“There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens.”       Ecclesiastes 3:1-5

Children are at the heart and soul of Sister Jude Marie Talerico’s 60 years of religious life.

A Sister of St. Joseph in Erie, Sister Jude Marie spent 45 years teaching in Catholic schools in the Diocese of Erie. She continues to substitute teach whenever needed.

Born in Bradford, she is the daughter of the late Dominic and Ann (Toven) Talerico. She attended both elementary and high school at St. Bernard and graduated from Villa Maria College, Erie, with a degree in elementary education.

She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph from her home parish of St. Bernard in Bradford.

Her teaching assignments included: St. John, Blessed Sacrament, St. Joseph, St. Paul, and Sacred Heart, all in Erie; St. Brigid, Meadville; and Holy Rosary, Johnsonburg. She also served in ministry caring for babies at St. Joseph’s Home for Children in Erie.

In 2004, she earned an award for 45 years of teaching.

Family is an important part of Sister Jude Marie’s life. She credits her Italian-American upbringing as an early foundation for her Catholic sense of self.

“I was greatly influenced by my parents, of course, but especially by my Italian grandmother. She was always part of my family. I can still recall her attending early daily Mass and she always seemed to have a rosary in her hands,” she says.

Another significant influence was the Sisters of St. Joseph who taught her. She tries to emulate the cheerful dispositions of Sister Mary Pascal, Sister Virginia Ann and Sister Mary Carmel, in particular.

“I always had close contact with the Sisters of St. Joseph from first grade to 12th grade,” she recalls.

Today, Sister Jude Marie is a volunteer in the congregation’s Marycrest division. She visits other sisters, participates in activities with them, and accompanies many of them to appointments.