Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament will honor nine jubilarians in a Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Patrick Church, 3350 South Alameda, Corpus Christi, on Saturday, May 10 at 10:30 a.m. A reception will follow the Mass at the James R. Dougherty Center, 450 Chamberlain, on the Incarnate Word campus.

Incarnate Word sisters celebrating jubilees of religious profession this year are Sister Mary Anselm Till, 75 years professed; celebrating 60 years of profession are Sisters Mary Lelia Aguilar, Colette Brehony, Camelia Herlihy, Evelyn Morales, Teresita Rodriguez, Martha Ann Snapka and Mary Vianney Uyeno; and celebrating 50 years of profession is Sister Elizabeth Close.

Sister Anselm, due to health reasons, will not be able to attend the ceremony, but will be remembered at Mass. Since she entered the congregation in 1937 she has served a lifetime of dedication and faithful service in Catholic schools throughout south Texas.

The seven Sisters who have completed 60 years of consecrated life entered the convent in 1952 and in the spring of 1953 they celebrated the centennial of the Incarnate Word Congregation in America. They were a witness to the blending of nationalities and cultures in the band of women who answered the call of Jesus, the Incarnate Word.

They came from Ireland, Texas, New York and Hawaii, and had nationality roots in the Czech, Irish, Mexican and Japanese cultures. Their contributions in service to the faithful in the dioceses of Brownsville and Corpus Christi have included teaching, administration and counseling in the parish and IWBS Congregational schools and in the religious education of children in various parishes of south Texas.

Sister Elizabeth came from Ireland in 1961 and professed first vows in 1964. She is certified in special education and in Montessori education. She was missioned to Kenya, Africa in 1990 and taught at St. Xavier’s Secondary School in Nakura for seven years. She also taught in elementary schools in the dioceses of Brownsville and Corpus Christi. She currently teaches in the Incarnate Word Academy Montessori program.

The cumulative total of service these nine Sisters have given to the Church exceeds 545 years.

Three of the sisters celebrating, Sister Evelyn, Sister Teresita and Sister Vianney, are presently serving in the Diocese of Brownsville. They and the other jubilarians will be honored at a Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Mary’s Church, Brownsville, on Saturday, Aug. 2.