News
We want to keep you in the loop of what’s happening in the SSJ Erie community. Browse through this section to explore our most recent publications, our Facebook feed, our Jubilarians' bios, and the most recent obituaries of our Sisters who have passed.
Sisters of St. Joseph Commemorate 10th Anniversary of Agrégée Vocation
In 2016, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania accepted nine women as the first Agrégée (ah-greh-ZHEY) members of the congregation. Agrégées are Catholic women called to permanently commit themselves to growing in a closer union with God through Jesus Christ by embracing the Sisters’ mission of unity and by closely connecting with the…
We remember . . . Sally Villa, SSJ
Sister Sally (Sarah) A. Villa, SSJ, age 81, of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania, died on November 17, 2025, in the 38th year of her religious life. She was born in Rochester, New York, on July 19, 1944, the daughter of the late Donald A. and Marion Kraft Gillette. She graduated from…
U.S. Federation of Sisters of St. Joseph National Event
Hundreds of Sisters, Agrégées, Associates and Partners in Mission gathered in Kansas City, MO in July for the U.S. Federation of Sisters of St. Joseph Event which takes place every 5 years. This year’s gathering coincides with the 375th anniversary of the founding of the Sisters of St. Joseph in LePuy, France. The anniversary lent…
We remember . . . Bernadine Gehringer, SSJ
Bernadine Gehringer, SSJ, formerly Sister Mary Michael, 87, of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania, died on June 19, 2025, in the 70th year of her religious life. She was born on September 15, 1937, in Erie to the late Elmer and Agnes Gehringer. Sister Bernadine would recall how, even as a young…
We remember . . . Marilyn Zimmerman, SSJ
Marilyn Zimmerman, SSJ, 90, of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania, died on June 9, 2025, in the 72nd year of her religious life. She was born in Erie, PA, on May 17, 1935, the daughter of the late Louis F. and Bernice (McNulty) Zimmerman. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph from…
Sisters of St. Joseph Celebrate 165 Years of Ministry in the Diocese of Erie
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania are kicking off a celebration of the congregation’s 165th anniversary of ministry in the Erie Diocese this coming weekend, May 24-25. Mother Agnes Spencer, SSJ, the congregation’s foundress and first superior, along with three other Sisters, first arrived in the Erie Diocese on May 24, 1860, in…
PHOTO AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE: (l-r) Eva Mastromatteo of Erie News Now interviews Stephanie Hall, SSJ Associate and Communications Director, and Nancy Fischer, SSJ, as part of a 5-part series during Catholic Sisters Week.
