Former Religious Name: Sister Joseph Therese

Home Parish: St. Luke, Erie, PA

Sister Phyllis Hilbert, SSJ, (formerly Sister Joseph Therese) has dedicated her life to serving others, inspired by the example of her parents, Joseph (Tex), a police officer, and Mary, a nurse. Their commitment to caring for those in need, along with the influence of the Sisters of St. Joseph and her brother, Father Tex Hilbert, helped shape her vocation. Born in Erie, Pennsylvania, Sister Phyllis attended St. John the Baptist Elementary School and graduated from Villa Maria Academy. She continued her education at Fordham University in New York, Gannon College in Erie, and Villa Maria College in Erie.

Sister Phyllis first recognized her call to religious life during a retreat in her junior year at Villa Maria Academy. As the retreat director, Msgr. Nash, spoke about vocations, Sr Phyllis began to sense that God might be inviting her to become a Sister. “This experience has always remained with me,” she recalls. The example of her parents’ service to their family and anyone in need nurtured that initial invitation. She was also inspired by the Sisters of St. Joseph, whose shared dedication to God and service helped her recognize how much more she could accomplish alongside other women committed to the same mission. Reflecting on her vocation, she describes being “seized by love”—accepting God’s love and freely responding by offering her life in return.

Throughout her religious life, Sister Phyllis has served in a variety of educational, pastoral, and social ministries. She taught at Our Lady of Peace, Villa Maria Elementary, and Blessed Sacrament schools in Erie, as well as St. Leo School in Ridgway and St. Bernard School in Bradford. She also taught religious education at several parishes in the Meadville area and at Holy Rosary Parish in Erie. She later served as Assistant Religious Education Director for the Diocese of Erie and as Associate Director of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine.

One particularly significant chapter of her ministry was five years spent as a missionary in Arusha, Tanzania, in East Africa. There, she served as Director of Religious Education for the Diocese of Arusha and helped train and mentor an African Sister to assume that leadership role. She also served as co-director of MWEDI, a teacher-training program. Her missionary experience reflected her commitment to strengthening others and helping local leaders continue their work of faith formation.

After returning to the Erie Diocese, Sister Phyllis focused on supporting women in need through Community House for Women, a ministry founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph. During this period, she also served on the congregation’s leadership team, co-directed Bethany Ministries, and founded Erie DAWN (Dwelling Advocacy for Women in Need). In 2006, she joined the Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Network (SSJNN) as a Housing and Family Advocate, where she continues to be involved today.  Across her many experiences, Sister Phyllis has brought natural leadership, a delightful sense of humor, and a strong commitment to justice and the dignity of every person.

Sister Phyllis draws inspiration from the Sisters of St. Joseph, her family, and the many volunteers with whom she has served. She credits their generosity and example with continually renewing her own commitment to service. She also finds spiritual meaning in Matthew 25:31–46, John 17:20–21, and the chapter on ministry in the Sisters of St. Joseph Constitutions. These teachings reinforce her belief that loving one’s neighbor is a way of loving God and that community makes it possible to respond more fully to the needs of others.

Prayer and the Eucharist remain central to Sister Phyllis’s spiritual life. She believes prayer grounds people in God’s love, keeps them focused on their vocation, and provides the strength to follow the Spirit. “Without prayer my energy is depleted and my life becomes unfocused,” she explains. The peace and certainty she experienced when first discerning her call continue to sustain her, alongside the support of her community, family, and friends.

Sister Phyllis finds a fitting expression of her vocation in the words of Jesuit Father Julius Nepper’s Portrait of a Sister of St. Joseph, which describes a woman with “eyes open and ears attentive to the sufferings of the world,” her “spirit alert,” and her “sleeves rolled up for ministry.” These words reflect the active, compassionate service that has characterized her life. Grateful for her health and the opportunity to continue her ministry with the Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Network, Sister Phyllis hopes to live life as fully as possible, remaining attentive to the needs of her neighbors and faithful to the call that has guided her for nearly seven decades.