The April 20 edition of The Valley Catholic featured Women Religious in the Diocese of San Jose, highlighting the history and ministries of several congregations. Also active in the diocese are several Sisters of Mercy:
• History
Eight adventurous Sisters of Mercy left Kinsale, Ireland and landed in San Francisco Dec. 8, 1854. Their leader, 25-year-old Mary Baptist Russell, led the small band first into healthcare, as they nursed the city through the cholera epidemic the next year.
Their ministries branched out into protection and education of young women, care of the elderly, prison ministry, and education. These Sisters were soon joined by other young women.
The Sisters of Mercy expanded their ministries into education, housing, eldercare, pastoral work, ministry to immigrants and social work.
• Sisters in DSJ
Individual Sisters have often brought their special skills to a ministry, as reflected in the following list of those who currently minister in the diocese.
• Sister Pat Galli is a Retreat and Spiritual Director.
• Sister Lenore Greene is a social worker with Santa Clara County Social Services. She works with foster youth and her caseload includes family reunification and permanency planning cases.
She is also a member of the Human Trafficking Taskforce of Santa Clara County and a member of the Bay Area Catholic Sisters Coalition Against Human Slavery.
• Sister Marilyn Lacey is founder and director of Mercy Beyond Borders, founded in 2008, which works with displaced women in extreme poverty. Their first site is southern Sudan.
Sister Marilyn previously served for 20 years as director of the Refugee Resettlement Program of Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County.
• Sister Mary Peter
McCusker serves as Parish Nurse at Most Holy Trinity Parish, San Jose and was founder of the Day Worker’s Job Center in San Jose in 1993.
She works in the clinic once a week to assess health needs and direct people to more medical care.
• Sister Ana Maria Pineda is associate professor of Hispanic theology at Santa Clara University and teaches courses in the Religious Studies department. She is also active in national endeavors with Latino/Hispanic Theology and Pastoral Ministry.
• Sister Eloise Rosenblatt is an attorney in private practice in San Jose in employment law, elder law and wills and trusts.
She is on the adjunct teaching faculty at Lincoln Law School, in constitutional law. She is also a theologian who works in adult education Biblical studies.
• Sister Maria Juanita van Bommel tutors and is presently in the ministry of prayer. She formerly served as an instructional assistant at St. John the Baptist School and in prison ministry at Santa Clara County jail.
• Sister Diana Petz has been until recently a pastoral associate of the Hispanic Community at St. Athanasius Parish, Mountain View. She has retired and is a jubilarian this year.