Sister Frances Therese Matia, SSJ, believes her vocation came from the example of her parents who were strong, practicing Catholics. “We attended Mass together as a family, the sacrament of reconciliation monthly, Stations of the Cross and prayed the rosary together,” Sister Frances Therese recalls. “The words from the hymn, What Wondrous Love remind me of my wonderful years at home with my family that formed me in choosing my vocation.  Attending public school, she only became acquainted with a sister who came from Pittsburgh for a week each summer to teach religion to the children of her native area of Chesterfield. Her parents, along with that one week of instruction, were the basis of being prepared to receive the sacraments, she says. “Our guidance counselor, Miss Genevieve Brunovsky, took a group of the girls to the beach in Erie, then to visit the cathedral and the convents;’ Sister Frances Therese says. “That was the only encounter I had with convents before entering:’ After a visit to Erie, she remembers returning home from Mass one Sunday, bringing up the subject of entering the convent. At first, not much was said. However, after some discussion, the decision was made to look into convent life more. “And here I am 60 years later;’ Sister Frances Therese says. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph from Christ the King Parish in Houtzdale in 1958 and made her final profession in 1966.