Florida Catholic | Religious Jubilarians

Diocese offers prayers, thanks for religious jubilarians

Published: 11.17.07

Benedictine Sisters Irma Multer and Pauline Block share a sign of peace during a Mass of Thanksgiving for religious jubilarians at Our Lady's Chapel, St. Jude the Apostle Cathedral on Nov. 17. Sisters Multer and Block are each celebrating 75 years of religious life.ED FOSTER JR. | FC

ST. PETERSBURG | Religious priests, brothers and sisters who have served the church for a combined total of 1,225 years joined together Nov. 17 to celebrate their religious life and Mass at Our Lady’s Chapel at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle.

In his homily, Bishop Robert N. Lynch praised and thanked the jubilarians for their service. “We thank God for the gifts of your perseverance and patience,” he told them, “and now you survey the fruit of the seeds you have sown, and it is good.”

The following are short biographies of those religious ministering in the Diocese of St. Petersburg who are celebrating their milestone anniversaries.

75 YEARS

SISTER PAULINE BLOCK, Order of St. Benedict

Born in Olfen, Texas, Sister Block has worked with children as a reading instructor, kindergarten teacher, second-grade teacher, house director for St. Benedict Preparatory School, and Good Counsel Camp CCD teacher. She also served the community as cook and seamstress and enjoyed arts and crafts in her leisure moments. Today, she still creates beautiful crafts for family, friends and the monastery’s gift shop.

SISTER HELEN LANGE, Order of St. Benedict

Sister Lange was born in Olfen, Texas, and is a woman of many interests. She’s had various positions, such as teacher, principal, summer sessions at Good Counsel Camp, dorm director, pastoral ministry, volunteer director of Hospice and Elder Hostel, monastery health care and driver at the motherhouse.

Her love for crafts has produced beautiful creations. She continues to enjoy evenings with the Red Hat Society.

SISTER IRMA MULTER, Order of St. Benedict

Sister Multer was born in Ballinger, Texas, and grew up in Rowena, Texas. She was principal and teacher at elementary and high schools in Louisiana, Texas and Florida for many years.

She also served as monastic councilor, procurator and guest minister, commissioner for the town of St. Leo, and director and contact person for the assistance to the needy program at Holy Name Monastery in St. Leo, a ministry she still works in today.

She’s had many students, including children of average working people, Ringling Brothers Circus performers and Navy personnel stationed at Mayport Naval Base.

About her students she said, “No matter from where the students came, they were all God’s children, and it was a joy and a challenge to have had a part in their education.”

65 YEARS

SISTER RUTH BARTHLE, Franciscan Sisters of Allegany

Sister Barthle is a native of San Antonio, Fla. Her past assignments have included 20 years as hospital X-ray technician, 17 years as a Poor Clare in Bolivia, and 16 years as a social worker at Daystar in St. Petersburg. She says her varied ministries were eventful and prepared her well for her retirement ministry. Additionally, she finds prison ministry to be life-giving. Several times a week, she hops on the bus and travels to visit and pray with inmates at Falkenburg Road Jail and Orient Jail, both in Tampa.

SISTER FRANCIS LEO BROWN, Franciscan Sisters of Allegany

A native of Hornell, N.Y., Sister Brown entered the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany community in 1941.

Most of her life was spent in the field of education. She has been an elementary school teacher and principal at schools in New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Mississippi and Florida. She also served as the elementary schools coordinator for the Archdiocese of Miami and associate coordinator of the archdiocese’s associate programs.

Currently, she serves wherever she can in their house of retirement in Tampa. Looking back on her years as a sister, she said, “During my many years, I have been blessed in so many ways in all my endeavors.”

60 YEARS

SISTER EVA MARIA DICAMILLO, Franciscan Sisters of Allegany

Sister DiCamillo was born and raised in Niagara Falls, N.Y. After entereing the Allegany Franciscan order, she was involved in primary education as a teacher and principal. She then studied at the State University of New York in Buffalo and earned her master’s degree in occupational therapy.

She was involved in establishing occupational therapy programs at St. Francis Hospital in Olean, N.Y., and in St. Anthony’s Hospital in St. Petersburg. Sister DiCamillo was involved in hospital work until her retirement in January 2003.

Her time in retirement is busy with volunteering, sewing for the retired sisters in the Tampa area, praying and enjoying her cat, Adam.

SISTER MERITA STRAHLER, Sisters of Notre Dame of Chardon, Ohio

Sister Strahler entered the community Feb. 2, 1945, from St. Joseph Parish in Randolph, Ohio, and made her first profession in 1947.

She served 40 years in elementary schools in Ohio, Virginia and Florida, 10 years in the resettlement of refugees in Cleveland, and nine years teaching English to refugees.

Presently, she assists in the parish office and school of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Dunedin.

50 YEARS

SISTER SUZANNE HIXSON, Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary

Sister Hixson is a native of Washington, D.C., who met the Sisters of the Holy Names at St. Gabriel’s School there. After graduating from Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, she attended St. Joseph College in Emmitsburg, Md., before entering the convent. At St. Bonaventure University, she earned a bachelor of arts degree and at La Salle University she received a master’s degree.

For 25 years she taught at the Academy of the Holy Names in Silver Spring, Md., and then moved to Tampa where she continued teaching French in the high school at the Academy of the Holy Names. After retiring two years ago, she became a Red Cross hospital volunteer and also remains on call to substitute at the academy.

SISTER MARCELLA KIESEL, Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity

Sister Marcella Kiesel is the only sister of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity in the diocese. She has served here for the past 15 years in a variety of ministries, including: nursing, education, pastoral and spiritual ministries. She also served on the Diocesan Council and is the liaison for the council to Rocky Creek Retirement Village in Tampa. She is formerly of the Columbus, Ohio, Diocese, where she taught nursing and ministered in hospitals operated by her congregation. She served in Appalachia, as well as the inner city among the poor. Last year, she taught English to women in her international congregation and to aspirants and novices in Tanzania, East Africa. Her present ministries include pastoral work, teaching nursing staff members, offering tutorials to children and spiritual direction. For fun, she writes children's stories.

FATHER LEONARD E. LENCEWIEZ, Friars of St. Anthony of the Holy Name Province

Father Lencewiez came to Florida in 1994 and retired to St. Anthony Friary. In 1998 he moved to Rocky Creek Village and helped at Incarnation Parish in Tampa for three years while the church was being renovated. For four months in 2002 he was a contract chaplain at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Tampa. At present, he is helping to celebrate Mass at John Knox Village.

SISTER JEAN LITTLE, Mercy Sisters of the Americas

Sister Little is a member of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas from Portland, Maine. She served as the regional president for the Sisters of Mercy there. In addition to many other administrative responsibilities, she has been a teacher, catechist, pastoral associate and director of child development. A newcomer to the diocese, she is director of faith formation at St. Anthony Parish in Brooksville and is responsible for faith formation programs including, but not limited to, the school of religion, Generations of Faith and Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.

BROTHER GEORGE MARQUIS, Salesians of Don Bosco

Brother Marquis and his twin were born on March 10, 1937, in Eastern Quebec, Canada. He has four brothers and four sisters.

He came to know the Salesians in 1954 in New Brunswick, Canada. The superior asked him if he was interested in becoming a Salesian, and he answered “yes,” which meant he would have to move to the United States.

He spent nine years in preparation for his perpetual profession during which time he struggled with many temptations to leave the order. Finally, he made his decision and has never regretted it.

He has held a variety of jobs, including butcher, baker, cook, farmer, in charge of maintenance and physical operations at various Salesians schools and buildings in Canada, New Jersey, New York and California. Because he only went to grammar school when he was a child, he entered college when he was 47 and earned a degree in applied business administration.

In 1990, he was sent to Africa and worked in Sierra Leone and Liberia for eight years. He has battled cancer, but is now cancer-free. He retired in 2003 and lives at the Mary Help of Christians Center in Tampa.

FATHER FRANCIS M. OMAN, Institute of Charity

A priest of the Institute of Charity, a religious congregation based in Rome, Father Oman is parochial vicar at St. Theresa Parish in Spring Hill.

He will not be present for the jubilee Mass celebration as he will be in Novara, Italy for the beatification of his order’s founder, Antonio Rosmini.

SISTER PATRICIA PLUMB, Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary

Sister Plumb is a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary and was born in Clearwater. She is a teacher and speech/debate team coach at the Academy of the Holy Names High School in Tampa. She graduated from there and earned a master’s degree in education from Barry University in Miami, and a master’s degree in curriculum and supervision from the University of South Florida.

Sister Plumb made her novitiate in Rome, N.Y., and briefly served as teacher and school administrator in Albany and Syracuse. However, she has spent most of her professional career in Florida as a teacher and school administrator, including at St. Cecelia School; Boys Academy of the Holy Names, Tampa; and the Academy of the Holy Names High School, Tampa. In 2006, she was named to the National Forensic League Hall of Fame, a high honor for speech/debate coaches, and she is active on peace and justice committees for her congregation.

SISTER MARGARET RUMSEY, Franciscan Sisters of Allegany

Sister Rumsey entered the Franciscan congregation as a novice Aug. 15, 1957, and made her first profession of vows Aug. 16, 1958.

She served for many years in nursing service and administration, as a team member for nine years at the order’s soup kitchen in Philadelphia, and as a retreat presenter and spiritual director at the Franciscan Center in Tampa. She is retired and continues to do spiritual direction, as well as volunteering at the Franciscan Center and at St. Joseph Hospital.

OTHER JUBILARIANS mark 50 years

Also celebrating 50 years but for whom no biographical information was submitted to the Florida Catholic are Father Joseph Braun, Missionaries of Africa; Brother Christopher Coccia, Friars of St. Anthony; Father Cornelius Conti, Friars of St. Anthony; Sister Madeleine Martel, Franciscan Sisters of Allegany; and Brother Valerian Vaverchak, Friars of St. Anthony.

25 YEARS

FATHER JOHN SERIO, Salesians of Don Bosco

Father Serio is principal of St. Petersburg Catholic High School and director of education for the Salesians in the Eastern province. He is the oldest of 12 children and was born and raised in New York and on Long Island. He served as principal at St. Dominic Savio High School in East Boston from 1987 until 1990; Savio Prep High School in East Boston from 1998 until 2001; Don Bosco Prep High School in Ramsey, N.J., from 2002 until 2004 and St. Pete Catholic High School since 2004. He was president of Salesian High School in New Rochelle, N.Y., from 1992 until 1998. His most exciting assignments were spent during a summer in a parish in the Bahamas and three years as a chaplain in a boys’ maximum-security facility in Columbus, Ohio.

In his spare time, he likes reading, listening to music and trying to keep up with friends, family and former students around the country.

SISTER MIRIAM NOGALES VARGAS, Franciscan Sisters of Allegany

Sister Vargas was born in La Paz, Bolivia, and grew up in Alto Beni, where she met the Allegany Franciscan Sisters and the Franciscan Friars. In 1981, she entered the Congregation of the Franciscans Sisters of Allegany, and in 1982 she was sent to Brazil for her religious formation. Her first mission was in Alto Beni, where she worked in diverse ministries, which included visiting the sick, teaching religion in schools and parish ministry. In 1987, she went back to Brazil where she worked in various ministries, especially health care. During this time, she also studied nursing and graduated as a registered nurse. She then worked at Santa Casa de Misericordia Hospital.

In 2002, she decided to come to the United States to learn English. She traveled to Tampa and worked at St. Joseph’s Hospital, where she continues to be employed. She said she is happy doing her nursing ministry because she finds it a joy to care for the sick.

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