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Eight Sisters of Life professed final vows on Aug. 6, the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Archbishop Charles Brown, apostolic nuncio to Albania who was ordained a priest of the archdiocese, served as principal celebrant at the Mass at the Basilica of St. John the Evangelist in Stamford, Conn.
Sister Talitha Guadalupe, S.V., 32, was raised in Silt, Colo., and attended Sacred Heart of Jesus parish. She earned a bachelor’s in theology from the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minn. Before entering the Sisters of Life in 2007, she was a student who spent her summers walking with the Missionaries of the Eucharist from Minnesota to Pennsylvania and Maine to Washington, D.C. She currently serves at Sacred Heart of Jesus Convent in Manhattan, a respite where pregnant women, vulnerable to abortion, live side-by-side with the sisters, allowing them a place to rest and to grow in their authentic identity as women and mothers. The daughter of Les and Margaret Simms, she has two sisters and a brother.
Sister Cecilia Rose, S.V., 37, was raised in Chico, Calif., and attended St. John the Baptist parish. She graduated from the University of Portland in Oregon with a degree in theology. Before entering the Sisters of Life in 2009, she worked for NET Ministries-National Evangelization Teams. She currently serves at Sacred Heart of Jesus Convent in Manhattan. The daughter of Jim and Janice Carleton, she has three brothers.
Sister Faustina Maria Pia, S.V., 34, was raised in Somers, Conn., and attended All Saints parish. She graduated from the Franciscan University of Steubenville with a degree in human services and from Springfield Technical Community College with an R.N. degree. Before entering the Sisters of Life in 2009, she worked for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Hartford, Conn. and for Northwest Airlines. She currently assists the community’s vocations director. She is the youngest of eight children (and twin to Gertrud) of Dr. Germain and Ortrud Bianchi.
Sister Mariana Benedicta, S.V., 33, was raised in Los Alamos, N.M., and attended Immaculate Heart of Mary parish. She graduated from Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., with a degree in chemistry. Before entering the Sisters of Life in 2009, she served as a campus missionary with FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) at the University of Vermont in Burlington and at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Md. She currently serves in the Visitation Mission in Manhattan, where she accompanies women whose pregnancies have created a crisis in their lives, seeking to bring them the support they need to choose life for themselves and their children. The daughter of Francisco Uribe and Cheryl Wampler, she has two brothers and a sister.
Sister Gianna Maria, S.V., 31, was raised in Wilmington, Del., and attended St. John the Beloved parish. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Before entering the Sisters of Life in 2010, she worked as a registered nurse at Nemours duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington. She currently serves as an assistant at the Postulant Formation House. She is the fifth of seven children of Michael and Mary Solomon.
Sister Monica Marie, S.V., 31, grew up in Anmore, British Columbia, and attended Our Lady of the Assumption parish in Port Coquitlam in the Vancouver area. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. Before entering the Sisters of Life in 2010, she was a registered nurse in a post-surgical unit. She currently serves in the Visitation Mission in Manhattan. The daughter of Bruce and Maureen Currie, she has six siblings.
Sister Maria Regina Immaculata, S.V., 30, was raised in Ann Arbor, Mich., where she attended St. Francis of Assisi and St. Thomas the Apostle parishes. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Mich. In college, she was involved with the Students for Life group and president of the Catholic Society. She first met the Sisters of Life at World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, in 2008 and entered the congregation two years later, after graduation. She currently serves in novitiate formation at the motherhouse. The daughter of Dr. David and Marie Williams, she has four younger siblings.
Sister Marie Veritas, S.V., 30, was raised in Edmonton, Alberta, and attended St. Andrew parish in Edmonton. Before entering the Sisters of Life in 2010, she completed her degree in biological sciences and English at the University of Alberta. She currently serves in the Visitation Mission in Toronto; assists in retreats and evangelization in Canada and contributes to the Sisters of Life publication, IMPRINT. She is the eldest of four children of Raymond and Dr. Diane Severin.
Seven Sisters of Life professed first vows Aug. 4 at Villa Maria Guadalupe in Stamford. Bishop Frank Caggiano of Bridgeport offered the Mass of Profession.
They are: Sister Mary Casey O’Connor, S.V., 35, of Littleton, Colo.; Sister Mary Grace, S.V., 28, of Sydney, Australia; Sister Fidelity Grace, S.V., 28, of Oakdale, Minn.; Sister Gaudia Maria Magdalena, S.V., 27, of Ottawa, Ontario; Sister Zélie Maria Louis, S.V., 26, of Waterloo, Iowa; Sister Ann Immaculée, S.V., 25, of Owatonna, Minn. and Sister Catherine Joy Marie, S.V., 25, of Stamford, Conn.
