Marjorie Adams, SSJ
Formerly Sister Agatha
70-year Jubilee

Sister Marjorie Adams first became acquainted with the religious life while living and studying at Villa Maria College. The spirit and spirituality of the Sisters of St. Joseph, exemplified by joy, dedication, and concern for others, led her to discern God’s call and to become a member of the congregation. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1951 from her home parish, St. John the Evangelist in Girard, PA, and professed her final vows in 1956.

Sister Marjorie attended Rice Avenue Union High School in Girard and Villa Maria College in Erie. She taught at Holy Rosary School in Erie before later attending Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, where she earned a BS in Pharmacy. Following graduation, she served as Chief Pharmacist at Saint Vincent Hospital in Erie and later as Pharmacy Director, Purchasing Agent and Materials Manager at Spencer Hospital in Meadville, PA. She then ministered at Saint Mary’s Home of Erie as a nurse aide before continuing her education at PACE University to become a Nurse Practitioner. 

She ministered as a Nurse Practitioner-Coordinator at Booker T. Washington Center, Martin Luther King Center, and Community Health Net, all in Erie, and then served as a school nurse in the Erie School District.  

“As a nurse practitioner, I worked with infants and children. They are the love of my life,” Sister Marjorie says. “They are life-giving, honest, and joyful.”

In her retirement, Sister Marjorie volunteers in the nursery at the Saint Vincent Child care center. She is busy gardening, caring for plants, cooking, knitting, visiting the sick, reading, and praying.  

Sister Marjorie Adams believes her sustaining inspiration is the simple life of Jesus as written in the gospels. She considers His teachings, as in the words of Matthew: “For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat…” to be her guide for living, working, praying, and developing relationships.