60 Years
Sr. Cecelia Hall
Sr. Helen Wacker
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Contact Sr. Clare if you would like more information on our fundraising efforts.
Born in New York City, Sr. Cecelia was one of six children, four brothers and a sister. Soon after she graduated from St. Simon Stock High School, Bronx, NY, in 1962, she began her journey as a Franciscan Sister.
After graduating Ladycliff College with a BA in History, she earned a Masters Degree from Seton Hall University in Reading and an MS from Yeshiva University in Social Work.
During her early years of ministry, Sr. Cecelia taught in both elementary school and high school. These years gave her invaluable experience and understanding of how best to communicate with her students and their parents, a wonderful segue to her desire to be a compassionate presence to all those who needed her counsel. Thus, her longing to become skilled in developing the fine qualities needed as a Social Worker to provide therapeutic support to families.
Sr. Cecelia’s ability to bring a sense of calmness and stability to every situation enabled her to spend many years at Children’s Specialized Hospital in Mountainside, NJ where she gave of herself totally to the children and their parents day after day. Just recently, she recalled how satisfying it was to see such positive changes in the children. This gave her great Joy! Both colleagues and those to whom she ministered recognized her goodness, her genuine care and concern, her capacity to be ever present!
In recent years, due to ill health, Sr. Cecelia has had to withdraw from active ministry. However, she continues to bring that same sense of positive support to everyone she encounters.
Afterall, she is truly Franciscan from head to toe!
My arrival in this world occurred on a snowy New Year’s evening at St. Mary’s Hospital in Passaic, NJ, the home town of my mother. I was the second child of Edna (nee Byrnes) Wacker and Herman Wacker. Arriving in at 9 lbs.12 ounces, my mother frequently told the story that I was the biggest baby in the nursery at the time and to document the event, one of the nurses took a photo of me in the center surrounded by the other babies. Much to my mother’s disappointment, she never received the photo. One of my father’s favorite stories was that I arrived just in time for him to claim me as a tax deduction for the year! And as for my brother’s memory, to this day, he often tells the story that he was unable to enjoy his train set that Christmas since he spent his time at the house of relatives due to my anticipated arrival.
I grew up in a Franciscan Parish in East Rutherford, New Jersey and was educated by the Benedictine Sisters in elementary school. After graduating from elementary school, I was planning to attend St. Mary’s High School, a school staffed by the Caldwell Dominicans and located in Rutherford, NJ; however, the enrollment necessitated split sessions and I would have had to attend school from 1:00-6:00pm. Since the school was a distance and the winter hours would require that I return home in the dark, my parents enrolled me in the local public high school.
In my high school days, I was an avid CYO basketball player, CCD teacher and Treasurer of the Youth Club in my parish. During my high school days, I toyed with the idea of a religious vocation, but it was not to be immediately after high school. Upon graduating from high school, I enrolled in Seton Hall University and it was during my junior year that Fr. Giles Bello OFM arranged a meeting for me with Sr. Francis Marie, the principal at Our Lady of Holy Angels, Little Falls, New Jersey, the school where I later would become principal. It was shortly after that meeting with sister that I responded to the call and entered the Peekskill Franciscans in 1962, a community that I never knew before that introduction. Eventually, I went on to receive both my Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Education from Seton Hall University.
However, some 60 years later, I have only ministered directly in education for a total of 14 years, 12 at the elementary level and 2 at the college level. I also spent 2 years in service as a Child Care Worker and 2 years as a Physical Plant Manager at our former Motherhouse. Most of my religious life has been in direct service to my community as the Treasurer for a total of 32 years. Simultaneously to some of those 32 years as Treasurer, I spent half of those years also serving in elected leadership as a Councilor. Although a recipient of degrees in education, I surmise that some of these financial skills and abilities were inherited from my father, who was the Controller of Chase Manhattan Bank when he retired.
Currently, I am serving in my 7th year as the Congregation Minister (President) of my community. Besides service within my own community, I have been extensively involved for more than 21 years with Marian Woods, a collaborative independent living facility serving our retired sisters in an inter-community setting. During those years, I have served on a variety of committees; however, I currently serve on the Finance Committee and as Chairperson of the Marian Woods Board of Directors.
Truly, as I reflect back over the years, it has been an incredible journey! I often reflect on a quote attributed to Jessica Taylor: “You may not always end up where you thought you were going. But you will always end up where you were meant to be.”.
April Calendar Raffle
Look for information in the new year about this fundraising event.
Contact Sr. Clare at the Development office if you need more information.
Our Fall Raffle is underway! Get your tickets in to our Congregation Cetner for the Early Bird Drawing on Wednesday, August 9th.
Contact Sr. Clare at the Development office if you need more information.
Sisters at Marian Woods Making Face Masks
If “necessity is the mother of all invention”, then COVID - 19 has sparked a modern age of the most creative and innovative inventions. Large and small factories and cottage industries have re-tooled, and/or adapted their production of mattresses, hockey masks, men’s wear, work clothes, pillows and swimsuits to the production of medical shields, face masks, gowns, gloves and quarantine equipment for first responders who are on the front line of this pandemic.
The Sisters here at Marian Woods have joined the effort and created our own “cottage industry.” The most immediate need was for protective face masks. We found a great pattern on YouTube and under the direction of our Recreation Coordinator, Mary James, we set to work. With well-equipped sewing machines, a top-quality cotton material supply, and a team of talented Sisters we drew, cut, pinned, attached elastic, and ironed about two hundred double layered colorful face masks.
Recipients of these free face masks included: the Marian Woods Staff Personnel, the resident
Sisters, members of our communities, delivery persons, family members and friends with
no available masks in their areas.
As retired religious community members we are always seeking ways – even if those ways are
small and ordinary- to reach out and continue to be of service to our brothers and sisters
wherever needed.
Reflction from Sr. Joanne Piccuro
As pastoral associate at Sacred Heart Church in Haworth, NJ, I have had to make many adjustments in ministering to the parishioners there. I connect volunteers to do food shopping for seniors with those who need this service. I meet with four groups via Zoom -- RCIA, lectors, prayer relay group, and women's spirituality group. The Zoom meetings are held on three different days. We pray the Gospel of the day and do some faith sharing on it. After each meeting, we pray the coronavirus prayer. (See SH bulletin for March 29 for a copy of the prayer). I visit the sick and homebound via phone calls. I also do that for those who grieve the recent loss of a loved one. I do some bereavement counseling. I send them the Care Notes from Abbey Press on dealing with grief. I write a brief reflective thought each week during this lockdown. It is on our parish website (www.sacredhearthaworth.com), as well as in the bulletin. This also gets sent to the 250 people who receive "Bringing Home the Word" (Liguori) through e-mail each week. For those many groups to whom I minister, I keep in touch through e-mail and phone. My goal is that we all stay connected as a parish. They need to know that they are missed and loved. We certainly will appreciate being back together to worship again.
Reflection from Christina Schoen
During this time of quarantine we recently had a father of four young children and their mother, who left the scene quite a few years ago, die from the virus. Their grandparents who live in a townhouse are very ill themselves but have taken the two youngest children including one child who is handicapped. An uncle has moved into the apartment to take on responsibility for the other two children because neither one is eighteen yet. Since the virus restrictions are still in place it looks like we will not have a summer program this year. So, with the funds we raised since last summer the Learning Center was able to make a donation to help with the burial expenses of this 37-year-old father of four and former student of the Learning Center.
Although we got off to a later start due to Covid 19 our fifteen raised gardens are thriving. This is our seventh season that the women who wanted to garden are able to do so.
We receive an annual garden grant from City Green that enables us to purchase seeds, plants, and soil etc. We also received this year a donation of vegetable plants from Williams Nursery.
With Covid 19 we also needed to purchase gloves and small tools for each woman. The women take their supplies back and forth from home. There is no sharing of supplies. To maintain social distancing we asked each woman what two days and times would work for her to come to her garden. We also have Jose from NE Coalition who comes twice a week to instruct and answer questions of our gardeners.
Our women are very ingenious as you can see from the pictures. Most women have added an additional pot or pots alongside their garden. As you can see one woman used red bricks that were stacked along side a building to make another garden.
The women have been taking home for their families lettuce, radishes and herbs. They look forward to harvesting their eggplant, tomatoes, corn, cucumbers and squash.
This is yet another way that the Center enables the women to learn and thus provide nourishing food for their families.
Sr. Elaine Maguire, FSP
Associate Director
Take a moment to look back as to where it all began. Here is a copy of our very FIRST newsletter from 1988. See if you recognize the faces, and fondly remember those who have since passed. How things have changed - clothing and hair styles - but what has remained is our love and devotion to St. Francis.