Sister Veronica Mittal, SSJ, formerly known as Sister Andrene, was born in Masury, Ohio, but grew up in Sharon.

The daughter of Andrew and Mary (Dacey) Mittal, she attended Sacred Heart School in Sharon, where she was taught by Benedictine Sisters. She graduated from Brookfield High School in nearby Brookfield, Ohio, and attended religious education classes taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph.

“I was always influenced by my mother’s prayer life growing up, but itwasn’t until late in high school in Brookfield that I seriously felt the call to religious life. It was the kindness and caring of sisters and friends that greatly impressed me,” she says. “The sisters taught me to trust God’s ways—that everything will be all right.God has placed many people in my life for whom I am most grateful.”

She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph from Sacred Heart Parish in Sharon. Sister Veronica received her bachelor’s degree from Villa Maria College, Erie,and continued studies at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and Ohio State University.

Sister Veronica taught at schools in the Diocese of Erie and in Columbus,Ohio, for nearly 40 years. Most of those years were spent at Sacred Heart and Blessed Sacrament schools in Erie. Her dedication to teaching was always appreciated by parents and parishioners.

Before officially retiring from active ministry, Sister Veronica managed the Heritage Apartments, a ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph. She also served as housekeeping director at the sisters’ Community Living Center in Erie.

Currently, she volunteers at Saint Vincent Hospital.