Sister Rosalie Bucci, CSJ
(Sister M. Delphine)
75 Years
Sister Rosalie Bucci, a native of Williamson, West Virginia, entered the Congregation of St. Joseph in Wheeling on September 8, 1947. She earned a B.A. degree in Education from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
As a teacher, she taught primary grades in parochial schools throughout the diocese for 34 years including St. Francis Xavier, Moundsville; St. Peter’s/Fairmont Catholic, Fairmont; St. Joseph, Huntington; Blessed Sacrament, South Charleston; Cathedral Grade, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Alphonsus, and Corpus Christi Schools in Wheeling; and Sacred Heart School in Williamson, where she also served as principal. She also served as a remedial reading teacher for Ohio County Schools for one year. She then served as Directress of St. Vincent’s Home for Orphans in Elm Grove for five years. In 1989, she began her pastoral ministry in health care as a healing presence to the sick at St. Francis Hospital in Charleston.
One of Sister Rosalie’s fondest memories was preparing her first graders in Fairmont to sing at Mass at St. Peter’s. She recalls how much the people loved the singing and the children giving it their all. Sister Rosalie especially loves her religious family, children, and music.
Sister Rosalie retired in 1992 and currently resides at Mount St. Joseph in Wheeling where she is active in prayer ministry.
Sister Rosie Coughlin, CSJ
(Sister Marie Josine)
75 Years
Sister Rosemary (Rosie) Coughlin, a native of Kentland, Indiana, entered the Congregation of St. Joseph in Tipton, Indiana, on September 1, 1947. She attended high school at St. Joseph Academy in Tipton and went on to attend Loretto Heights College in Denver, Colorado, where she earned a B.A. degree in Elementary Education. She later earned an M.A. degree in Elementary Education from St. Francis College in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and an M.S.W. degree in Social Work from Loyola University in Chicago.
Sister Rosie began her teaching career in 1950 and taught at several diocesan schools in Indiana including Our Lady of Grace (Noblesville), St. Paul (Marion), St. Matthew (South Bend), and St. Bernard (Wabash). She also served as principal of Our Lady of Grace in 1969.
In 1970, Sister Rosie transitioned to social work and served as a Child Welfare Worker at Catholic Charities in Kokomo, Indiana, from 1970-1974. She then accepted a social work position with the Jasper-Newton Mental Health Center in Rensselaer, Indiana, where she served until 1983. In, 1984, Sister Rosie came home to serve as Conference Center Coordinator at the St. Joseph Motherhouse in Tipton, a position she held for two years. She then transitioned to chaplaincy work and served in this capacity at St. Vincent Hospice in Indianapolis, Hospice of Miami County in Troy, OH and St. Vincent Mercy Hospital in Elwood, IN.
Sister Rosie was elected to the leadership team of the Tipton Sisters of St. Joseph and served from 1994 to 1998. She then served at St. Vincent Mercy Hospital in Elwood, Indiana as a full-time chaplain from 1998 to 2008 when she retired from active ministry.
Sister Rosie pursued a variety of volunteer positions until 2019 when she moved to the CSJ Center in Wheeling, West Virginia. She enjoys music and writing poetry, and remains active in prayer ministry and with the center’s outreach projects.
Sister Evelyn LaGory, CSJ
(Sister Marie Goretti)
70 years
Sister Evelyn LaGory entered the Sisters of St. Joseph in New Orleans in 1952. She earned B.S. in Education from Edgecliff College in Cincinnati, Ohio, and taught primary, intermediate grades and high school for 22 years. She then served as Executive Director of Housekeeping at the Fontbonne, a residence for working women in Cincinnati, and later as a pastoral minister at St. Pius Parish in South Cumminsville, Ohio.
From 1985-1995, she served as Director of Senior Services at St. John Social Service Center in Over the Rhine in Cincinnati, Ohio. While there, Sister Evelyn worked with the elderly assisting in their everyday needs, and worked as a Legal Aide in taking landlords to court for not keeping their buildings up to code where seniors resided. She received several awards in recognition for her service. From 1995-2010, she ministered at the Council on Aging as a Case Manager.
Sister Evelyn retired in 2010 and currently resides at our center in Wheeling. She stays active in prayer ministry and continues to offer service as she is able.
Sister Patricia Sullivan, CSJ
(Sister Mary Kevin)
70 years
Sister Patricia Anne Sullivan, a native of New Orleans, entered the Sisters of St Joseph in New Orleans on September 8, 1952, after her High School graduation from St. Joseph Academy. She attended St. Joseph’s Junior College and Loyola University where she graduated with a BS in Education in 1963. Later on, she began studies at the University of New Orleans where she earned a Masters of Science in Counseling in 1975.
Sister Pat’s long career in Education began in 1954 in New Orleans, where she taught in several Archdiocesan Elementary Schools. In 1968 she moved to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and served as a teacher and later as Principal at Our Lady of the Gulf Elementary School, a position she held until 1976.
That year, Sister Pat became Administrator of St. Joseph’s Children’s Home in Baton Rouge until its closing in 1985. She then served as Principal of Sacred Heart Elementary School for twenty-one years.
Beginning in 2006, Sister Pat served as Administrator of our Community at St. Joseph’s Academy, which in 2009 moved to our new Center on Hundred Oaks Avenue in Baton Rouge. She remained in that position until 2013.
Retired from Administration ministry, Sister Pat became a mentor for several young women discerning religious life with our Congregation. She also continues to serve as a mentor to an Associate Circle today.
Sister Pat resided in Baton Rouge from 1976 until 2021, then retired and moved to our center in Wheeling where she continues to offer her gifts of leadership and prayer.
Sister Kathleen Durkin, CSJ
(Sister Mary Karen)
60 Years
Sister Kathleen Durkin, a native of Huntington, West Virginia, entered the Congregation of St. Joseph in Wheeling on September 9, 1962. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from Wheeling College (now Wheeling Jesuit University), a Master of Arts Degree in Religious Education from Fordham University and a Master of Arts Degree in Organizational Development from Loyola, Chicago. She is a trained spiritual director and holds certification in leading dream work as a spiritual practice from the Haden Institute.
Sister Kathleen’s ministry experience includes teaching in elementary schools in West Virginia and at Wheeling Central Catholic High School. She ministered in adult faith formation in rural areas of the diocese and served as Director of the Spiritual Formation Program at the Seminary House of Studies. Following this, she served as a pastoral minister in several parishes, and then as Vicar for Religious for the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. She was a member of the Leadership Team in Wheeling from 1993-2007, and a member of the Congregation Leadership Team from 2007-2013. For many years she was involved in formation ministry for both the congregation and for the U.S. Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, as well as serving on several congregational committees. Spiritual direction and retreat work have been part of her ministry for over forty years.
Today, Sister Kathleen’s ministry continues at St. Joseph Retreat Center as a program presenter, spiritual and retreat director. She also serves on local and congregational committees and is a board member for the SSJ Health and Wellness Foundation and Grow Ohio Valley.
“Profound gratitude best expresses my sense of these 60 years as a Sister of St. Joseph. I am mindful of family, friends and those dear companions who helped shape my love for this way of life and whose inspiration still carries me through the good and difficult days of this sacred journey of life.”
Sister Ruthann Scherer, CSJ
(Sister Mary Rose)
60 years
Sister Ruthann Scherer entered the Sisters of St. Joseph in Crookston, Minnesota, on August 15, 1962. She attended St. Joseph’s Academy in Crookston, graduating in 1962. She went on to attend college at St. Joseph’s Junior College and Agassiz Valley School of Practical Nursing where she earned her LPN in Nursing in 1976. While in school, she served several convents in Crookston and in St. Paul, Minnesota, and one in Somerset, Wisconsin, cooking for the sisters and doing other house services.
After earning her LPN, Sister Ruthann began her career in nursing in 1977 at Riverview Hospital in Crookston, where she served until 1997. She then moved to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Park Rapids, Minnesota, until 2002. Later that year, she accepted a position as Health Care Supervisor at Marywood in Crookston. In 2005, she returned to Riverview Hospital and served as a nurse until 2015 when she retired.
In April of 2016, Sister Ruthann moved to Wheeling, West Virginia, in 2017 she served as the Coordinator of Community Life at our center there. She retired a few years later and currently resides at Mount St. Joseph in Wheeling.
Sister Nancy White, CSJ
60 Years
Sister Nancy White, a native of Boomer, West Virginia, entered the Congregation of St. Joseph in Wheeling on September 9, 1962. She earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from Wheeling College (now Wheeling Jesuit University) and a Masters in Applied Spirituality from the University of San Francisco.
Sister Nancy taught in parochial schools in the Diocese of Wheeling Charleston for thirteen years, including: St. Francis de Sales, Beckley; St. Vincent de Paul, Wheeling; St. Anthony, Follansbee; and St. Agnes, Charleston. She also ministered at St. John’s Children’s Home in Wheeling and spent several summers working at the Women’s Federal Reformatory at Alderson and teaching vacation Bible School. She spent ten years as a member of the Formation Team and as Novice Director for the congregation, and she worked five years at Paul VI Pastoral Center in Wheeling doing retreats, spiritual direction, and various programs in spirituality for adults.
Currently, Sister Nancy is a Pastoral Associate at St. Francis de Sales Parish in Morgantown, West Virginia, where she has served since 1991. As such, she visits the sick in hospitals and nursing homes, takes communion to the homebound, and helps in numerous other ways. She loves her parish and her work and looks forward to many more years of service.
Sister Judith Minear, CSJ
25 Years
Sister Judith Minear entered the Congregation of St. Joseph in Wheeling, West Virginia, on June 20, 1997, from St. Margaret Mary Parish in Parkersburg. She attended high school at Parkersburg High School and college at West Virginia University, where she earned an AB in French and English, credentials as a secondary education teacher, and a Master’s Degree in Education Administration.
She began her career in education teaching French and English, and was instrumental in beginning the gifted education program in Wood County Schools. She served as principal of Parkersburg Catholic Elementary School for 5 years and Parkersburg Catholic High School for 3 years. Sister Judith then became the Superintendent of Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Wheeling Charleston, a position she held for 9 years. After entering the Wheeling Congregation, she completed the National Association of Catholic Chaplains certification program after CPE training in hospital chaplaincy at RUSH Medical Center in Chicago, and was certified as a Spiritual Director from the Haden Institute. Positions she has held within the Congregation include Co-Executive Director of the SSJ Health and Wellness Foundation for three years and a member of the Congregation’s Vocations Team for nine years.
In 2008, Sister Judith moved to Cleveland and served on the Congregation’s Mission Advancement Team, working in social media management. She currently resides in Cleveland and serves as Coordinator for Mission Integration for CSJ Ministries, which provides support and oversight of the Congregation’s CSJ Mission Network. She is also a member of the Editorial Ideas Team which sets the direction for the Congregation’s magazine, imagineONE. She considers herself blessed and is grateful to be a member of such a spirit-led, forward-thinking congregation of amazing women!
