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.

Meet SSJ Associate Fr. Dennis Martin

| May 4, 2020

Fr. Dennis claims Pittsburgh, PA as his hometown where he was educated by the Sisters of Charity. He credits the sisters and the priests of his parish for his vocation. In 1975, he was ordained as a Marianist priest and was accepted into the Erie diocese in 1984. He served at St. George Parish for…

A Call to Postpone the DACA Decision

| March 30, 2020

Plaintiffs in one of the cases challenging the termination of DACA recently filed a letter with the Supreme Court asking them to consider the real-world consequences of the COVID-19 global health crisis for more than 700,000 DACA recipients and their families – including their 256,000 U.S. citizen children. The letter argues that if the Court…

we remember . . . Mary Arlene Menz, SSJ

| March 19, 2020

Sister Mary Arlene Menz, SSJ, age 94, of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania, died on March 19, 2020. She was in the 73rd year of her religious life. Born in Erie, Pennsylvania, on November 10, 1925, the daughter of the late Arthur and Marie Kloecker Menz, she entered the Sisters of St….

Support for those affected by Coronavirus

| March 17, 2020

Take action to urge your senators to support first steps in responding to the COVID-19 crisis. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act provides paid leave, establishes free coronavirus testing, supports strong unemployment benefits, expands food assistance for vulnerable children and families, protects frontline health workers, and provides additional funding to states for the ongoing economic…

Catholic Sisters Week helps promote understanding of women religious

| March 10, 2020

Catholic Sisters Week is March 8 through March 14 As communications directors for congregations of Catholic sisters, it can be challenging to shine the spotlight on these extraordinary women and their stories. But what would seem to be an easy task is made difficult by the sisters’ deep-rooted humility and avoidance of any accolades. They…

Help Reduce Gun Deaths

| February 25, 2020

In 1966, faced with rapidly rising motor vehicle-related injuries and deaths on our roads, the National Highway Safety Bureau (NHSB) was created to promote and implement safety technology and practices, such as seat belt use, as well as to support research into causes and contributing factors. This approach has been credited with reducing motor vehicle…

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.