given her, Namasté, a word of greeting “I honor the God within you.” She is privileged to offer programs celebrating the spiritual life and offering space for rest and renewal. Many partners offered their encouragement, time and talents to bring to life the House of Solitude and Redwood Cottage.

Love continues to call her. And each day she responds, “Yes” and “Thank You”.

 

Patricia Pfenning, SNJM

Sister Patricia Pfenning is a fifth-generation Oregonian on her Mom’s side and second-generation on her Dad’s. She’s proud of both.

After World War II, Patricia’s Dad came home and the family moved to Holy Redeemer Parish, Portland, Oregon. She attended Holy Redeemer School, Immaculata Academy and then Marylhurst College.

During her junior year at Marylhurst, her Dad asked her to cook in their tavern for the summer to relieve her Mother who was ill. The next year she worked full-time in a variety of jobs including at a department store and an insurance company.

In August 1961, she entered the SNJM Community. Briefly, she was Sister Mary Arlene. Her first ministry was as a high school teacher for 11 years. She then served as an Administrative Assistant at the college, high school and elementary levels.

Patricia had two favorite ministries. Working at Loyola Retreat House, Portland, gave her the chance to preach, teach, and walk with individuals on their spiritual path. The second was the time spent in the Central Oregon town of Dufur as parish minister.

Her motto has been “I show up and hang around.” Now retired and living at Mary’s Woods in Lake Oswego, Patricia tries to continue living that rule of life. Her ministry is presence and attentiveness to those around her.

 

Vivian Ripp, SNJM

Sister Vivian Ripp was raised in Salem, Oregon. During grade and high school, the Holy Names Sisters fostered in her a love of music, learning, art, and service that led to her entry into the Community. Her first ministries were in education as a music teacher, classroom teacher and principal.

In completing a master’s in applied spirituality, Vivian was led to Clinical Pastoral Education and became a hospital chaplain. For the next period of her life, she served as chaplain in hospitals in Missoula, Montana, and Eugene, Oregon.

Music once more entered her life when Vivian responded to the call to learn how to use the elements of music prescriptively with the dying with the use of voice and harp. As she continued as a chaplain, she studied the harp and music-thanatology and became a certified music-thanatologist. She also had the privilege of providing leadership in establishing an international music-thanatology professional organization that certifies music-thanatologists and offers yearly conferences.

Since retiring, Vivian, who resides in Portland, Oregon, has been living in what she calls the NOW moments of life, including as co-coordinator of the Lay Consecrated program for the US-Ontario Province and pre-pandemic as accompanist for the Oregon SNJM Chamber Ensemble.

 

Mary Ellen Robinson, SNJM

Sister Mary Ellen Robinson felt a call to live and work among Spanish speaking immigrants early on, when she got acquainted with children of Mexican farmworkers in the Yakima Valley, whose circumstances were astonishingly different from her middle-class students at Christ the King in Richland. Though detours through the next 40 years included serving in the Peace Corps in Kenya, East Africa, for a profound experience of the global south, she kept returning to “Hispanic ministry” whenever she could, including teaching immigrant children in public schools.

Thanks to constant SNJM support, she is quite bilingual, and has been living and working at Marie-Rose House in Wapato, Yakima Valley, Washington, since 2005. Highlights of the journey? Being pastoral administrator of Oroville and Tonasket in north central Washington where she helped two Spanish-speaking congregations take root; and, much later, sponsoring teachers from Mexico to volunteer in Wapato for summer programs so immigrant farmworkers’ children and grandchildren could develop knowledge and pride in their parental heritage.

Mary Ellen loves her own mixed immigrant roots of devout Irish Catholics and Robinson Protestants, Oregon Trail pioneers. She identifies deeply with both the urban Seattle-Tacoma corridor and rural Washington and wants them to stay connected.

 

Rosemary Thielman, SNJM

Sister Rosemary Thielman’s favorite scripture quote is: “See, I make all things new.” Her favorite words are “healing” and “magical” – words that echoed within her 47 years ago after a log at the beach rolled over her, almost taking her life.

Rosemary grew up in Spokane, Washington, with parents, Grace and William (Bill), and four brothers, James, David, Craig and Daniel. Two other siblings, Karen and Patrick, died young.

Graduating from Holy Names Academy, she entered religious life. She received a BA from Fort Wright College: an MA in Educational Administration from Western Washington University.

She was a teacher at St. Patrick’s Spokane, and Immaculate Conception, Everett, then principal at St. Mary’s Seattle and St. Philomena, Des Moines (WA), then Personnel Director, Associate Superintendent, and Acting Superintendent in the Seattle Archdiocesan Catholic School Department.

She served at New Community, rebuilding Newark, New Jersey, and as Administrator at International RENEW, returning to Idaho at St. Pius Parish and the University of Idaho as Student Teacher supervisor.

Rosemary, who lives in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, co-founded Wisdomworks, a ministry assisting elders, women and businesses to find greater meaning in their lives. “God’s Nudgings,” an elder retreat, was offered in three states plus Lesotho, Africa.

She greets each day with: THANK YOU.

 

Terese Tsang, SNJM

Sister Terese Tsang was born in Canton (now Guangzhou), China, but her family later moved to Hong Kong where she was educated.

In 1961 Terese entered the Sisters Announcers of the Lord, a teaching community in Hong Kong. She studied music and kindergarten education and taught in local schools. Later she assumed leadership roles in her Community and was the treasurer and a faculty member at Our Lady of the Rosary College, Hong Kong.

In 1983 she studied English in the United States and became well acquainted with the Holy Names Sisters. Nine years later she transferred to the Holy Names Community in Oregon making her final vows as an SNJM on December 20, 1992, noting that “I believe I am where God wants me to be.”

For 14 years, Sister worked with the Chinese community in San Francisco, teaching at St. Mary’s Day School and assisting in parish work at Holy Family Parish. She then moved to Portland, Oregon, where she taught Cantonese in the Chinese Language School, offered music lessons, led a Chinese prayer group and visited a nursing home.

Terese recently moved to Mary’s Woods retirement community, Lake Oswego, Oregon, where she is enjoying meeting new friends and reacquainting with old ones.

 

Sue Woodruff, SNJM

Sister Sue Woodruff grew up in Salem, Oregon, the oldest of the four daughters of Floyd and Rosa Woodruff. After high school, she followed God’s prompting and joined the Sisters of the Holy Names at Marylhurst.

Her first assignments were as an elementary teacher at SNJM schools in Portland, Salem and Medford in Oregon and Daly City in California.

From these beginnings, Sue set out on new and diverse paths, working as an educational counselor for Portland’s Urban Indian Council and as the editor for a magazine on Creation Spirituality out of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Recognized for her insight and discerning spirit, Sue was tapped by the SNJM community to take on leadership roles at both the Provincial and Congregational levels. She later completed an MA in Art Therapy which led to work with women who had suffered trauma.

In recent years Sue, who lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon, has devoted her time to working in the Sisters’ Archives where she relishes the opportunity to keep alive the individual stories of Sisters’ lives and the preservation of the heritage of mission and ministry of the Sisters of the Holy Names.

 

80 Years

Rosemarie Kasper, SNJM

For 40 years Sister Rosemarie Kasper was a classroom teacher in SNJM schools in Oregon and Washington. In later years, she served as an art instructor bringing her love for art to children from primary level through junior high.

On leaving the schools, she began her most beloved ministry as the Archivist for the Oregon SNJMs, working to preserve the history and heritage of the Holy Names since their arrival in the Pacific Northwest in 1859. She co-founded the Archivists for Congregations of Women Religious (ACWR), a national association assisting archivists in the management and preservation of the historical record of Catholic Sisters. She was also instrumental in the design of Holy Names Heritage Center, Marylhurst, Oregon, the archives for all SNJM regions in the United States.

Of Native American heritage, Rosemarie is proud of her Karuk and Quinault lineage. She actively participated in the local Kateri Circle of Native American Catholics who incorporate Native American spirituality into worship and liturgy. In 2012 she was thrilled to attend the canonization of Kateri Tekawitha, the first Native American saint, in Rome.

In October 2024, Rosemarie turns 100 years of age and is active as she is able, including participating in the residents’ drumming circle where she lives at Mary’s Woods at Marylhurst in Lake Oswego, Oregon.

 

 

Thérèse Ottman, SNJM

After joining the Sisters of the Holy Names in 1944, Sister Thérèse felt a deep calling to the ministry of teaching. She dedicated over 38 years to educating elementary students of all grades across California, in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, Alhambra, San Marino, Monterey Park and Ocean Park. Later, she embraced new ministries, notably serving for many years in hospitality at Villa Maria del Mar, a retreat center run by the Sisters. With her warm, welcoming spirit, Sister Thérèse has continued to share her gift for making others feel supported, loved and nurtured throughout her life.

 

 

Kathleen Walsh, SNJM

“God writes straight with crooked lines,” says Sister Kathleen Walsh applying the quote to her life in ministry. She was an elementary teacher in SNJM schools, a secretary for SNJM administration and registrar at St. Mary’s Academy, Portland.

In her early 50s, she was encouraged to pursue CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) training. That year was a turning point in her life, one of intense spiritual and professional growth. Everything that had occurred earlier in life in some way prepared her for a new direction. Becoming a chaplain at St. Vincent’s Hospital, Portland, was the richest and most rewarding period in her life, accompanying wonderful people and being privileged to preside at their memorial services. Many had no religious affiliation, and she became “church” for them.

On retiring in 1996, Kathleen did volunteer work, including as part of the Transition Team when the Sisters move from and back to Marylhurst with the development of Mary’s Woods retirement community where she now lives. Kathleen also gave numerous hours to social justice concerns as part of the MACG (Metropolitan Alliance for the Common Good), a way to live out SNJM commitment of seeking systemic change in collaboration with others.

Soon to be 100 years old, Kathleen has found excitement and challenge in life and retirement, blessed with good friends along the way.

 

 

75 Years

Juliana Lucey, SNJM

Sister Juliana Lucey, born in Santa Monica, California, has embarked on a remarkable journey throughout her 75 years as a Sister of the Holy Names. With a background in mathematics, she began her ministry in education, teaching at the elementary level for nine years before switching to secondary education for seven years. She then advanced to the university level, where she taught for four years at Holy Names College before expanding her teaching career to universities across various states, including Arizona, Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin and Alaska.

During her time in Alaska, Sister Juliana had the opportunity to join a Marine Science Research expedition, becoming the resident mathematician on a research vessel in the Bering Sea. This first voyage led to another marine science research cruise, and she later participated in additional research expeditions in the Gulf of Alaska, as well as in England and Costa Rica. These adventures inspired her next ambitious ministry calling: Peace Corps assignments in Micronesia and Lithuania.

Sister Juliana has traveled extensively, always responding to calls for service where her talents and gifts could make a difference. Her journey reflects a life dedicated to serving others in diverse and far-reaching communities.

 

 

Giovannina Saleeby, SNJM

Sister Giovannina Saleeby’s family was from Malta, but she and her older brother were born in Detroit, Michigan. When she was about age 3, the family returned to Malta. There Sister Giovannina entered a Dominican community and began a long career as an educator both in the United States and Australia.

When the political situation changed in Malta and the administration of her order decided to recall all the Sisters of the community back to Malta, she and another Sister who were United States citizens made the decision to remain in the U.S. In 1978, Sister Giovannina transferred to the Sisters of the Holy Names with whom she felt bonds of affection and shared values. As an SNJM, she continued her 40-year ministry as a beloved teacher and principal in Florida. Then she turned her energies to pastoral ministry, visiting the homebound and managing the parish food pantry.

In 2014, when her health required a move to the Albany, New York, Senior Care Center of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, she became the spiritual and social outreach visitor to scores of the frailest Sisters there. Still in Albany, Sister Giovannina is now fully retired.

 

 

Anna Weisner, SNJM

Sister Anna Weisner has always loved music. Her first ministry as a young Sister was music teacher. After 20 years in music, she made the switch to classroom teacher at the intermediate level and eventually served as principal in Coos Bay and Salem, Oregon. While in Salem, she was caregiver for her mother for 16 years, spending several years working with the CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) program in her local parish.

Following her mother’s death, Anna looked for new horizons, choosing to enter the CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) program for a year at Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane, Washington. She would serve as a chaplain at Sacred Heart for the next 14 years.

When Anna retired, she became the chaplain at Convent of the Holy Names, Spokane. As part of this ministry, she revived her musical energies, playing the harp for events, joining the New Horizons Orchestra, and playing with a harp ensemble in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

In 2011, Anna returned to Oregon moving to Mary’s Woods at Marylhurst near Lake Oswego. Music continues to be very much a part of her life as a member of the residents’ recorder ensemble and their drumming circle.

 

 

70 Years

Mary Frances Beck, SNJM

Sister Mary Frances Beck was born and raised in Washington, DC. She always knew she wanted to be a Sister, she said. After graduating in 1952, becoming a Sister was just “the next step” for her path in life.

As a Holy Names Sister, she taught everything but first grade in elementary schools in Tampa, Washington, DC, and Schenectady and Albany, NY, as well as teaching in high schools in Tampa and Albany. She later served on the administrative team for the Sisters on the East Coast based at their Albany regional headquarters.

When it came time for Mary Fran to take on a new position, she began looking for a new job in the Albany Diocese. That’s when she found the Consultation Center, a mental health service in Albany. For over 40 years, Mary Fran stayed with the Consultation Center, performing a myriad of tasks and responsibilities ranging from behind-the-scenes tasks like organizing the finances and planning workshops to being the frontline face serving as administrative director.

Now fully retired, Sister continues to serve in various volunteer capacities, as a Eucharistic Minister; assisting with the Food Pantry; and taking on SNJM commitments like preparation for funerals and writing the Sisters’ Chronicles.

 

 

Joan Bourdon, SNJM

Sister Joan Bourdon was born in San Francisco the youngest of four siblings. She was raised in a strong Catholic family where religious values and faith were primary.

Sister Joan was a life-long educator. In her early years she served in both northern and southern California as a beloved elementary teacher and later as a principal. She was known for being gentle and kind with the children. She also supported faculty and staff as a mentor and role model. It is not uncommon to hear stories of gratitude from her days in formal education from her coworkers and students.

After leaving formal education she served at Villa Maria Del Mar as a hostess and a sought out Spiritual Director for almost twenty years. She is remembered for the warmth of her hospitality, her ability to create community, her encouraging presence and for her wisdom as a director.

Sister Joan had a great capacity to live the present moment and enjoy the NOW. She loved nature, people, retreats and spirituality, travel, the gift of a dinner with a friend and a good book. She was known for her warm smile, her gentle sense of humor, faithful friendship and for her gift of encouraging others. She had several sayings which guided her life, two examples are: “Just to be is a blessing, just to live is holy” and “Love is my journey’s name.”

 

 

Liz Davis, SNJM

Sister Elizabeth (Liz) Davis was born in Wisconsin and moved to California at an early age. The oldest of three siblings, Liz’s journey towards a life of service began early. She first encountered the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM) during a high school retreat, an experience that profoundly influenced her future path. She later attended Holy Names College, where she earned a degree in History.

After entering the community and completing her degree, Sister Liz began her career as a teacher. Recognizing her leadership skills and ability to mentor and guide others, Sister Liz quickly stepped into Principal positions within schools and eventually took on a supervisory role for SNJM schools along the California coast. In this capacity, she visited numerous schools, offering support and assistance to principals and teachers, ensuring that the educational standards were upheld.

In a bid to further enhance her organizational and communication skills, Sister Liz was selected as part of a four-sister California Province Renewal Team. After attending a specialized training program in St. Louis, she conducted workshops and facilitated group sessions, promoting effective leadership and community building.

Sister Liz’s expertise was further acknowledged when she was appointed as Consultant for Research and Planning in the general administrative offices for four and a half years. Upon returning to California, Sister Liz resumed her supervisory role with the SNJM schools before being elected as Provincial of the California Province. Her leadership was marked by a deep commitment to the values of the SNJM, fostering a spirit of collaboration and innovation.

In her continued pursuit of personal and professional growth, Sister Liz participated in the CPE program at UCSF earning certification for Chaplaincy. As Chaplain at Bakersfield Mercy Hospital, she interacted with patients in various departments but found a special relationship with the families in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, providing comfort and support during challenging times.

Sister Liz then served as a chaplain for 23 years at Mercy Retirement and Care Center, where her compassionate presence and spiritual guidance touched countless lives. Upon retirement she moved to Merrill Gardens, where she continues to inspire those around her with her creativity and positivity. In her free time, she enjoys making paper collages and is mastering the art of toaster oven baking.

Throughout her life, Sister Liz has been known for her positive outlook. She believes that there is something to be learned from every experience and strives to find the positive in each day.

 

 

Miriam Mark Eddy, SNJM

Sister Miriam Mark Eddy, born in San Gabriel, California, joined the Sisters of the Holy Names in 1944. She dedicated 15 years to teaching at elementary schools across California before moving into administration, where she excelled as a principal for over 30 years, spending much of that time at St. Anthony’s in San Gabriel.

In 2009, she transitioned from teaching to volunteer work, actively serving on numerous committees and helping to prepare 2nd-grade students for their First Holy Communion. Additionally, she played a pivotal role as the coordinator of the Marie Rose Guild in Southern California, where for many years, she worked alongside a team to organize their annual luncheons.

Known for her warm heart, captivating stories, and welcoming smile, Sister Miriam Mark has been a guiding light, sharing her love and kindness with generations of eager children.

 

 

Rosemary Everett, SNJM

I was born in 1934 in Alton. IL, and as we moved around the Midwest until we arrived in Alameda, CA in 1942, I was educated by three different religious orders. When I arrived at St. Andrew’s High School in Pasadena my junior year, there was something different about the Holy Names Sisters. Their warmth, simplicity and friendliness immediately attracted me and I entered in July 1952.

Following the novitiate at Los Gatos, I taught elementary grades and junior high in both the Bay Area and Southern California, and high school and Campus Ministry at Marin Catholic in Kentfield and Campus Ministry at St. Monica’s in Santa Monica.

My education included a B.A. from, the then, Holy Names College, an M.A. in Religious Education from University of San Francisco and an M.A. in Ministry with an emphasis in Spirituality from Seattle University.

In 1968, in the wake of Cardinal McIntyre firing the Immaculate Heart Sisters from the schools in the Los Angeles Archdiocese, our Provincial Team accepted the request to staff St. Raphael School in Goleta, near Santa Barbara, CA. Being appointed principal. I experienced it as a most challenging assignment as the parishioners were divided in their loyalties: pro Cardinal or pro IHM. Because we wore moderate habits, some parents regarded us as more conservative than the IHM Sisters and thought that we would reinstate the Baltimore Catechism! Gradually, over the 7 years there, we SNJM’s won their respect and that of the local public school district. We developed a high degree of parent involvement with volunteers serving in primary learning centers, in our health program, as librarians and other areas of the school program. In 1974, Sister Diane Denke replaced me; and the next year we withdrew from the school, leaving the leadership to excellent lay principals in the succeeding years.

For three years I served on the retreat team at the Christian Brothers Retreat House in the Napa Valley; and seven years on the Campus Ministry Team of Santa Clara University, directing RCIA, facilitating students retreats and coordinating the student music groups for the three student liturgies on Sunday night. For five of these years, I lived in a resident hall and served as Resident Minister. During part of this time, I served as Acting Director when the Director took time off for further study.

I served as Province Vocation Coordinator, Province Social Justice Coordinator; and, when we took a Corporate Stand on Human Trafficking in 2004, that issue became a passion for me.

For 18 years I was the female perspective on the Jesuit Candidate Review Board. While I did not interview the applicants, I reviewed their extensive files and prepared evaluative notes to present at the meetings of the Board where we indicated to the Provincial that the candidate be accepted, deferred or not accepted. I received a generous stipend for this service.

I did significant ministry with the South Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking in the preparations for Super Bowl 2016; and, will be involved again, to the extent of my present ability, in preparation for Super Bowl and World Cup in 2026.

With the Province Ministry Funds, and working with Sharan Dhanoa, Executive Director of the South Bay Coalition, we provided retreats for survivors of human trafficking for five years and will continue next year. These were workshops to develop basic skills such as dealing with the media without being re-traumatized, interview skills, and financial management, were funded by the annual SNJM Ministry Grants.

Beginning at the Cupertino Library, I volunteered teaching ESL for four years until Covid ended that program. I continued teaching online including students in Japan and Korea. At present. I have one student, a Japanese woman living in Richmond, Va. She will soon return to Japan, and we will continue as long as she wishes.

Beginning in 2025, I served with my dear friend, Sister Frances Kearney in the Rincon Guest House in Campbell, CA until a bad fall in March 2024 which occasioned my move to Merrill Gardens next door where we form one-third of the resident population. Here I rotate in leading Communion Services and sharing homilies as needed.

I see my ministry in community and among the residents as support through prayer, presence and listening.

Significant among my precious relationships within and beyond community is my friendship with John Charles Wester, presently Archbishop of Santa Fe, NM. This friendship began in 1979 when we taught together and shared campus ministry at Marin Catholic High School. Over the years, it has deepened into a strong relationship in Christ, each of us supporting one another in our commitment to Christ and our service to God’s people. It is a gift for which I am deeply grateful. I sponsored John becoming an SNJM Associate in our South Bay Mission Center.

I am very proud of Archbishop Wester’s commitment to nuclear disarmament and encourage all of us to read and share his Pastoral Letter: Living in the Light of Christ’s Peace, A Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament, available through Pax Christi USA.

 

 

Dianne Fagan, SNJM

Sister Dianne was born and raised in a small town in Wisconsin, the youngest of nine children and a twin. Her journey with the Holy Names Sisters began when she enrolled at St. Andrew’s in Pasadena for her final two years of high school. Upon graduating, Dianne entered the Holy Names community and dedicated 24 years to teaching first and second grades across various schools, including Sacred Heart and St. Augustine in Oakland, St. Stephen, St. Clement, St. Mary, and St. Gerard Magella in Southern California, and St. Cecilia in San Francisco. Throughout these years, she taught countless children to read and guided them in their preparation to receive the sacraments of Eucharist and Penance.

Dianne’s dedication continued through her 19 years in parish ministry, where she served with unwavering generosity, helpfulness, and thoughtfulness. She worked in roles such as directing religious education programs and reaching out to the homebound in parishes including St. Joseph in Capitola, St. Dunstan in Millbrae, and Queen of All Saints in Concord.

In her service to her sisters at Los Gatos and Holy Names College Convent, Dianne took on many roles, always ready to help where needed. Her ability to form deep friendships and maintain them over the years, even across great distances, is widely admired, with visits extending to family and friends as far as the Netherlands.

Dianne is known for her readiness to go the extra mile. Her response to any call for help has always been met with, “I’ll take care of that”—and she always does.

 

 

Ann Marean, SNJM 

In her 70th year as a SNJM, Sister Ann Marean continues to live out the values of the Holy Names Sisters, participating in the activities of her local SNJM mission centre and of MACAM (Mid-Atlantic Coalition Against Modern Slavery).

Ann and her group, Sisters Rose Gallagher, Mary Fran Beck, Pat Mills, Virginia Dunn, Mary Spellicy and Jean Eleanor Fette, were the last Sisters from the New York province to complete their novitiate at the Mother House in Montreal.

Ann’s many years in ministry were primarily in Holy Names schools in Florida, New York and Virginia. She filled a variety of educational roles, including classroom teacher, principal, boarding school director and guidance counselor. A thread running through her ministry has been a steadfast commitment to social justice. Even while teaching, Ann was a volunteer teacher for Hispanic farm workers in Florida and a volunteer with the children of migrant apple pickers in Virginia. For five years in the Diocese of Albany, New York, she was an outreach worker for the Spanish Center working with farm laborers and their families.

A Scripture quote dear to Ann, who lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, comes from the Book of Isaiah: “If today you hear God’s voice, harden not your hearts.” Ann listens intently and lives accordingly.

 

 

Rita Josephine McKernan, SNJM

The youngest of ten siblings, Sister Rita Josephine was blessed to grow up in a large close-knit family. After entering the community, she began her ministry in elementary education. After 19 years teaching in schools throughout California and four years as a principal, Rita Josephine’s call to service took on a new direction.

Earning certification first in hospital chaplaincy and later in counseling, she dedicated herself to working with some of the most marginalized individuals in society. Her compassionate presence and advocacy have touched the lives of those in drug and alcohol rehabilitation, individuals with AIDS, homeless veterans, and elderly people in hospitals, home care, and elder care facilities. She has been a comforting and inspiring figure, offering the face of compassion, empathy and love to those most in need. Her ministry is deeply rooted in her heart, and her kind and gentle nature has made her a source of light for countless people.

 

 

Rose Mary Michael, SNJM (RIP)

Sister Rose Mary Michael grew up in northern Minnesota. The oldest girl of 12 siblings, she learned at an early age to cook and to take care of her younger siblings.

Entering from the SNJM province of Manitoba, Rose Mary completed her novitiate at the Mother House in Montreal and taught in Manitoba. A time came to decide whether to remain in Canada or to join a U.S. SNJM province, and she chose Oregon.

After moving west, she taught CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) classes and for five years ran a beauty salon for the Sisters at their Provincial House.

Then came the infant care section of her ministry when children of local parents, including the Portland Trail Blazers basketball team, confided the care of their infants to her. She later trained as a CMA (Certified Medical Assistant), working in various medical facilities including at Mary’s Woods in Lake Oswego where she now lives. She used both these backgrounds to help a special needs child, Ellie, who flourished under her care.

A woman of many talents, Rose Mary is well-known for her baking skills, especially her cinnamon rolls, and her hand-crafted Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls. She was sacristan for the Sisters’ Chapel and helped in the formation of Portland’s Korean Catholic community.

Rose Mary, who died June 6, 2024, in her seventieth year as a Holy Names Sister, will be remembered for her graciousness, quiet presence, and deep faith in God.

 

 

Patricia Mills, SNJM

In her 70 years as an SNJM, Sister Pat Mills engaged in a variety of ministries including teacher, principal, pastoral minister, chaplain, spiritual director and Associate director. She wrote in response to the question of how she would like to be remembered, “Whatever it was, I tried to follow the Spirit of God as I heard it, even when it was very costly.”

Following the Spirit’s promptings began early, when as a teenager Pat made the decision to join the Catholic church and later discerned a call to religious life as a Holy Names Sister. Her first SNJM ministry was as a teacher, but such were the urgings of the Spirit that she was one of the first in her province to pursue a non-teaching ministry. She became head of the Rosa Valdez Daycare Center for low-income, inner-city Tampa families. An ecumenical project founded by a Jesuit priest and the United Methodist Urban Ministry benefitted from Pat’s leadership for 13 years.

At every stage, response to call shaped the trajectory of Pat’s ministry. Among those she heeded were advocating for institutional change in the Catholic Church and religious life, joining the Charismatic Renewal, and pioneering work for establishment and support of the SNJM Associate Program. Pat continues to pray for the calls she still hears in her Albany, New York, retirement community.

 

 

Dorothy Nolan, SNJM

Sister Dorothy was born in Alhambra, California, the only daughter, between both an older and younger brother. Early encounters with the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary during her elementary school years and her time at Ramona High School profoundly shaped her life’s path.

Inspired by the Sisters she met during her formative years, Sister Dorothy joined the order and dedicated herself to education. She spent 20 years teaching elementary school, primarily in the San Gabriel Valley, where she touched countless young lives with her wisdom and compassion.

Her thirst for knowledge and spiritual growth led her to pursue higher education. After earning a master’s degree in religious education from Fort Wright College and later, a second master’s in pastoral counseling from Santa Clara University, Sister Dorothy stepped away from teaching and began another 20 years working in parish ministry. Her days encompassed a wide range of parish work, including RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults), liturgy and visiting the sick.

Later in her career, she was drawn back to her educational roots and shifted into a role as Religious Coordinator at an elementary school. In this capacity, she was responsible for developing religion programs, organizing retreats and liturgies and laying the groundwork for future educational justice programs.

Now retired, Sister Dorothy leads weekly meditation and relaxation sessions within her retirement community. She continues to pursue her long-time hobby of watercolor painting, finds joy in reading and appreciates the simple pleasure of being present in the moment.

Sister Dorothy’s life is a testament to her unwavering faith, dedication to education, and commitment to serving others. Her journey reflects a steadfast devotion to nurturing both the minds and spirits of those around her.

 

 

Mary Ann O’Mara, SNJM

Before her senior year, Mary Ann O’Mara and her family moved to Seattle from Kansas City, Missouri. She enrolled at Immaculate High School, where she was deeply inspired by her teachers, the Sisters of the Holy Names, because of their kindness and interest in their students’ growth. From that moment she knew she wanted to be like them and entered after graduating.

Mary Ann began her SNJM ministry as an elementary teacher in Washington. After 17 years of teaching, she co-founded Still Point House of Prayer in Seattle. Over the years she served as a pastoral minister; a facilitator for the Personality and Human Relations (PRH) Growth Program; and a spiritual director. She notes that each of her new ministries was an opportunity for personal growth and loving service.

In 1998, she joined with two SNJMs in Spokane to start Graceworks, a home for prostitutes wanting to change their lifestyle. Although Graceworks was short-lived, it opened the door to the Women’s Drop-In Center where she was on the staff. A move to the Yakima Valley brought an opportunity to serve at Kateri House working at the food bank and tutoring at Heritage College in Toppenish.

Now retired, Mary Ann lives at Mary’s Woods at Marylhurst in Lake Oswego, Oregon.

 

 

Rosemary Parker, SNJM

Sister Rosemary Anne Parker grew up in Astoria, Oregon, with four older brothers and a sister, loving the sea and the area. Like almost all Astoria students she worked at the fish cannery. She got to know the Holy Names Sisters at an early age attending Star of the Sea Grade and High School staffed by the SNJMs.

After graduation she attended Marylhurst College for a year and then entered the Holy Names novitiate the following summer. Rosemary Anne went on to teach high school science and math for nearly 50 years. She taught in Seattle, Eugene, Salem and in Portland at St. Mary’s Academy for 22 years and Central Catholic High School for 26 years. She served as chair of the science departments in both Portland schools and received awards for teaching excellence. These years also included stints as Vice Principal and as Athletic Director, including coaching and refereeing four sports: basketball, volleyball, softball and hockey.

After leaving education, Rosemary Anne worked in St. Ignatius parish in Portland with elder members of the community, sponsoring both spiritual and social activities.

She now lives at Mary’s Woods at Marylhurst in Lake Oswego.

 

 

Jacqueline Quinn, SNJM

Sister Jacqueline Quinn, who lives in Lake Oswego, came to Oregon by way of southern California and Canada. She attended high school in Pasadena and entered the Holy Names California novitiate at Los Gatos.

After completing her novitiate training, Jacqueline began a long career as an elementary school teacher, teaching every grade from the first to the eighth, except for third grade. She later served as registrar at St. Monica High School in Santa Monica and did community service at Los Gatos.

From there, her journey took her to Longueuil, Quebec, Canada, the Congregational headquarters and site of the first foundation of the Holy Names Sisters where she was asked to serve as an English-speaking hospitality person. While in Quebec, she came to know not only the French language, but also the history of the Holy Names Community and the places dear to the Sisters.

After moving to Oregon and the Mary’s Woods retirement community, Jacqueline again did community service: driving, shopping and accompanying other Sisters who needed it. A special joy has been the tours she conducted to Longueuil with SNJM Associates and others desiring to walk the path of Holy Names heritage and history.

 

 

Margaret Sullivan, SNJM

Sister Margaret Sullivan came to the Holy Names Sisters in Oregon from British Columbia. She and her twin brother were the youngest of 14 children. When Margaret was very small her father Jeremiah died. She is so appreciative and grateful to her extraordinary mother Jean who was very wise and totally unselfish.

After becoming a Holy Names Sister, Margaret taught middle grades in Oregon SNJM schools in Medford, Lake Oswego, Coos Bay, Cottage Grove and Portland.

Her longest tenure as a teacher was the two-plus decades she spent at Holy Redeemer School in Portland, where she continued to tutor after leaving full-time teaching. Margaret also volunteered in other ways, including one day each week at Mary’s Woods where she visited and cared for a good friend there. Another volunteer experience she particularly enjoyed took her each week to the McDonald Center in downtown Portland, visiting single people living in hotels for low-income clients.

Margaret now resides at Mary’s Woods near Lake Oswego where she provides companionship to one of her older sisters who also lives there.