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St. Joseph's honors sisters of parish

The Sisters of Christian Charity staffed St. Joseph's Regional Academy in Jim Thorpe for 134 years and are viewed as the backbone of the town's St. Joseph Parish.

On Sunday, around 20 sisters were honored during a commemorative Mass at the church followed by an outdoor picnic.According to Pat Hydro, the parish wanted to honor the sisters' religious service in connection with Pope Francis' declaration of 2015 as a celebration of a Year of Consecrated Life."The Sisters of Christian Charity really co-founded our parish," Hydro said. "Some of them spent their whole life here. In fact, five of them are buried right up in our cemetery. We wanted to do something to pay them a special tribute," she said.Sister Geralyn Haggerty, a Jim Thorpe resident, taught for eight years at the school. It may be her lucky number as it was in the eighth grade when she decided to pursue a life of religious service."The Lord's call is mysterious," she said. "There are such wonderful people in the parish. The Sisters have been gone from here since 2007, but the parish has done an incredible job of carrying on our mission."During his homily, the Rev. Francis Baransky called the Sisters "a precious gift to the church.""The church is a better place for your presence," he told them. "Your religious efforts and ministry continue to nourish many people in many different places. You have answered a call to service and we thank you."Five members of the Sisters of Charity who died while serving in Jim Thorpe are buried in Saint Joseph Cemetery.Sister Ursula Germann, Sister Oswalda Wagemann, Sister Eustachia Kranz, Sister Willibrorda Lutkehaus and Sister Landeberta Demuth were honored during a ceremony later Sunday at the cemetery.Germann was assigned to Mauch Chunk to help in school in 1877.After being assigned to the kitchen in Philadelphia, Wagemann came to Mauch Chunk in 1883 to help with housekeeping.Kranz fell ill in 1887 while in Philadelphia and her doctor advised a change in climate. She moved to Mauch Chunk in 1888 for "fresh mountain air."Lutkehaus came to the area in 1889 after stints in Newark, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Scranton and Syracuse.A later arrival to Mauch Chunk, Demuth "gained the love and respect of children and their parents" when she came in 1913."These women sacrificed the comfort of family life for the austerity of the convent and the challenges of the classroom," Hydro said. "They left Germany never to return again."Baransky hoped the message of Sunday's celebration may reach out to the younger generation."We hope and pray for more vocations to religious life," he said. "God has blessed us and we pray he continues to call men and women to priesthood and religious life, and that they will answer that call."

JARRAD HEDES/TIMES NEWS Sister Geralyn Haggerty,right, of Jim Thorpe, was one of around 20 members of the Sisters of Charity to attend a Mass and picnic in their honor Sunday at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Jim Thorpe. Haggerty taught for eight years at St. Joseph Regional Academy. Pictured with Haggerty is her mother, Marjorie.