Each year the Diocese of Orlando honors its religious jubilarians. Once again, the sisters we honor demonstrate the true nature of God’s calling in its boundless diversity of gifts. They are models of living “through, with and in God’s love.” This year the diocese celebrates five jubilarians marking 65, 60 years and 25 years. Below are short biographies of these dedicated consecrated religious.
65 Years
Sister of Mercy Barbara Gould
When Sister Barbara Gould recalls a defining moment of her vocation journey she goes back to the second grade.
“One of the boys in my class, he found a ring in his Cracker Jack box and he went to give it me,” said the sister celebrating 65 years as a consecrated religious. “I said, ‘No! I’m going to be a Sister of Mercy!’ And I’ve never wavered since.”
Sister Barbara’s early decision came from a firm foundation in the faith as a child. For the Gould family, their parish in Hartford, Connecticut, was an extension of their home. The five children, of which Barbara is the eldest, attended the parish school and were involved in numerous activities at the church, even spending time washing dishes at the convent to earn money for dance lessons.
For her entire childhood she witnessed the sisters joyfully live out their vocations both in the schools and in their home, so it was only natural that once she graduated, she was eager to join their number. She made her first vows in August 1959 and the very next year she was joined by one of her younger sisters.
For the next two decades Sister Barbara taught at elementary schools throughout Connecticut. Beginning in 1984, she taught college-level education courses at Boston University, Boston College, University of Massachusetts and Endicott College. In 1987 she earned her doctoral degree in reading education, which she put to use as an educational consultant for Harcourt Brace Jovanovich and Macmillan McGraw-Hill publishing companies.
“Working with the book companies I traveled a lot for these meetings. I was fortunate I got to see much of the country. It was a fine career,” Sister Barbara recalled.
With her extensive experience in education, Sister Barbara’s last position prior to retirement was as Assistant Superintendent in the Diocese of Norwich Connecticut. Only two Sisters of Mercy have served in that role for the diocese. Since then, she has been appointed as a board member for the Diocese of Orlando school board, vice-chair of the St. Paul Catholic School board and member of the Trinity Catholic High school board in Ocala. Although officially retired in 2019, her schedule is just as full as ever.
“Mondays and Tuesdays are line dancing classes,” she said. “I love it! We did dance lessons growing up. When I entered religious life, I thought I had to give it up, but I haven’t had to at all. It’s really good exercise.”
In addition to the dance class, she also attends book club classes on St. Paul and the creed, serves as secretary of the Diocese of Orlando Sisters’ Council and volunteers at St. Paul Catholic Church and school. With so many varied activities over the last 65 years, Sister Barbara said it is hard to pick the moments that stand out the most.
“I can’t choose, because it was nice to receive the Excellence in Education Award from Boston University, but it was also very interesting to present a paper on bibliotherapy in Beijing. My experiences with the students and in the church have been wonderful. Everything has been interesting and exciting and enriching,” she said. “Being able to accept the invitation to be a Sister of Mercy is the greatest blessing.”
Sister of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities Catherine Noecker
Sister of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities Catherine Noecker may have inherited her adventurous spirit from her parents. As a child she loved to hear the stories of their time out west before ultimately being led to settle in western New York state.
She may have gotten her appreciation of community growing up as the 10th of 12 children. Her love of St. Francis initially came from her brother, born on the feast of the stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi and named for the great saint. Her faith is rooted in a family that was active in the church and made prayer a priority.
“One of the ties binding the upper half (of the siblings) to us lower ones was the fact that saying the rosary together in the evening was a given — no matter when or what our address,” recalled the sister celebrating 65 years. “Dad’s involvement in the Holy Name Society and Mom’s as active member in The Bishop’s Committee set the tone for us as ‘cradle Catholics.’”
This large faith-filled family upbringing would prepare Sister Catherine to hear and respond to a call to her own adventure. A call she first heard in high school, at Immaculata Academy, run by the Third Order of St. Francis.
“A film was shown by a visiting friar about their mission in Japan where one of their members had gotten ill. They were looking for a replacement,” she said. “That was probably the first real stirring that, ‘Yes! I could do that.’ The seed to be a missionary was planted.”
Following high school, Sister Catherine reached out to the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities and entered the convent in Williamsville, New York. She has spent the last 65 years “on mission.” Although she never made it to Japan, she has served in education in New York, Puerto Rico, Texas, California, South Carolina, Hawaii and finally in Central Florida.
“The memories of each place I’ve been hold special highlights, an abundance of graces,” Sister Catherine said. “I’m reminded of walking to the 5:45 a.m. Mass in Kalaupapa, Molokai, with only the stars lighting our way and knowing that our sister, St. Marianne Cope, took the same route to Church. It is still vivid in my mind 10 years later.”
Reflecting back on 65 years of religious life, Sister Catherine can see clearly the blessings of the past and also hope for the future, always ready for the next adventure.
“Pope John XXIII was planning the Second Vatican Council when I entered the convent, Sept. 8, 1959, so the changes in religious life were much a part of my formation years,” Sister Catherine said. “A look back at the way our sisters have responded to the Holy Spirit’s lead over the years continues to be one of my greatest blessings as it gives great hope for the future – no matter where my mission may be.”
60 Years
Adrian Dominican Sister Rosemary Finnegan
Sister Rosemary Finnegan was a normal teenager growing up in a close-knit, devout Irish-Catholic family in Chicago. She went to dances, dated and considered a nursing career after high school. The eldest of 10 children, she assumed she would get married and have a family, like her own parents did.
“I was never one of those kids that dreamed of becoming a sister,” she recalled. “Religious life was not on my radar at all.”
That changed during a Saturday afternoon confession. The priest asked her if she ever thought of religious life. Her immediate thought was, “Who, me?” but suddenly, she couldn’t stop thinking about the idea that had been so foreign to her at first. Knowing the Adrian Dominicans from high school, Sister Rosemary decided the only way to settle her mind was to join them and see what religious life was all about.
“When I went to chapel for night prayer the day I entered, I looked around and there were 124 young women, like myself, who entered that day. I saw all these young girls with their hands in the air and deep in prayer and I thought, ‘What have I done? I’m not like them.’ They looked so holy to me,” Sister Rosemary said. “It’s still such a mystery to me that I, who went in so reluctant, am still here after all these years. It just fit. It became my life, and I love it.”
Primarily a teaching order, Sister Rosemary’s first assignment after formation was to teach at a school in Detroit. After several years, having earned her degree in the summer months, she was ready for something different. Another sister approached her with an opening in Tallahassee to serve the families of inmates of the local and state prisons in the area.
“She said, ‘You’d be perfect.’ I’m thinking, ‘Perfect? For Florida? Prisoners? The south? I’ve never been out of Chicago or Detroit.’ But I wanted something different, and this would be really something different! Be careful what you ask for.”
In August 1973, she agreed to go for one year. Some 52 years later, she is still in Florida. After six years in Tallahassee, eventually becoming the director of the prison ministry and earning her masters in social work, Sister Rosemary joined friends in Winter Park to serve at the newly-opened Beta House, caring for pregnant teens and young mothers.
After nine years, she was discerning a change when Father Richard Walsh, recently named pastor of St. Margaret Mary Parish, approached her about joining the parish team as director of adult faith formation. She would remain in that position for the next 35 years.
Now retired for two years, or “rewired” as Sister Rosemary puts it, she is no less a presence in the parish. On Tuesday mornings she can be found giving a reflection at daily Mass, she visits the elderly and homebound, remains very connected to the parish’s Haiti ministry, and leads pilgrimages to holy sites with Father Walsh. Looking back over 60 years, she said it is the people and places that stand out the most.
“There’s been so many touching experiences with people over these 60 years. When they’re at their most vulnerable, to be invited into their pain and to listen to them has been such a privilege,” said Sister Rosemary, recalling stories of people’s conversions in the RCIA and the reverence of the elderly receiving the Eucharist.
Places such as Haiti, which she has visited on 12 occasions, pilgrimage sites in Spain, Portugal, France, Germany and Poland all hold a special place in her heart for the history and sacredness she encountered there.
“Those are my moments. It’s been an incredible journey,” Sister Rosemary said. “The greatest blessing has to be the call itself, despite my initial reluctance. It was just a one and done call. I am so grateful for the gift of my vocation. It’s something I never could have imagined.”
25 Years
Missionaries of the Holy Family Sister Beata Fiedorczak
With five religious communities in her hometown of Bialystok, Poland, Sister Beata Fiedorczak joked that she didn’t have much choice but to become a sister. Although born and raised in a Catholic family with a younger brother and twin sister, the family was not very active in their faith. It wasn’t until her teen years that Sister Beata began taking the faith more seriously and soon began to feel a call to give her life entirely to Jesus.
“I deeply longed to belong to Jesus and dedicate myself to serving Him. This desire was unceasing and remained with me constantly. I began considering a religious vocation at the age of 13,” Sister Beata said.
In a roundabout way, it was her twin sister who introduced Sister Beata to her community. One day, after bringing food to the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Family for their ministry to the poor, her sister brought home a prayer card with their mother foundress on it. Not long after, a friend invited her to a meeting at the convent.
“Whenever I visited the sisters, I experienced a profound sense of peace. I was certain that I needed to accept Jesus’ invitation. When Jesus calls you, He always does so with abundant love and joy,” Sister Beata said. “It was through a series of meaningful encounters with the sisters and friends who shared their stories about the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Family that I felt led to the place where I truly belong.”
Sister Beata would enter the convent immediately after high school, at the age of 19, and professed her final vows Aug. 15, 2007.
“This significant occasion marked my forever ‘yes’ to Jesus. It has been a beautiful, daily, and enduring commitment to the One who chooses me first,” she said.
Since that day, her commitment to Jesus has led her to unexpected experiences. Going from Poland, to Wisconsin, to Florida while learning new languages and earning new degrees, Sister Beata calls her vocation an adventure.
“One of the most unexpected and transformative experiences in my life has been my assignment to the United States. I never envisioned pursuing my vocation outside of my home country, let alone adapting to a new culture, language, and environment,” she said. “Yet, I found myself not only living in a foreign land but also achieving significant milestones, such as graduating from nursing college and working as a nurse. This journey has been filled with challenges, growth, and fulfillment, shaping both my personal and professional identity in ways I never imagined.”
In 2020, Sister Beata came to the Diocese of Orlando where she serves as a middle school religion teacher at St. Peter Catholic School in DeLand and enjoys the support and fellowship of living in a community of sisters. Thanks to the generosity of the parish community, she recently had the opportunity to attend the Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, an experience she said will have a lasting impact on her spiritual journey. Of all the blessings she has received in her life however, it is answering the call to the Lord’s invitation 25 years ago for which she is most grateful.
“The greatest blessing for me as a religious sister is the gift of the vocation received from the Lord. It is a deeply humbling experience to know that you have been chosen among many others for this beautiful calling. The sacrifice of giving up everything to follow Jesus is truly worth it, as He is all-sufficient.”
Congregation of the Mother of Carmel Sister Anitta Kallukaran
Growing up in Kerala, a state in southern India, Sister Anitta Kallukaran was inspired by the life and mission of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. She felt called to emulate this great saint by a life serving the poor. Although initially drawn to the Missionaries of Charity, Sister Anitta would find the answer to God’s call a little closer to home.
“From my childhood I had a deep desire to help the poor by being a member of the congregation of Mother Teresa, the Missionaries of Charity. All that I heard about her through news and books influenced me a lot to serve the needy,” she said. “But I did not know any Missionary of Charity sisters and meanwhile one of my relatives who was a sister in the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel invited me for a vocation camp conducted by the sisters. I went and I felt this was the place.”
The Congregation of the Mother of Carmel was founded in Kerala in 1866, with a charism of “personal sanctity and redemptive uplifting of the people of God, especially women and children, through the right blending of contemplation and action,” or put more simply, “Be holy and lead others to holiness.”
It is an ideal that Sister Anitta strives for every day, telling the Florida Catholic in 2023, “I just want to give Christ to others. I feel the younger generation is moving away from God. As a religious, as a nun, I feel it is my duty and my calling to lead others to Christ and I hope I’ll be able to do that.”
An educator by profession, Sister Anitta began her religious life as a teacher in schools in India. She first came to the United States in 2018 to serve at a parish in California. At the invitation of Father James Tharakan, she and two other sisters arrived in the Diocese of Orlando in 2023, where Sister Anitta has served as a pastoral associate coordinating sacramental preparation at Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Winter Park ever since.
“I am always grateful for the countless blessings that I have received by being a religious sister. My first profession day was a great day in my life,” said Sister Anitta, reflecting on 25 years of religious life. “The greatest blessing is to be symbol of God’s love to the people around me. The freedom that I enjoy as a bride of Jesus is great.”