80 YEARS

Sister Jean Baptiste DiLuzio, SSJ

     Eighty years after entering the Sisters of St. Joseph, Sister Jean Baptiste DiLuzio, SSJ, continues to work in active ministry in the SSJ Development Office. She was born in Erie, the daughter of Antonio and Eralinda (DeDionisio) DiLuzio. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph from Holy Rosary Parish in Erie in 1944 and professed her final vows in 1949.
     Sister Jean Baptiste received a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Villa Maria College in 1952, a master’s in romance languages from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, in 1957, and did advanced studies at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. In addition, she received a Fulbright grant to attend Universidad de Valladolid in Spain.
     Sister Jean's work in the ministry of education included teaching at Blessed Sacrament School, St. Agatha High School, Meadville, and St. Leo High School, Ridgway. In addition, she taught for 25 years at Cathedral Preparatory School in Erie and, in 1994, was inducted into the Cathedral Preparatory School Hall of Fame. She also served in administration at Villa Maria College.
     For her congregation, Sister Jean served as executive secretary-treasurer, treasurer, and councilor and was a member of the formation team and board of directors. She was an auditor in the Diocese of Erie Office of the Tribunal for 30 years. In 1996, she was awarded the Papal Cross "Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice" by Pope John Paul II. She served the Erie community on various boards, including Villa Maria College, Saint Mary's Home of Erie, Cathedral Preparatory School, Harborcreek Youth Services and Catholic Social Services. She also served on the Diocese of Erie’s cemetery and priests' retirement boards. In addition, she volunteered for Harborcreek Youth Services, Cathedral Preparatory School and the Spanish Apostolate.

Congratulatory messages

70 YEARS

Sister Rita Panciera, RSM

     Sister Rita Panciera, RSM, is always quick with advice on how to keep the fires of spirituality burning.
     “Take 10 to 15 minutes a day in quiet,” she says. “It’s time to really live in the present moment. I find it helpful whenever I get ouchy and grouchy and spinning to say to myself, ‘There’s only now. That’s all we’ve got’.”
     She entered the Sisters of Mercy on Sept. 8, 1953, in Titusville, Pa., and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in business education at Mercyhurst College, a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s degree in religious studies from St. Paul University, Ottawa, Ontario. Schooled in her hometown of New Bethlehem, Pa., she met the Sisters of Mercy at college, and they would influence the rest of her life.
     “I came to admire their thoughtfulness, goodness, sense of humor, all around humanness and prayerfulness,” she says.” Sister Rita has been honored many times for her insight and wisdom during the past 50 years as founding member/director of downtown Erie’s House of Prayer, a home to weekly celebrations of the Mass, prayer groups, retreats, spiritual direction, Bible studies and book discussion groups.
     “It’s been a place of growth, peace and joy – the soil from which much has grown,” Sister Rita says. Earlier ministries included teaching at the former St. Joseph Academy and St. Titus Grade School, Titusville, and at the former St. Michael High School, Greenville. Sister Rita also taught at Mercyhurst College where she served as dean of students, founded the Campus Ministry Office and served as Campus Ministry director.

Congratulatory messages

70 YEARS

Sister Dorothy Wilwohl, SSJ

    Sister Dorothy Wilwohl, SSJ, was born in Pittsburgh, the daughter of Edward and Catherine (Donahue) Wilwohl. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1954 and professed her final vows in 1959.
    She graduated from Villa Maria College with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and received a certificate in library science from Edinboro University in 1968. She also studied and attended workshops at the College of Steubenville and the University of Dayton.
    Sister Dorothy served in the education ministry as a teacher and a principal. She taught at Villa Maria Elementary and served as a kindergarten teacher at Our Lady of Peace and St. John schools in Erie. From 1967-1972, she ministered at St. John School as first-grade teacher, then as principal. When Our Lady of Peace School opened in 1957, Sister Dorothy was one of the first faculty members and continued to teach first and second grade for ten years. In addition, she was in charge of the Primary Resource Room at Villa Maria Elementary School.
    She received the Erie Diocesan Award for 35 years of teaching. Sister Dorothy was director of the Villa Maria Conference Center from 1991-2002 and served her congregation as secretary to the general superior, assistant administrative secretary and finance assistant.


Congratulatory messages

70 YEARS

Sister Mary Millicent Zimmer, SSJ

     Sister Mary Millicent Zimmer, SSJ, was born in Erie, the daughter of Albert and Mildred Zimmer. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph on August 30, 1953, and professed her final vows on August 15, 1959.
     She spent her canonical year at the SSJ Motherhouse with various duties and study. She later lived at Transfiguration House in Butler, where her prayer was her work. Sister Mary Millicent earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Villa Maria College in 1968, and a master’s in theology from St. Bonaventure University, Olean, New York, in 1980.
     Sister Millicent taught at Blessed Sacrament and Sacred Heart schools in Erie and at Holy Rosary in Johnsonburg. Her ministries included work in the office at St. Joseph's Home for Children, the Diocesan Mission Office, Saint Vincent Hospital, Erie, and Spencer Hospital, Meadville. In addition, she worked as a full-time religious education teacher for several years in Bradford, Mercer, Houtzdale, Meadville and Erie.
     Sister Millicent currently serves as a part-time receptionist for the Sisters of St. Joseph and is actively involved in the SSJ prayer ministry. Previously, she was a pastoral minister at All Saints Parish in Sunrise, Florida, from 1983-2008.


Congratulatory messages

70 YEARS

Sister Marilyn Zimmerman, SSJ

     Sister Marilyn Zimmerman, SSJ, was born in Erie, the daughter of the late Louis F. and Bernice (McNulty) Zimmerman. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph in August 1953 and professed her final vows in April 1969.
     She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Villa Maria College in 1963. In 1974, she received training in Ignatian Spirituality as a spiritual director at the Romero Center in Detroit. She received an M. Ed in guidance/counseling from Gannon University in 1968 and did post-graduate training as a Gestalt therapist at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland from 1994-1998.
     Sister Marilyn was a long-time teacher who served at Blessed Sacrament, Villa Maria Elementary, St. Andrew, Holy Rosary and Holy Spirit schools in Erie. She also served as a pastoral minister at St. Luke Parish.
     In 1973, she founded Community House for Women, where she ministered for nearly 15 years. After she became a licensed professional counselor and certified spiritual director, she served at Ecclesia Center in Girard for many years. She was recognized as Gannon University's Alumna of the Year in 1996.
     Sister Marilyn spent four years committed to the people of the Amazon in Brazil and to pastoral ministry at St. Andrew Parish, Erie. Sister Marilyn's ministry work also includes serving as director of Campus Ministry and director of Admissions at Villa Maria College, Erie.

Congratulatory messages

60 YEARS

Sister Margaret Ann Andrako, OSBM

     Sister Margaret Ann Andrako entered the Sisters of the Order of St. Basil the Great, an international Order of the Eastern Catholic Church, from St. Eugene Parish in Bedford, Ohio. She began her ministry with eight years of teaching in parish schools in Trenton, N.J.; McKeesport, Pa.; Merrillville, Ind.; and Freeland, Pa. After that, she served in the Religious Education Office in the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh where she helped write a new catechetical series. She then moved west for a year in 1982 to do organizational work in the newly established Eparchy of Van Nuys (now known as the Eparchy of Phoenix), and returned to work in the Religious Education Office of Passaic, N.J. From 1985-1990, she served as the director of the House of Prayer on the motherhouse grounds in Uniontown, Pa.
     She worked in community leadership from 1990-1995 as assistant provincial, province secretary and councilor. Following this, she became the first woman on staff at the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Pittsburgh when she was named administrative assistant. She served there for eight years. Next, she became as administrative assistant at Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh. She was elected for a second term in leadership and served as assistant provincial and motherhouse coordinator from 2015-2021. Since 2021, Sister Margaret Ann has worked in the Diocese of Erie as administrative assistant for both the Office of Vocations and Office for Religious. Sister Margaret Ann holds a master’s in religious studies from the University of Dayton. In her spare time, she enjoys travel and word puzzles. “I certainly have had many varied experiences,” she says, “and I have very much enjoyed the variety of ministries.”

Congratulatory messages

60 YEARS

Sister Kevin Berdis, OSF

     Even after 60 years in religious life, Sister Kevin Berdis, OSF, of the School Sisters of St. Francis, remains enthusiastic about the lifelong opportunity her vocation has provided to help young people achieve success. She draws inspiration and energy from the children she serves and gets as much as she gives, reaping the intangible rewards of her students’ success.
     “Working with the teachers, I got a lot of joy in seeing them achieve success and moving forward professionally,” Sister says.
     It was such enthusiasm that first drew her to religious life. Influenced by the School Sisters of St. Francis who taught her, she followed her older sister, Eileen, into the convent from Holy Family Parish in 1962. “The Sisters were kind and loving women who reached out to help others,” Sister Kevin recalls. “They were fun-loving and happy to be around. I truly enjoyed my time with them.”
     Her teaching career took her to various Pennsylvania towns, as well as to San Antonio, Texas, for a decade. She spent three years at St. John’s Mission in Barberton, South Africa, before making her way back to her native Pennsylvania and reconnecting with her roots in Erie. After nearly 20 years as principal of the former Holy Family School, Sister Kevin took on a training role with the Barber National Institute, helping to prepare young adults with developmental disabilities for productive roles in the workplace.
     Even as she approaches her 80th birthday, Sister Kevin’s work is not finished. In 2022, she settled in Washington, Pa., where she volunteers with families in need at Washington Christian Outreach and — in a return to her true passion — assists school-age children in the afterschool program at LeMoyne Community Center. She also is active with the School Sisters’ Franciscan Resource Center in Pittsburgh and with the community’s program for lay associates.

Congratulatory messages

60 YEARS

Msgr. Joseph Bobal

     During his six decades as a priest, Monsignor Joseph Bobal has been a teacher, a pastor at six parishes, served as dean of both the St. Marys and Clearfield deaneries, was a member of the diocesan Presbyteral Council and met the pope while studying in Rome. He says it was the strong faith of his family — and their encouragement — that drew him to the priesthood. Born in Cleveland, Msgr. Bobal studied at the Pennsylvania State University, St. Bonaventure University, Christ the King Seminary in Olean, N.Y., and Gannon University before being ordained for the Diocese of Erie on May 23, 1963. His home parish was St. Mary in Reynoldsville.
    His first assignment, teaching at Venango Catholic High School for 14 years, “made my personal faith a lot stronger,” he says. He has been assigned as a pastor at St. Anthony Parish, Walston; Immaculate Conception Parish, Osceola Mills; Christ the King Parish, Houtzdale; St. Leo Magnus Parish, Ridgway; St. Bonaventure Parish, Grampian; and St. Timothy Parish, Curwensville. Before becoming a pastor, he was a weekend assistant at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Oil City and St. Venantius Parish in Rouseville.
     Father Bobal calls his time in Rome, during which he studied at the Pontifical North American College, and had an audience with Pope John Paul II along with a group of priests from around the world, the most significant event of his priesthood. Msgr. Bobal retired in 2006 and lives in DuBois.

Congratulatory messages

60 YEARS

Sister Sylvia Burnett, OSBM

    Sister Sylvia Burnett, OSBM, says the highlight of her six decades as a Sister of the Order of St. Basil the Great is the wide assortment of jobs she has held: elementary teacher, working with adults on retreat, administration at the motherhouse, and now, helping rectify marriages in the Diocese of Erie’s Marriage Tribunal. “I’ve met so many people of God and walked with them on their journey,” she says. Sister Sylvia joined her community from Ss. Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Church, Erie. She first taught in Byzantine parish schools in Gary, Ind.; Chicago; and Freeland, Pa. Then, in 1976, she and another member of the community co-founded Mount St. Macrina Retreat Center on the sisters’ campus in Uniontown, Pa., where she served as spiritual director and did retreat work. She fulfilled the same ministry at the Jesuit Retreat Center in Clinton, Ohio, for three years, and returned to Uniontown in 1987 to work on research, planning and development for the community. In 1990 she was elected as council member, and for five years served as motherhouse director and oversaw the grounds and facilities. In 2004 she joined the staff of Ecclesia Center, Erie, as a full-time spiritual director. Since 2007, Sister Sylvia has worked in the Marriage Tribunal of the Diocese of Erie. From 2015-2021, she also served in community leadership. During the past seven years, she has also been director of the Associate Program for the Sisters of St. Basil the Great. Sister Sylvia earned a master’s degree in Christian spirituality from Creighton University in Omaha, Neb.

Congratulatory messages

60 YEARS

Sister Mary Ellen Cummings, OSB

     Benedictine Sister Mary Ellen Cummings has many proud accomplishments in her 60 years of monastic life, including teaching and working abroad with poor children, but a favorite memory is the time she appeared — along with other singing Benedictine sisters from Erie — on the Ed Sullivan Show, a telecast that also featured singer Petula Clark, comedian Alan King, and the Rolling Stones.
     As the eldest of eight children in an Irish-Catholic family, Sister Mary Ellen learned early how to care lovingly for children. Since entering the Benedictine Sisters of Erie in 1961, she has spent most of her ministry with children, in diocesan elementary schools, at St. Benedict Academy in Erie and in her work at the Benedictine Sisters’ Inner-city Neighborhood Art House.
     Also, for a period of six years in the early 1980s, she spent six months of every year serving at the Mission of Friendship, a ministry in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, sponsored by the Diocese of Erie. There she found the people open, kind, generous and eager to participate in the mission’s offerings.
    “I think it was there that I truly found myself, my heart,” she says, reflecting on those special experiences of caring for children in need. “I found myself doing things I had never done before and that I didn’t know I could do, but in those situations, you just step up and get into whatever needs to be done.” Last year she stepped aside from her ministry at the Art House to work in contributed services at the monastery, helping at the library and gift shop, and she also created two art pieces to display at a recent monastery art show. Her motto these days is the same that she has had all her life: “I help anyone, anytime, with whatever they need.”

Congratulatory messages

60 YEARS

Sister Mary Drexler, SSJ

     Sister Mary Drexler, SSJ, was born in Erie, the daughter of Arthur and Clara Drexler. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1963 from Sacred Heart Parish and professed her final vows in 1971.
     She attended Villa Maria College in Erie, earning a bachelor of science degree in elementary education. She later earned an MS in administration from Xavier University in Cincinnati. For 20 years, Sister Mary taught at various schools throughout the Diocese of Erie, including Our Lady of Peace School, Erie; Our Lady's Christian School, Erie; St. Bernard School, Bradford; Villa Maria Elementary School, Erie; Notre Dame School, Sharon; St. John School, Erie; and Villa Maria Academy, Erie.
     Sister Mary was an assistant administrator at Villa Maria Academy from 1984-90. For 13 years, she served her congregation in the Vocation/Formation Office, and from 1999-2006, she was campus minister at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. She served as principal of Villa Maria Academy and later ECPS/Villa Maria Academy.
     In addition, Sister Mary taught religious education at Holy Rosary Parish and served as principal at Our Lady's Christian School. In 2019, she was elected to serve in leadership for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania and was named president. She presently continues to serve in that capacity.


Congratulatory messages

60 YEARS

Father John Fischer

     Father John Fischer says his daily routine — exercise, prayer and religious reading — along with a love of the outdoors have sustained him over 60 years as a priest. Raised in Erie attending St. John the Baptist Parish, he first began to consider the priesthood in second grade. “My family, along with school and parishioners, nourished my desire,” he says. He attended Cathedral Preparatory School, Gannon University, St. Mary Seminary and University in Baltimore, and later studied canon law at both The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and Mundelein College in Chicago.
     He studied for a master’s in education at Gannon and earned a degree in Christian spirituality at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb. He also studied psychology at the University of California at San Diego and studied Scripture at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio. He was ordained on May 23, 1963. He held positions on the diocesan Marriage Tribunal, ministered to prisoners, and served as the spiritual director for Cursillo in the Diocese of Erie. He also had assignments as parochial vicar at St. John the Baptist, Erie; St. Brigid Parish, Meadville; Holy Rosary Parish, Johnsonburg and St. Joseph Parish in Sharon. His pastorates included St. Raphael Parish, Eldred; St. Mathew-in-the-Woods Parish, Erie; St. Cyprian Parish, Waterford; and St. Lawrence Parish in Albion.
     Retired in 2007, he is a resident of Girard.


Congratulatory messages

60 YEARS

Father Howard King

     Father Howard King grew up in Sharon, graduated in 1955 from Cathedral Preparatory School in Erie and then studied at both Gannon University in Erie and St. Bonaventure University in Olean, N.Y. He was ordained at St. Peter Cathedral in Erie on May 23, 1963. He says he was first inspired to the priesthood by the priests at his home parish of St. Joseph, Sharon. He taught at Central Christian High School in Bradford while working as a weekend assistant at St. Bernard Parish for 14 years, and has served parishes in the Diocese of Erie and in Florida — where he now lives — as pastor, parochial vicar and weekend assistant. Those assignments included parochial vicar at St. Titus Parish in Titusville and St. Callistus Parish in Kane, as well as pastorates at Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish, Lewis Run; St. Francis Parish, Bradford; and Good Shepherd Parish in West Middlesex.
     During every summer from 1970-75, he attended the Mathematics Institute at the University of Vermont in Burlington, after winning a National Science Foundation grant to study there. Now 86, he retired in 2008, but serves as a weekend assistant at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Wildwood, Florida.


Congratulatory messages

60 YEARS

Sister Patricia Lupo, OSB

     When asked if she has a “bucket list” on the occasion of her 60th jubilee, Benedictine Sister Pat Lupo doesn’t hesitate: “I love to travel,” she says. “When I had the opportunity to go to Cuba, I jumped at the chance. And I’d love to visit Australia and Africa. On the other hand, I couldn’t resist the chance to go back to El Salvador.” Sister Pat and other community members worked with refugees from the civil war in El Salvador through the 1980s until the peace accords in 1993. In their many visits, they witnessed poverty everywhere and also met resilient and hope-filled people. With Sister Pat’s encouragement, the community eventually assisted dozens of refugees seeking asylum.
     After earning a master’s degree in science, Sister Pat taught in grade school through college levels for many years and always made environmental education and advocacy a priority. She has been a leader in local and national environmental and conservation issues. Currently she is the Environmental Program director at the Inner-city Neighborhood Art House. Sister Pat has served on numerous local and regional environmental boards and has recently been involved in the creation of a Bi-National Great Lakes Group. She has been a governor appointee to the Great Lakes Commission, the Great Lakes Protection Fund and Pennsylvania’s Citizen Advisory Council. She also was a powerful force in cleaning up Lake Erie in the 1980s after it was declared a dead lake.
     Sister Pat continues to challenge young people at the Art House, as well as the public, to address environmental issues, especially the climate crisis. “Everything we do impacts earth and life in some way,” she says. “Sacred action leads to sacred space throughout the world.”


Congratulatory messages

60 YEARS

Sister Annette Marshall, OSB

     In her retirement, Benedictine Sister Annette Marshall is fulfilling a lifelong dream, coordinating the Care of the Earth Committee and leading her community’s effort to care for the environment.
     “The breathtaking beauty and power of the natural world and the realization of the harm we humans have done to our common home challenge me to find ways to make a positive difference,” she says. During her decades of education and administrative service, Sister Annette taught school, was a principal at St. Gregory School in North East and at St. Benedict Academy in Erie, served as director of Glinodo Center and as co-founder and director of Lake Erie-Allegheny Earth Force. She served most recently as executive director of the Benedictine Sisters’ Inner-city Neighborhood Art House. She also has worked in community leadership on the Monastic Council and as director of Buildings and Grounds.
     Recently, Sister Annette became co-director of the Erie Benedictine Oblate Program. With Oblate Joanne Cahill, she supports the growth and formation of 230 lay men and women who as Oblates make an annual commitment to live Benedictine spirituality wherever they are in connection with the sisters.


Congratulatory messages

60 YEARS

Sister Marcia Sigler, OSB

     In her 60th year of monastic profession, Benedictine Sister Marcia Sigler says she finds strength for the difficult moments in life from her community, and from the love of her sisters, “who have been with me all these years.”
     Sister Marcia’s lifelong interests are creativity and artistry, honed by years of teaching art to elementary children, serving as a cantor and liturgical dancer at the monastery and by a volunteering spirit. Perhaps it was that love of volunteering that led her to spend 10 years as an Emergency Medical Technician with the Fairfield Hose Company, responding to emergencies at any time of the day and night. She also earned a Nurse Aide Certificate and ministered at UPMC Hamot Hospital, all after teaching at Erie diocesan schools.
     She is a past volunteer at the Emmaus Soup Kitchen, a lifelong donor at the Community Blood Bank of NWPA — where she has earned her 20-gallon pin— and currently works in the community’s Health Services Department, where among her other duties, she takes sisters to medical appointments.
     In her spiritual life, Sister Marcia always has been drawn to nature, especially mountains, rocks and woods. She also works hard to recycle plastics, in keeping with the community’s environmental commitment. Sister Marcia credits her father for her helpful attitude.
     “Whenever he saw a need, he responded,” she recalls. “I try to do the same thing every day.”


Congratulatory messages

60 YEARS

Msgr. John Swoger

     Msgr. John Swoger recalls that the desire to become a priest, which arrived a year after he graduated from Oil City High School, hit him “like a bolt of electricity.” His home parish in Oil City was St. Stephen. He studied at Christ the King Seminary at St. Bonaventure University in Olean, N.Y., and was ordained at St. Peter Cathedral in Erie on May 23, 1963. He also earned a teaching degree from Gannon University. He taught at the Cathedral Preparatory School for 16 years and was assistant headmaster there from 1970-79. From his ordination through his work at Prep, he was a weekend assistant at St. Andrew Parish, Erie.
     Msgr. Swoger became pastor of St. Michael Parish in Fryburg in 1979, then served as pastor of St. Luke Parish, Youngsville, followed by St. Joseph Parish, Oil City. His work also included his two-time election to the Presbyteral Council. He took on the administration of St. Venantius Parish, Rouseville; Assumption of the BVM Parish in Oil City and St. Michael Parish in Emlenton while serving as Episcopal Vicar for the Western Vicariate. Prior to retirement, he served as administrator at St. Eusebius Parish in East Brady, and after retirement, spent time as administrator at St. Philip Parish in Crossingville.
     Msgr. Swoger was honored by Pope John Paul II as a “Prelate of Honor” with the title of monsignor in 2000. Born in 1936 in Franklin, he is a former member of the Bishop’s College of Consultors and the Presbyteral Council, and also served on the Marriage Tribunal. He retired on June 15, 2010, and resides in Erie.


Congratulatory messages

50 YEARS

Father Alexander Amico

     For Father Alexander Amico, two themes have been woven into his five decades as a priest — forgiveness through the sacrament of reconciliation, and celebration of the Eucharist by receiving Holy Communion at Mass. A native of Farrell, Father Amico attended St. Mark Seminary, Gannon University, Youngstown State University and St. Francis College. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 18, 1973. He credits the faith of his parents, and the encouragement of his pastor at Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Msgr. Geno J. Monti, for his becoming a priest. Now 82, Father Amico had assignments as a parochial vicar at Holy Rosary Parish, Johnsonburg; St. Joseph Parish, Sharon; St. George Parish in Erie; Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, Erie; and St. Joseph Parish in DuBois. He then served as pastor at St. Basil the Great Parish in Coalport and at St. Paul Parish in Erie. He retired in 2017 and lives in Erie.

Congratulatory messages

50 YEARS

Msgr. David Rubino

     Msgr. David A. Rubino, Ph.D., has spent a great deal of time as an educator. He was ordained on May 18, 1973, at St. Peter Cathedral, Erie, after studying for the priesthood at St. Francis College and Seminary, Loretto, Pa., where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy and a master of divinity degree. Following ordination, he earned a master’s degree in English from Edinboro University and two doctorates from the University of Pittsburgh. He was made a monsignor and given the title “Chaplain of His Holiness” by Pope John Paul II in 1992.
     He was born in 1947 in Sewickley, Pa. Msgr. Rubino’s first assignment was as parochial vicar at St. Philip Parish in Linesville. He then held many positions at Gannon University before being named its president in 1992. His assignments there included work as interim president, vice president of university relations, assistant to the president, director of planning and budgeting, director of public relations and assistant director of Nash Library. He also served on the adjunct faculty from 1976-1983. During this period, he was a weekend assistant at St. Patrick Parish and Holy Rosary Parish, both in Erie, and St. Francis Xavier Parish in McKean.
     Msgr. Rubino also was chaplain at the North East Campus of Mercyhurst University prior to becoming assistant to the president and then dean of the Walker School of Business and Communications at Mercyhurst.
     In a homily to the priest jubilarians of 2023, Msgr. Rubino said that the essence of the Catholic Church is both/and, not either/or.
     “Our role is to harmonize differences,” he said, “reducing polarization so our disagreements — which are healthy catalysts for growth — do not splinter our efforts to meet the tangible and heartfelt needs of people.”
     Msgr. Rubino currently serves as the chaplain for the Sisters of Mercy Motherhouse in Erie.


Congratulatory messages

40 YEARS

Father Stephen Collins

     Ask Father Stephen Collins what gave him the idea to become a priest, and he’ll chuckle and say, “Well, it’s a funny story.” Growing up in Alexandria, Va., he and his friends would play on the hilly grounds of the local Masonic Temple, re-enacting “Robin Hood,” a popular television show at the time. “I was always Friar Tuck, the kind-hearted priest,” he says. A Southern Baptist at the time, he would attend Catholic Mass with a friend, and eventually converted to Catholicism in 1969. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from the Seminary of St. Pius X in Erlanger, Ky., as well as a master of divinity degree and a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore. His current assignment is as pastor of the partnered parishes of St. Timothy in Curwensville and St. Bonaventure in Grampian. His home parish was Blessed Sacrament in Erie. He was assigned as a parochial vicar at Our Lady of Peace Parish, Erie; and then served as pastor of St. Adrian, Delancey; St. Joseph, Anita; and St. Anthony in Walston; St. Anthony Parish in Sheffield; St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Bradford; and Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish, Lewis Run. Father Collins also worked as a chaplain at Warren State Hospital. To relax, he enjoys reading and watching Catholic channels on YouTube.

Congratulatory messages

40 YEARS

Father John Jacquel

     Father John Jacquel is pastor of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Bernard parishes in Bradford. Born in Erie, he is a graduate of Harbor Creek Senior High School and earned his bachelor’s degree in physics at Gannon University before entering St. Mary Seminary and University in Baltimore. He was ordained on May 20, 1983. Among his part-time jobs during high school, college and seminary was working at Mazza Vineyards, where he helped in sales, putting labels on bottles, and even trimming grape vines. He was inspired to consider the priesthood by Father Jim Sperry, pastor of his home parish, Our Lady of Mercy in Harborcreek.
     In addition to his current assignment, Father Jacquel has served as a parochial vicar at St. Bernard Parish, Bradford and St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Clearfield. While he was on the faculty at Venango Christian High School in Oil City, he was a weekend assistant at St. John Parish, Tidioute and St. Joseph Parish, Oil City. He became pastor at St. Agnes Parish in Morrisdale and Immaculate Conception Parish in Osceola Mills in 1995, followed by pastorates at Our Lady of the Lake Parish, Edinboro, and St. John the Baptist and Holy Rosary parishes in Erie. He also has had many administrative assignments, including elected positions on the Presbyteral Council as well as the Priests’ Personnel Board, and an appointment as a co-spiritual director of the Diocesan Cursillo Office. He is currently on the Pastoral Planning Committee for the diocese.
     In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, reading, travel, movies and Scrabble.


Congratulatory messages

40 YEARS

Father Robert Manning

     Father Robert Manning, pastor of St. Columbkille Parish in Stoneboro for the past 15 years, has just had his assignment there extended for another six years. It’s such a great parish, he says, that you might say the extension is his 40th anniversary gift. “Everyone here is so supportive and loving,” he says. The ninth child in a family of 12, Father Manning grew up in Bradford and would often accompany his father, Robert, on his rounds as the St. Bernard Parish custodian, even spending some summer days scraping gum off the bottom of school desks. He recalls deciding to be a priest in first grade, announcing his decision to Sister Irene at St. Bernard School. “I have treasured that calling my whole life,” he says.
     He enrolled in St. Mark Seminary, attended Gannon University, and studied for the priesthood at Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora, N.Y. His ordination was at St. Peter Cathedral, Erie, on May 20, 1983. His priesthood, he says, has been “full of rich sacramental and spiritual experiences with people.” That, he says, “fills my heart with joy.”
     Father Manning’s assignments include work as a parochial vicar at Holy Rosary Parish, Erie; St. Boniface Parish, Erie; St. Titus Parish, Titusville; Our Lady Queen of the Americas, Conneaut Lake, St. Patrick Parish, Franklin; St. Agatha Parish, Meadville, and St. Patrick Parish in Franklin. His pastorate at St. Columbkille began in 2017. Father Manning also has served as chaplain at the Polk Center in Polk, near Franklin.
     The silver chalice he uses was a gift from his family, the result of them saving Kennedy half dollars from 1964, when the coin was first minted, all during his childhood. “It’s engraved ‘From Mom and Dad and My Family’ and now,” he says, “whenever I celebrate Mass, I have something in my hand that my family sacrificed for.”


Congratulatory messages

40 YEARS

Father William Sutherland

     Father William Sutherland is chaplain of Nightingale Nursing and Rehab Center, formerly St. Marys Home, in Erie. He also assists at Holy Rosary and St. John the Baptist parishes, Erie. He graduated from Gannon University with a bachelor’s degree in humanities, earned a master’s in divinity and a master’s in theology from Mount Saint Mary University in Emmitsburg, Md., and was ordained a priest in 1983. In addition, he earned a certificate in Ministry to the Deaf and Hearing Impaired from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., and has officiated at weddings, funerals and baptisms in sign language.
     Born in Erie, his home parish was Sacred Heart, Erie, and he has served at numerous parishes in his four-decade priesthood. Assignments as parochial vicar included Holy Rosary Parish, Johnsonburg; St. Jude the Apostle Parish, Erie; St. John the Baptist Parish, Erie; and St. Leo Magnus Parish in Ridgway. He became administrator of St. Patrick Parish, Erie, before becoming pastor there in 1993. He became pastor of St. Hedwig Parish while remaining pastor of St. Patrick Parish. In 2015, Father Sutherland became pastor of Our Lady of the Lake Parish in Edinboro, followed by the pastorate of St. Joseph Parish in Force. He also was a co-director of the Diocesan Cursillo Office from 2011 to 2014.
     Father Sutherland was inspired to become a priest by two of his uncles — his mom’s brother and his dad’s brother — both of whom were priests. “I saw them celebrating the sacraments, but I also saw them as regular people who were also doing the work of God,” he says. He loves swimming, sailing, whitewater rafting and scuba diving. He is a former member of a barbershop quartet and, for the past 39 years, has sung with an a cappella barbershop chorus, the Lake Erie Sound.


Congratulatory messages

NEWLY ORDAINED

Father Christopher Beran

Ordained: May 26, 2023, at St. Peter Cathedral, Erie

Current assignment: Parochial vicar, St. George Parish, Erie

Home parish: St. Peter Cathedral Parish, Erie

Son of James Beran Jr. and Barbara Ann Beran

Congratulatory messages

NEWLY ORDAINED

Father Cory Pius

Ordained: May 26, 2023 at St. Peter Cathedral, Erie

Current assignment: Parochial vicar, St. Joseph Parish, Lucinda, St.
Michael Parish, Fryburg, and St. Mary Parish, Crown

Home parish: St. Mark the Evangelist Parish, Lawrence Park

Son of Daniel Pius and Lori Ann Pius

Congratulatory messages

Two priests ordained at St. Peter Cathedral, Erie

   Click here to read the story of the 2023 ordination of Father Beran and Father Pius published by the Diocese of EriE-news.

DEACON ANNIVERSARIES

The following deacons are celebrating anniversaries of their ordinations to the permanent diaconate in the Diocese of Erie.

25 YEARS

Deacon Robert Hoover

     Deacon Robert Hoover, now retired from the permanent diaconate, previously served as the Catholic chaplain at the State Correctional Institution-Houtzdale, a place where he used teaching, compassion and understanding, along with a bit of levity, as part of his ministry to help inspire those who might otherwise have little hope. One inmate there, serving time for involuntary manslaughter, had this to say: “I’m going to keep pursuing being a Catholic because of him. If it wasn’t for his teaching, his understanding, his compassion, I wouldn’t even consider it.” Deacon Hoover first became interested in becoming a permanent deacon shortly after the Second Vatican Council, and was ordained on May 29, 1998. His home parish is St. Agnes, Morrisdale, and his assignments have included service to the people of Ss. Peter and Paul in Hawk Run, Immaculate Conception in Osceola Mills, St. Mary of the Assumption in Frenchville, St. Severin in Drifting, and Ss. Peter and Paul, Grassflat.

Congratulatory messages

25 YEARS

Deacon Joseph Lucia

     “I always knew I wanted to serve the people of God in some special way,” says Deacon Joseph Lucia, “and the diaconate seemed to be the perfect way for me.” He grew up in St. Joseph Parish in Warren, always involved in various ministries there. A retired math teacher, he has served his parish as organist, choir director, lector and parish council member. He was ordained a permanent deacon on May 29, 1998. His diaconate assignments have included hospital and nursing home ministries and he has served on the Clergy Continuing Education Committee as well as the Permanent Diaconate Personnel Board for the Diocese of Erie. Deacon Lucia notes that it’s important to recognize the presence and activity of the Holy Spirit in our lives. “Having a good prayer life and calling upon the Holy Spirit are a vital part of my own life,” he says.

Congratulatory messages

25 YEARS

Deacon Frank Pregler

     As a family physician, Deacon Frank Pregler says our spiritual lives are interrelated with our physical health. “If we do not practice our spiritual lives,” he says, “then our physical and mental health will suffer. Studies show that people who go to church regularly and are involved in their parish live longer, healthier lives.” His home parish is Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Erie, where he also has served as Eucharistic minister, lector, usher, parish council president, and religious education teacher. Among his diaconate assignments in addition to parish work, he serves at the Millcreek Manor Nursing Home and with the Family Ministries Office. He was ordained to the permanent diaconate on May 29, 1998.

Congratulatory messages

Amico, Father Alexander
Andrako, OSBM, Sister Margaret Ann
Beran, Father Christopher
Berdis, Sister Kevin
Bobal, Msgr. Joseph
Burnett, OSBM, Sister Sylvia
Collins, Father Stephen
Cummings, OSB, Sister Mary Ellen
DiLuzio, SSJ, Sister Jean Baptiste
Drexler, SSJ, Sister Mary
Fischer, Father John

Hoover, Deacon Robert
Jacquel, Father John
King, Father Howard
Lucia, Deacon Joseph
Lupo, OSB, Sister Patricia
Manning, Father Robert
Marshall, OSB, Sister Annette
Panciera, RSM, Sister Rita
Pius, Father Cory
Pregler, Deacon Frank

Rubino, Msgr. David
Sigler, OSB, Sister Marcia
Sutherland, Father William
Swoger, Msgr. John
Wilwohl, SSJ, Sister Dorothy
Zimmer, SSJ, Sister Mary Millicent
Zimmerman, SSJ, Sister Marilyn