Six religious sisters serving in the diocese told the Catholic Herald that they will mark jubilees this year.
Five of them joined Bishop Michael F. Burbidge and other women religious for a special Mass at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington Feb. 8 to celebrate their jubilees.
70 years
Sr. Helen Dolores Gilroy
Age: 90
Birthplace: Philadelphia
Religious order: Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Current assignment: office assistant, St. James School, Falls Church, for the past 13 years
Education: John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School, Philadelphia, 1948-52; Immaculata College, bachelor’s in elementary education, 1953; and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, master’s in moral pastoral theology, 1975-81.
Profession of vows: first profession, 1955; final profession, 1960
Assignments: Taught in elementary schools in the dioceses of Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Miami; principal in the dioceses of Philadelphia, Atlanta, Richmond.
What brought you to the convent?
I was fortunate to have an attraction to religious life from early childhood. There were periods in my life when it was the furthest thought in my mind but with God’s grace the thought returned every now and again. The words of Francis Thompson’s, “House of Heaven” kept haunting me, “God is Love and only by opening ourselves up to love will we find love.”
I found an emptiness in the work field and knew that I was capable of being more of a service to my God and others. I was also fortunate that my parents were most supportive of my religious vocation. With God’s grace, I applied to the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and was accepted. I am most grateful for all graces I have received through the years. It is a “Wonderful Life!”
Do you have any hobbies?
I did enjoy tending to gardens but now I am happy taking care of small orchid plants.
What’s been your favorite part of being a religious sister?
I have been privileged to have served in a variety of parishes and schools. My life has been touched by wonderful and dedicated people along the way.
Sr. Jacqueline (Xavier) Ann Murphy
Age: 90
Birthplace: New York City, Greenwich Village
Religious order: Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary
Current assignment: retired nurse serving as local hospice volunteer; on-call extraordinary minister of Holy Communion; liturgical music, first at Marymount University in Arlington, now at St. Ann Church in Arlington; in residence at Marymount University
Education: Archbishop Hughes Memorial High School (Cathedral High), New York City, 1947-51; Georgetown University in Washington, classics program merged with The Catholic University of America in Washington, 1958-59, master’s degree, 1969; NOVA Community College, associate degree in nursing, magna cum laude, 1975; Catholic U. School of Nursing, master’s in nursing, 1979; University College of Rhodesia/Nyasaland, British colonial history for Rhodesia and South Africa, and education credentials, 1960-61; and University of London affiliate, intermittently, 1960-68.
Profession of vows: first profession, April 10, 1955; final profession, Aug. 28, 1960
Assignments: teacher, Sacred Heart of Mary School, New York City, 1955-58; Academy of the Sacred Heart of Mary, Sag Harbor, N.Y., 1958-60; Marymount High School, Quebec, Canada, 1960-61; Marymount College of Rhodesia; associate director of faith development program at Annunciation Church, Washington, 1969-72; staff nurse and director of nursing education at Washington Hospital Center, Washington, 1975-95; president of DC Nurses Association, 1994; education associate, directorship and nursing education with American Nurses Association (National Education Oversight Program), 1994-98; team member of Northern Virginia Hospice and cofounder with Dr. Josefina Magno, 1979; continued hospice affiliations in Northern Virginia with expansion programs in Washington, Maryland and Delaware, 1979-88.
What brought you to the convent?
A prenatal sense of service. Father was a doctor in one of the Catholic hospitals in New York City. I was his nurse partner with him in doing patient rounds and I worked in his office and saw the interaction with patients. His caring spirit moved me to service. Combine that with attending Marymount College in New York City where I saw involvement with missionary needs, I almost chose Maryknoll, and the sense of caring shown by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary and Sisters of Charity toward the needy.
My mother and all her children developed a great understanding for the need to educate and provide these opportunities where needed. I saw religious life as a pathway to help and encourage others. My uncle was a missionary in Ghana and his impact opened my eyes to “All are welcome” in the kingdom.
Do you have any hobbies?
Over the years it was photography.
What’s been your favorite part of being a religious sister?
We nuns were dedicated to what we did, no nonsense. But I had one fear of being sent to a place without English. Well, that did not stop any assignment, but more were to British-language areas. The other side of this: I learned so much about other cultures and lifestyles. In returning to the U.S., I came to Arlington where we have a large international student population. I can be an effective person in the lives of those students, and through hospice, with dying adults. I see this as a gift that has given me the chance to observe how non-Americans conduct life skills and more recently, their dying process. This has cut down barriers in my ministry.
60 years
Sr. Cecilia Dwyer
Age: 79
Birthplace: Olympia, Wash.
Religious order: Benedictine Sisters of Virginia
Current assignment: subprioress, formation director, Monastic Council member, liturgist
Education: St. Gertrude High School, Richmond, 1959-63; Marymount Junior College, associate’s degree in liberal arts, 1966-68; Marywood College, Scranton, Pa., bachelor’s in music education, 1970-72; and The Catholic University of America in Washington, master’s in liturgical theology, 1972-73.
Profession of vows: first profession, April 10, 1965; perpetual monastic profession, Aug. 21, 1970
Assignments: prioress, 1987-99; 2003-19; St. Benedict School, Richmond, 1968-69; Linton Hall School, Bristow, 1970s-’80s; vocation/formation director, 1970s-’80s; liturgist and accompanist: 1970-present; interim head of school for St. Gertrude High School, 2019-20; director of BEACON program for literacy, 2021-22.
What brought you to the convent?
Admiration and love for the sisters when I was in high school. I decided at age 15 that I would be a Benedictine sister.
Do you have any hobbies?
Crossword puzzles
What’s been your favorite part of being a religious sister?
Seeking God through the monastic common life: prayer and community, love it.
Sr. Elizabeth A. Goltman
Age: 81
Birthplace: Louisville, Ky.
Religious order: Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Current assignment: Bishop O’Connell High School, Arlington
Education: St. Philip Catholic High School, Battle Creek, Mich., 1958-60; Bishop O’Connell High School, Arlington, 1960-62; Immaculata University, 1965; and Villanova University, earned bachelor’s and master’s of arts and master’s of science, 1970.
Profession of vows: first profession, 1965; final profession, 1970
Assignments: St. Michael, Annandale; St. Anselm, Philadelphia; Pius X, Broomall, Pa.; Epiphany, Miami, Fla.; St. Cecilia, Coatesville, Pa.; St. Barnabas, Philadelphia; St. James, Falls Church; Bishop McDevitt, Harrisburg, Pa.; Bishop O’Connell, Arlington.
What brought you to the convent?
God
Do you have any hobbies?
Reading, gardening, walking, photography
What’s been your favorite part of being a religious sister?
Watching the interaction and the growth of students as they begin to realize and develop their religious, academic, and social potentials.
50 years
Sr. Regina Rosarii McLallen
Age: 71
Birthplace: Ithaca, N.Y.
Religious order: Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Current assignment: director of religious education, St. James Church, Falls Church
Education: Charles O. Dickerson High School, Trumansburg, N.Y., 1967-71; and Immaculata University, bachelor’s in theology, Spanish, education, 1972-77.
Profession of vows: first profession, June 21, 1975; final profession, June 24, 1980
Assignments: Good Shepherd, Philadelphia, 1975-78; Juniorate, 1978-79; St. Margaret, Reading, Pa., 1979-81; Villa Maria, Miraflores, Lima, Perú, 1981-86; St. John the Baptist, Philadelphia, 1986-87; St. Aloysius Academy, Bryn Mawr, Pa., 1987-88; Villa Maria, La Planicie, Lima, Perú, 1988-89; Santa Rosa Fe y Alegría, Montenegro, Lima, Perú, 1990; Villa Maria, La Planicie, Lima, Perú, 1991-94; St. Veronica, Philadelphia, 1994-95; Sacred Heart, Allentown, Pa., 1995-98; Home Care, 1998-2002; Incarnation, Philadelphia, 2002-13; St. James, Falls Church, 2013-present.
What brought you to the convent?
An overwhelming desire for prayer, communion with God, and the enjoyment of participating in anything connected with church. I always wanted to help people have a better life in some way and eventually to bring them closer to God.
Do you have any hobbies?
In whatever spare time I have, I enjoy reading, catching up on the news and world happenings, sewing, and any kind of needlework.
What’s been your favorite part of being a religious sister?
The experience of being able to live in many different places, including another country, and working with many different kinds of people, which has, hopefully, made me a better person and made me realize that we all have so much more in common than differences. My other favorite part is having the opportunity to be quiet and have time in the presence of God, something that I think a lot of the laity don’t have the luxury of having.
25 years
Sr. Mary Grace Watson
Age: 47
Birthplace: Fort Wayne, Ind.
Religious order: Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia
Current assignment: head of school at Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School in Potomac Shores
Education: Central Catholic High School, Lafayette, Ind., 1991-95; St. Mary’s College (Notre Dame, Ind.), undergrad coursework, 1995-97; Aquinas College, Nashville, Tenn., bachelor’s in elementary education, 1997-2002; Xavier University, Cincinnati, master’s in education, 2005-09; Christian Brothers University, Memphis, license in Educational Leadership, 2010-12; and Franciscan University of Steubenville, master’s in theology and Christian ministry, 2013-20.
Profession of vows: first profession, Aug. 10, 2000; final profession, Aug. 8, 2005
Assignments: St. Mary’s School, Jackson, Tenn., teacher, 2002-04; Cardinal Hickey Academy, Owings, Md., teacher, 2004-07; St. Catherine of Siena School, Kennesaw, Ga., teacher, 2007-10; Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, Newport News, Va., teacher, 2010-11; Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School, Potomac Shores, assistant principal of mission, 2011-14; St. Patrick School, McEwen, Tenn., 2014-20, principal; Aquinas College, Nashville, Tenn., 2020-22, dean of the School of Education; St. James Catholic School, Elizabethtown, Ky., 2022-24, principal; Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School, head of school, 2024-present.
What brought you to the convent?
I am blessed to have grown up in a loving Catholic family where the faith and virtues were nourished. My parents gave my siblings and me a wonderful example of the vocation of marriage and since I was little, I wanted to get married and have a large family. Throughout high school and my first years of college, I was gradually drawn to a deeper prayer life and began to attend daily Mass and eucharistic adoration. It was through this time of growing in friendship with the Lord that I first began to hear his call to become his alone. As I surrendered more and more to his gentle promptings, I felt much peace. With the guidance of several priests and after visiting several motherhouses, I found my home in Nashville. My desire to be a bride and mother has been fulfilled a hundredfold.
Do you have any hobbies?
I enjoy playing the piano and organ, spending time with the sisters, baking, going for walks, and watching Notre Dame football.
What’s been your favorite part of being a religious sister?
My favorite part of being a religious sister is sharing my love of Jesus with others and helping them to grow closer to the Lord. Through my assignments in Catholic schools, I have prepared second graders for the sacraments, planned school-wide retreats, led prayer groups for teachers, and provided professional development to help teachers grow as catechists. The Lord also provides so many spontaneous opportunities through the witness we give by our presence. It is a joy to be available for his work wherever he leads me through my obedience and to bring as many people as possible closer to him. It is always difficult to say goodbye when I move to a new assignment but I look forward to a great reunion in heaven. I heartily agree with Pope Benedict XVI, who spoke these words at his installation Mass in 2005: “Dear young people: Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything. When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ and you will find true life. Amen.”
