2024 Jubilarians | Sisters of the Humility of Mary

Sisters of the Humility of Mary

2024 JUBILARIANS

**Sister René Parman, HM**
85th Jubilee

Inspired by the joyful spirit of the HM Sisters who taught her, Sister René Parman, formerly S ister Marie René and the former Faye Parman, decided to enter the HM Community 85 years ago from St. Ignatius Parish in Cleveland, Ohio, when the community, itself, was 85 years old.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in education and her master’s degree from St. John College, which prepared her for her 33 years as a teacher and principal in the Cleveland and Youngstown dioceses. After retiring from teaching, Sister René used her education background when she served as director of educational programs at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Youngstown, Ohio, for 13 years. She then served on the clerical staff at Villa Maria Retreat Center for five years.
From 1996 to 2020, Sister René volunteered in the finance office at Villa Maria Community Center in Villa Maria, Pa. In 2020, she joined the ranks of HM centenarians when she celebrated her 100thbirthday. Never one for idleness, when she isn’t helping someone with a knitting or crochet project, Sister René is regularly on the golf course with her friends.

**Sister Susanne Gill, HM**
75th Jubilee

Sister Susanne Gill, the former Barbara “Bobbie” Gill, is celebrating 75 years as Sister of the Humility of Mary. She entered the HM Community in 1949 from St. Paul’s in North Canton, Ohio. Sister earned her bachelor’s degree in education at St. John College in Cleveland, Ohio, and her master’s degree in education from Purdue University.
She served in active ministry for 47 years as an elementary school teacher and principal, as adirector of religious education, and as a pastoral minister. She currently serves in the HM Prayer Ministry and volunteers wherever needed at Villa Maria Community Center in Villa Maria, Pa.
Sister Susanne had the honor of being inducted into North Canton High School’s Hall of Distinction in 2013. She has been so blessed in so many ways with the spiritual and loving help of family, friends, and all those she has served and who have served her. Gratitude is the word that best describes her 75 years, and she thanks God for her vocation as a Sister of the Humility of Mary.

**Sister Margaret Burgess, HM**
70th Jubilee

Sister Margaret Burgess, formerly Sister Monica, is celebrating 70 years in the HM Community. She entered from St. Patrick Parish in Kent, Ohio, and professed her perpetual vows in 1959.
A 1948 graduate of Kent State University High School, she completed her bachelor’s degree in education at St. John College in Cleveland in 1968. Sister Margaret has ministered as an elementary teacher in parish schools in the Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Youngstown dioceses.
After 41 years in the classroom she ventured into the ministry of hospitality as co-manager and then director of the former HM Guest House at St. Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown, where she served for 23 years.
She currently shares her wisdom, wit, and witticisms while serving in the HM Ministry of Prayer at Villa Maria Community Center in Villa Maria, Pa.

**Sister Jane Pank, HM**
70th Jubilee

Sister Jane Pank, formerly Sister Francis Xavier, entered the HM Community from St. Clement Parish in Lakewood, Ohio, in 1954. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame College and a master’s degree from Marquette University.
Having been a teacher, counselor, and director for so many years, she was delighted to end her ministerial service as a volunteer with newly arrived migrants at Mary’s House, an HM-supported community of single moms with children, in the Cleveland area under the sponsorship of Catholic Charities.
Along the way, she has been privileged to meet and work with many partners in ministry of differing origins and communities. After 70 years, she is overwhelmingly indebted to all for what has been given and is enjoying community life at Villa Maria Community Center in Villa Maria, Pa.

**Sister Catherine Cassidy**
70th Jubilee

Sister Catherine Cassidy entered the HM Community 70 years ago from St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Parma, Ohio, and professed her perpetual vows in 1959. She received her bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame College in Cleveland, Ohio; her master’s degree from Notre Dame University in South Bend, Ind.; and her juris doctorate from the University of Akron.
After teaching high school in Ashtabula and Cleveland, she ministered in Cleveland’s inner city in the 1960s and 1970s. Her law practice focused on the poor. She went on to minister to immigrants in Florida for more than 35 years, providing legal assistance and fighting for “just and humane immigration laws and practices” at Florida Rural Legal Services and Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center in Fort Pierce, and with the children’s program at AI Justice in Miami.
Sister Catherine currently serves in the HM Prayer Ministry at Villa Maria Community Center in Villa Maria, Pa.

Other Milestones

**Sister Mary Therese Berry, HM**
65 Years

**Sister Carolyn Marshall, HM**
65 Years

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Catholic Sisters of Western PA

A Collaborative Effort of the Catholic Sisters Leadership Council, Catholic Sisters of Western PA is designed to promote understanding of women religious, serving serving western Pennsylvania both within their individual congregations and throughout the broader community, advancing their mission and service to those in need.