URSULINE JUBILARIANS – 2014

Sr. Anne Marie Kelleher, who served for 40 years in Africa, published a book of meditations, And No One Saw Your Footprints, in 2010. It speaks of her interest and reflections on the spiritual life and God’s accessibility to people.

Anne Marie made her first vows as an Ursuline on January 24, 1939 and her final vows on January 24, 1942 at the Ursuline community of Bedford Park. Her ministry of teaching began at Our Lady of Mercy School and later she taught at St. Jerome’s School and at St. Joseph’s in Middletown, NY.

After tertianship in Rome in 1950-1951, Anne Marie began her ministry in Africa, from 1952 to 1993. She served in various capacities as teacher, assistant superior, and superior, in South Africa, Zambia, and Botswana. Services she helped found in Botswana are still flourishing, and the people are mindful of her work there.

She returned to the U.S. in 1993, did parish ministry in Withersbee, NY, until 2003. Since then, and is now retired at St. Teresa’s community in New Rochelle.

Sr. Mildred Haipt (formerly Mother Maria Carl) has spent her life in the ministry of education. Her dedication included not only her own teaching but also forming teachers through education programs. Entering the Ursulines, she made her final vows on January 16, 1957. From there she began her ministry teaching at the Ursuline Academy in Bethesda, MD, and at the Ursuline Academy in Wilmington, DE. She was Instructor in education at the College of New Rochelle, taught at The Ursuline School in New Rochelle, returned to the College of New Rochelle from 1964 to 1969 and was Director of Education for the province. She holds a BS in social studies and a Master’s degree in education, both from Fordham, and a doctorate in education from the University of Maryland. She taught at the College of New Rochelle from 1972 to 2001, and she shaped the education program for future teachers. At the same time, she was actively engaged in social justice issues of peace and the environment. She spent the year 1996 as a Visiting Scholar and Professor at Assumption University in Thailand. After retirement from the college, she was superior of the Ursuline community in Wilmington, DE, and she collaborated in the founding of Serviam Girls Academy, an all-scholarship Catholic middle school for girls of all faiths from low-income families in Wilmington.

Besides serving on Boards of Trustees of Ursuline schools, she has served on education boards of New York State, World Education Fellowship U.S., as president of Westchester Teacher Education Group, National Commission on Teacher Education, and other organizations. She currently continues her dedication to education in her work at Serviam Girls Academy in Wilmington.

Sr. Carole Marie Keaney, who served in Indonesia, made her final vows on January 16, 1957. In 1957 she began preparation for ministry in Indonesia with the Ursulines in Nijmegen, Holland, from 1957 to 1959, who had founded the ministry in Indonesia.

In 1959 she went to Flores, Indonesia, where she taught in secondary school. After tertianship in Rome, she returned to Bandung, Indonesia as a teacher, worked in Rural Community Development and parish service, and was a staff member in Village Community Development.

In 1988 she returned to the U.S. and worked on staff at the Mount St. Ursula Speech Center in the Bronx, worked at the Highbridge Community Life Center, and then started a small, organic farm in Goshen; there she was coordinator of Harmony Farm from 2003 to 2008. She is now retired and resides and does volunteer work in Goshen. She has also been part of Nuns Build, helping each year for a week of service to restore homes in New Orleans.

Sr. Marie-Celine Miranda is a former Provincial Superior of the Eastern Province of the U.S. (1997-2003). While, for most of her years of service, she has been a teacher, she has also served in administrative positions: provincial treasurer, and from 1997 to 2013 assistant business manager; she now serves as secretary/treasurer of the Province.

She professed first vows in 1954 and final vows on January 16, 1957. She then taught at the College of New Rochelle for 10 years, and taught English as a Second Language in Taiwan for 1 year. At the College of New Rochelle, Marie-Celine taught philosophy and was, as well, Assistant Dean, then Registrar. She holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Fordham. After a year of tertianship in Rome, she returned to the college to teach philosophy in 1978, served as Assistant Dean from, and took a 1-year sabbatical at the University of Chicago.

After serving as Province Treasurer, she taught at the Berkeley School and from 1991 to 1997 was Business Manager at Salesian High School in New Rochelle. Marie-Celine has served on Boards of Trustees. For several years, she and other sisters have spent a week in November with Nuns Build, helping restore homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

Sr. Mary Jane Robertshaw is an artist who taught at the College of New Rochelle from 1957 to 1997; she then became Artist-in-Residence, until 2013. Mary Jane made her final vows on January 16, 1957. She began her ministry as an Ursuline teaching at Blessed Sacrament School in New Rochelle from 1954 to 1956.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in art from the College of New Rochelle, and an MFA from Catholic University of America. Her master work there was a sculptured lectern that is now located in the St. Teresa’s community chapel. She was appointed to the art department of the College of New Rochelle in 1957. Among her works during those years is a life-size statue of St. Angela Merici, foundress of the Ursulines, now located at Holy Family Chapel at the College of New Rochelle.

She used her sabbaticals and leave time to broaden her knowledge of art, for example, learned weaving in Helsinki, Finland in 1968; studied Celtic art in Dublin; taught sculpture to Bushmen in Kalahari, in Serowe, Botswana in 1989; and in 1991 studied Islamic art at NYU. She now resides at Andrus on Hudson.

Sr. Elizabeth Ann Sommer (formerly Mother Mary Veronica) made her final vows on January 16, 1957. She holds a BA in French from the College of New Rochelle and an MS in Religious Education from Fordham University. Her lifelong ministry was education.

She began teaching in 1956 at Blessed Sacrament School in New Rochelle and went on to teach at Our Lady of Mercy School and St. Philip Neri School. After tertianship in Rome in 1969-1970, Betty returned to Our Lady of Mercy. From 1973 to 1997 she taught social studies at the Academy of Mount St. Ursula.

She has maintained her love of the piano over all these years. In 1997 she retired and resides in the Bedford Park Community in New Rochelle.

Sr. Dolores Yanshak, (formerly Sr. Mary Consilia), who served in Indonesia, made her final vows on January 16, 1957 in New Rochelle, NY. After teaching at Blessed Sacrament School, she went to Nijmegen, the Netherlands, to learn the Dutch and Indonesian languages used by Ursuline missionaries in Indonesia. In 1959 she became director of a residence for university students in Bandung, Indonesia, was later director of boarders and secondary school teacher. In her 32 years of service (1959 to 1991) in Indonesia, she taught, did social service work and pastoral ministry, and served in a variety of roles in many regions of that country.

Back in the U.S., Dolores (called Dee), from 1992 to 1995, worked in the province development office. She then used her skills at the The Lord’s Pantry in White Plains (1996-2011). In one year 2006-2007, she was executive director of House, in the Bronx, a residence for homeless mothers and their children. Since 1995, she practices wholistic massage therapy at the Divine Compassion Center. She has been part of the Ursuline team serving annually in New Orleans with NunsBuild.

Sister Bridget Puzon made her final vows on July 16, 1957. She currently works part-time at the Ursuline Provincialate in communications and advancement, after a lifetime ministry in education. She began teaching at St. Joseph’s Academy in Malone, NY, in 1957, and in 1958 she was sent to help in the founding of the Ursuline Academy in Dedham, Mass., where she taught for 3 years. From there she taught for 4 years at The Ursuline School in New Rochelle, and then at the College of New Rochelle teaching in the English department. In 1968 – 1973 she did doctoral studies at Harvard University as a Graduate Prize Fellow. In 1973 she joined the English faculty at Hollins College (now University) in Virginia, where she later served part-time for one year as Chaplain of the nonsectarian College Chaplaincy, and next for 2 years as Assistant to the President.

In 1978 Bridget was appointed dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at the College of New Rochelle to 1984. After a year as Visiting Scholar at Harvard in 1984-1985, she returned to Hollins as Dean of the College, 1985-1992. During these years she also served on the Provincial Council of the Eastern Province in 3 administrations. In 1993 she became Academic Editor and Editor of Liberal Education at the Association of American Colleges and Universities in Washington, DC, a position she held until 2004. During this time she did a professional internship at the Library of Congress in the Veterans History Project doing oral histories of WWII veterans.

In 2004 Bridget took up her current ministry in New Rochelle. She has served on Boards of Trustees at Ursuline Academy in Wilmington, the Academy of Mount St. Ursula, The Ursuline School. She is also part of the Steering Committee of The Upper Room and the Planning Committee of the Angela Spirituality Group.

Sister Eileen Santer, also known as Sister Mary Walter, a member of the community of Mater Dei in Bangkok, Thailand, made her first vows on July 16, 1954 in Beacon, NY. She had entered the Ursulines on January 15, 1952, and was committed to a ministry as a missionary. In 1958 she earned a BA in mathematics at the College of New Rochelle. She then taught at the Academy of Mount St. Ursula and St. Joseph’s in Middletown in 1958-1959. In 1959 she went to Thailand, quickly learned the language, and passed Thai language exams, and taught at the Vasudevi School in Bangkok for 5 years.

A year of study at Fordham in 1964 where she earned an MA in Religious Education was followed by a year of tertianship in Rome. Mary Walter returned to Bangkok, where she served in a variety of positions for the province: province secretary, director of novices, director of juniors, director of formation, and Assistant Provincial (1976-1979), from 1966-1983. She served in administration at Vasudevi School, was assistant director of the Asian tertianship in Rome, and was secretary at the Ursuline Generalate before returning to teach at Vasudevi from 1987-1999.

At the same time, she carried out specialized ministries from 1992: she was Executive Secretary of Southeastern Asia Major Superiors, living at Mater Dei. She later became Executive Secretary to the Southeast Asia Conference of Bishops. During these years, she was active in ministry to the people displaced from neighboring countries.

Mary Walter is at present incapacitated, and unable to join in the celebration of her 60th year of profession.

Sr. Mary Alice Duggan (formerly Mother Laurentine) made her final vows on January 17, 1969. She holds a BS in French and an MS in French, both at Georgetown University. Her fluency in French enabled her to serve as translator for the Ursuline Generalate in Rome for international meetings such as General Chapters. She also served as translator for Enlarged General Council meetings. She has also served as translator for four General Chapters of the Cenacle.

She began her ministry in education, teaching at St. Joseph’s in Middletown, NY, and at the Ursuline Academy in Wilmington, DE. After tertianship in Rome, she was sent for a year of study to Lumen Vitae in Mons, Belgium, 1977-1978, returning to Ursuline Academy. In 1981 she served in Rome as Assistant Superior at the Ursuline Generalate. In 1987 to 1990 she returned to teaching at the Academy of Mount St. Ursula in the Bronx. She also taught at The Ursuline School in New Rochelle.

In 1994 she began work in Clinical Pastoral Education as a social action coordinator at New York Methodist Hospital; in 1996 she became chaplain at St. Vincent’s Catholic Medical Center, Staten Island, until 2005. After a year as coordinator of the Ursulines at Andrus on Hudson, she became a chaplain at Good Shepherd Hospice on Long Island, to 2011. She then returned to serve at the Generalate in Rome.

Sr. Eileen Finnerty made her first profession on March 17, 1964, and her final vows on March 17, 1969. After obtaining her BS and MS in French at Georgetown University, her ministry in education began at Blessed Sacrament School in New Rochelle in 1967. In 1969 she taught at St. Philip Neri, then at the Academy of Mount St. Ursula, 1970 to 1975, when she became principal of the Academy, 1975-1981. She then did administrative work at the provincialate, and for the next 4 years was a guidance counselor at The Ursuline School in New Rochelle; she also was superior of the community from 1986 to 1988.

In 1987 she earned an MS in Family Counseling at Iona College. In 1989 she became chaplain at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, where she served until 1996. She then became Pastoral Associate at St. Ann’s Church in Ossining, where she continues to serve.