 You
can find Sisters of St. Joseph just about anywhere. We
were founded to discover where the need was greatest. We
were to go there with love of God and love of neighbor
without distinction. For over 350 years, that’s what we
have been doing, and it must be effective, for you can now
find us in 57 countries. The Springfield Congregation and
our lay associates serve in schools and prisons, protest
war and advocate nonviolent means of peacemaking, and work
with and for justice. We do so joyfully.
The SSJ
Springfield Congregation is part of a Federation of
all the Sisters of St. Joseph in the United States which
includes over 7,000 members of 23 congregations.
Visit their web site at:
http://www.sistersofsaintjosephfederation.org.
Special Anniversaries 2010
Several Sisters of St. Joseph of
Springfield celebrated anniversaries of their
entrance into religious life June 8. 2010. The 23
Sisters celebrating had a combined total of 1,535 years of
service, mostly throughout New England. The Sisters
marked the occasion with a Mass and private gathering at
Mont Marie in Holyoke, where the Congregation’s
Motherhouse is located.
60
Years Entered in 1950
Sister Claire
Belforti (Sr. Grace Edward)
was born in Milford,
 Mass.
and entered from Sacred Heart Parish in Hopedale. Sister
has spent most of her time in education ministry in the
Worcester Diocese at St. Peter’s and St. Ann’s in
Worcester, St. Mary’s Southbridge, and St. Mary’s and
Milford Catholic Elementary schools in Milford. She also
taught briefly in the Springfield Diocese at St. Thomas
the Apostle and Cathedral High Schools. She served at the
LaSallette Conference Center in Enfield, NH and as an
administrator at Mont Marie. Sister began her work as a
parish minister at Sacred Heart Parish, Milford in 1985.
She retired in 2008, but continues to volunteer her
services to the parish as the need arises.
 A
native of Somerville, Mass.,
Sister Eleanor Dooley (Sr. Maria Assumpta)
entered from Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Belmont, Mass.
Sister served as a professor and later an adjunct at the
College of Our Lady of the Elms where she taught French
and religious studies. In 1979-80 she taught novices in
India, and was a visiting professor for a year at Fujan
University in China in 1996. She has also served on the
Community’s Executive Board. Since her retirement from
Elms College, Sister has volunteered at Holy Name School
in Chicopee and spends her time pursuing her interest in
Haiti and its people. She resides at the Mont Marie Senior
Residence.
 Sister
Doris Graves (Sr. Maria Vincent)
was born in Millbury, Mass. and entered from Our Lady of
Lourdes Parish there. Beginning in 1952, Sister taught
mathematics at Cathedral High School in Springfield. She
retired from Cathedral in 1997 after 45 years of service
to the school and the Diocese. Currently, she works as an
assistant in the Development Office at Mont Marie where
she resides.
 Born
in North Adams, Mass.,
Sister Mary Anne Nolan (Sr.
Christopher John)
entered from St. Francis Parish
there. She taught for a time in the Springfield Diocese,
notably Holy Rosary in Holyoke, and Sacred Heart School in
the Diocese of Providence. She also served as pastoral
minister at Our Lady of the Lake parish in Southwick.
Later she worked as a proof-reader for The Catholic
Observer and as an editorial production assistant for
Catholic Communications Corporation. She retired in
2007and resides in the Mont Marie Health Care Center.
 Sister
Mary Randall (Sr. Robert Marie)
was born in Newport, R.I. and entered from St. Augustine
Parish. She spent ten years at Immaculate Conception
School in Easthampton and later taught in the Diocese of
Providence, most notably at St. Lucy School in Middletown.
In 1976, she began work as a pastoral minister at St.
Thomas Parish in Providence where she continues in that
role.
 A
native of Holyoke, Mass.,
Sister Mary T. Shea (Sr. Kathleen John)
entered from St. Jerome Parish
there. Sister taught in the Springfield Diocese including
Immaculate Conception and St. Mary schools, as well as
Holyoke Catholic H.S. She worked in Career Services at
Elms College and later as a secondary career specialist at
Holyoke Community College. Currently, Sister continues at
Holyoke Community as a web site coordinator and resides in
Holyoke.
 Born
in Springfield, Mass.,
Sister Christine Swords (Sr. Marie Christine)
entered from Holy Family
Parish there. Sister spent many years teaching Spanish at
Cathedral High School in Springfield. In addition, she
served as directress of novices for a time and also served
a term on the Community’s Executive Board. After her
retirement from Cathedral in 1994, sister began work in
the Development Office at Mont Marie where she now
resides.
Sister Mary
Magdalen Ward was born in
County Leitrim, Ireland and entered from St. Joseph
Parish, Pittsfield, Mass. She taught in the Diocese of
Springfield for many years, including Cathedral High
School, Springfield, and St. Mary School in Northampton.
She was principal for a time at Holy Trinity School in
Greenfield and later at St. Agnes School, Dalton. In 1991,
Sister journeyed to Tarime, Tanzania where she opened a
high school at the Kowak Catholic Mission and remained
until 1993. Currently, Sister works at the Dominican
Monastery of the Mother of God in West Springfield and
lives in that town.
65
Years Entered in 1945
Sister
Roberta Maria Campbell
was born in Pawtucket, R.I. and entered from Sacred Heart
Parish there. She taught in the Springfield Diocese most
notably at St. Charles School, and in the Worcester
Diocese at St. Paul School in Blackstone and St. Louis in
Webster. Later she worked at the St. Francis Day Center in
Manville, R.I. Currently, Sister is a pastoral minister at
Sacred Heart Parish in Pawtucket.
 Sister
Therese Ouellette was
born in Fall River, Mass. and entered from St. Jean
Baptiste Parish there. She taught for many years in the
Diocese of Fall River, including St. Michael School in
Swansea and St. Matthew and St. Jean Baptiste schools in
Fall River. Later she worked in child care in both Assonet
and Swansea, and served as an elderly companion and aide.
Sister retired to Mont Marie in 2008.
Born in New
Bedford, Mass., Sister
Rita Pelletier entered
from St. Joseph Parish there. She taught in a number of
schools in the Fall River Diocese including St. Joseph’s
in New Bedford and St. Jean Baptiste in Fall River. She
was associate director of Religious Education in Fall
River and later coordinator of Religious Education for St.
Mary’s in New Bedford, where she later served in the role
of pastoral associate. She retired from pastoral ministry
at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Acushnet in 2009 and lives
in New Bedford.
 Sister
Eileen Ryan (Sr. Margaret Catherine)
was born in Stamford, Conn. and entered from St. Mary’s
Parish in Newport, R.I. She taught for many years in the
Diocese of Springfield including 27 years at Cathedral
High School, Springfield. She has served the Community as
a member of its support staff in positions such as
assistant director of the Conference Center and director
of the Companion Ministry at the Mont where she resides.
 Sister
Dorothy Santarpia (Sr. Marie Francois,)
a native of Fall River, Mass., entered from St. Elizabeth
Parish there. She served as teacher and principal in the
schools of the Diocese of Fall River for 24 years and for
2 years at St. Joseph High School in Conway, Ark. Sister
was a guidance counselor at Cathedral High School and a
counselor at the Springfield Diocesan Catholic Charities.
She resides at Mont Marie where she volunteers at the
Health Care Center.
70
Years Entered 1940
 Born
in Worcester, Mass.,
Sister Miriam Patrice Brosnan
entered from St. Peter Parish in
Worcester. Sister served for many years in the Worcester
Diocese including more than 20 years at St. Mary’s in
Milford and 15 years as a primary teacher in Webster at
St. Louis School. In 2001 she received the Third Annual
Retired Religious Award of the Diocese of Worcester.
Currently Sister resides at the Mont Marie Health Care
Center.
Sister Mary
Courtney (Sr. Elizabeth Patrice)
was born in
 Holyoke,
Mass. and entered from Blessed Sacrament Parish there. She
taught for many years in the Diocese of Springfield
including Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and St. Thomas
schools, as well as St. Agnes School in Dalton. She spent
three years as principal of Holy Trinity School in
Greenfield and served as director of religious education
at Our Lady of Hope, Springfield. After serving as a
pastoral care minister for the Providence Mother House
Infirmary, she retired to Mont Marie and lives at the
Health Care Center.
 A
native of Worcester, Mass.,
Sr. Joseph Anna Hine
entered from Sacred Heart Parish there. She served in many
schools in three dioceses: Springfield, Worcester and
Providence. Sister served Our Lady of Hope, Springfield
and Holyoke Catholic High School. She spent the most time
in the Worcester area at St. Louis School in Webster and
as librarian at St. Peter-Marian High and St. Stephen’s
Elementary in Worcester. Sister is retired and living at
Mont Marie.
 Sister
Norma MacDonald (Sr. Mildred Joseph)
was born in Northampton Mass. and entered from St. Mary
Parish there. Sister worked for over fifty years in the
Springfield Diocese at schools including Immaculate
Conception in West Springfield, Blessed Sacrament in
Holyoke, and Cathedral High School in Springfield where
she worked for fourteen years on the Attendance Staff. She
lives in the Mont Marie Health Care Center.
 Sister
Cecilia James Mahoney
entered from St. Peter Parish in Worcester, the city of
her birth. Sister taught for many years in both the
Worcester and Springfield Dioceses including St. Louis
School in Webster and St. Joseph’s in Pittsfield. She
served the Congregation as directress of junior professed
and later spent ten years in a mission in Kenya, Africa.
She served as librarian at Notre Dame Middle School in
Pittsfield until her retirement. She resides in West
Springfield.
75 Years
Entered in 1935
Sister Louise
Marie Assad was born in
Worcester and entered from
 Our
Lady of Mercy Parish there. Most of Sister’s years in
education were spent in the Worcester Diocese teaching
first grade. She spent more than thirty years at St.
Stephen School in Worcester. She also taught for a time at
Sacred Heart School in Holyoke, Holy Family in Springfield
and Sacred Heart in Pawtucket, R.I. She lives at Mont
Marie.
 A
native of Milford, Mass.,
Sister Dominic Marie Cormier
entered from St. Mary Parish there. Sister retired in 1992
after many years of service teaching in the Dioceses of
Worcester and Providence. Schools where she taught include
St. Stephen’s in Worcester, St. Joseph Scholl in
Leicester, and St Francis School in Warwick, R.I. She
resides at the Mont Marie Health Care Center.
 Sister
Patricia Anne O’Donnell
entered from Holy Rosary Parish in Holyoke, the city of
her birth. She served briefly in the Worcester Diocese
where she taught in North Brookfield at St. Joseph School
and Pittsfield at St. Joseph’s, St. Charles’s and St.
Mark’s Schools. She later taught remedial reading at Holy
Cross School in Springfield. She now resides at the Mont
Marie Health Care Center.
 Born
in Milford, Mass., Sister
Daniel Maria Yuknas
entered from St. Mary Parish there. Sister spent many
years teaching in both the Springfield and Worcester
Diocese. She taught at the Elms Academy and St. Patrick
School in Chicopee, as well as Holy Family School and
Cathedral High School in Springfield. She also taught at
St. Ann School in Worcester and St. Louis School in
Webster where she served as principal for thirteen years.
She remained at St. Louis Parish after her retirement
where she worked as a pastoral minister and religion
teacher. She now lives at Mont Marie.
80 Years
Entered in 1930
 Sister
Julia Frances Killelea
entered from Holy Rosary Parish in Holyoke, the city of
her birth. She taught at Cathedral Grammar School and Our
Lady of Hope in the Springfield Diocese. She also served
in the Diocese of Worcester, most notably for seventeen
years at St. Louis School in Webster. She worked for a
time as a nurse’s aide at Mont Marie and also part-time on
the switchboard. Sister now resides in the Mont Marie
Health Care Center.
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