Guatemala Mission Sister is among Jubliarians

Sister Ana Priester, who has worked at the Diocese of Helena’s mission in Guatemala for the past 25 years, celebrates 50 years of religious life this month.

Sister Ana is one of 25 Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary who are celebrating golden jubilees and plan to gather at the Mount Carmel Motherhouse Chapel in Dubuque, Iowa, for a liturgy of thanksgiving on Sunday, July 18.

The June 18 issue of The Montana Catholic profiled four sisters who are among the 25 and, like Sister Ana, have ties to the Diocese of Helena.

Sister Ana (Joseph Ann) says people in Guatemala “have taught me what it means to live in faith, hope and charity.” Her earlier service included teaching in Des Moines, Iowa; Quito, Ecuador; and Phoenix, where she also worked in parish ministry.

“My nine years of work with handicapped children in Phoenix is dear to my heart, because they taught me that small steps are important to reach a goal,” she said.

Sister Ana was born in Los Angeles.

To send a congratulatory message to a sister on her jubilee or to donate to the BVM congregation on behalf of these sisters, go to the BVM website at www.bvmcong.org/whatsnew_jubs.cfm.

Three Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth mark Golden Jubilees

Sister Mary Jo McDonald, the parish administrator at St. Ann Parish in Butte, and Sister Eileen Hurley, director of lay ministry for the Diocese of Great Falls- Billings, are celebrating their golden jubilees as Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth.

The Montana sisters are among the religious community’s 13 members honored for their 50-year milestones. The jubilees were celebrated with a Mass and a reception on June 27 at the SCL Motherhouse in Leavenworth, Kan.

Sister Mary Jo attended elementary and high schools in Anaconda. In her early years as a sister, she taught in Wyoming, Colorado, California, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas and Montana. Her pastoral and administrative work at St. Ann Parish spans the past 27 years. Also in Butte, she has been a food-bank board member for 25 years. She has served on the board for Butte’s St. James Healthcare and its foundation, and on the board for Holy Rosary Healthcare in Miles City.

Sister Eileen Hurley, who is from Butte, has been a teacher, director of religious education, youth minister, liturgy coordinator, music minister, pastoral associate and pastoral administrator. Boards on which she has served include those for the Montana Catholic Conference, Catholic Social Services of Montana and St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings. Last year, the National Association for Lay Ministry conferred its Juan Diego Award on Sister Eileen.

Also honored in the golden anniversary celebration last month was Sister Mary Lex Smith, a Helena native who grew up in Butte and entered the SCL community in 1960. She is a victim advocate at the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office in Kansas City, Kan.

Her previous work included teaching, and service in the health care field. For 15 years, she served in parish ministry and was actively involved with the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) process.

The Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth serve in 10 states and Peru. More information is available on their website at www.scls.org.

Sister of Providence marks 50 years of religious life

Sister Jean Schultz, whose early service included work supporting a Helena home for girls, will celebrate 50 years of religious life on Aug. 7 at St. James Cathedral in Seattle.

Sister Jean joined the Sisters of the Good Shepherd at the age of 27, after she began volunteer work at the order’s St. Paul, Minn., home for girls. She was accepted into the novitiate in 1960, received the name Sister Mary Dolorosa and made her first vows in 1962. Helena is one of several cities where she worked in support of Good Shepherd care for girls. The Helena home was demolished in 1969.

In 1978, Sister Jean transferred to the Sisters of Providence and continued parish ministry, which she had begun while a Good Shepherd sister. She also served as a teacher, religious education consultant and permanent diaconate associate director. She lives in Seattle and is one of 13 Sisters of Providence whose jubilees, marking 25 to 75 years of religious life, will be celebrated in the Aug. 7 liturgy at the cathedral.


Published in The Montana Catholic Online, Volume 26, No. 7, July 16, 2010.