Jubilarians

Sister Elise Mora came to our Congregation from Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Las Vegas, NM. She first served as an elementary teacher at Holy Trinity School in Moon Run and St. Valentine and St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin schools in Pittsburgh. In the 1960s, she taught Spanish at St. Francis Academy and served as head of the language department for 12 years. In 1981, Sister Elise served as a patient advocate at Our Lady of Mercy Hospital in the Bronx, New York City for seven years, where her fluency in Spanish was an asset. Then she served as an Immigration Counselor in Manhattan and a Pastoral Associate in Chicago. In 1996, she was elected to the General Council and returned to Pittsburgh, where she also served as Liturgy Director and Justice, Peace and Environment Coordinator. During her time in leadership, she also served as an adjunct instructor at St. Vincent College in Latrobe.
In 2006, Sister Elise moved to Olean, NY, and served as an adjunct professor in Languages teaching Spanish at St. Bonaventure University for a decade. Returning to Pittsburgh in 2016, she volunteered as a Spanish teacher at St. Thomas More School and continued efforts to care for the environment and immigrants, including visiting Spanish-speaking inmates at the state prison in Greensburg, PA and teaching English to Cuban refugees at Ft. Indiantown Gap, PA. In 2020, Sister Elise embraced a full-time ministry of Franciscan presence and prayer. Sister Elise holds a B.A. from Carlow University and a Master’s in Spanish from Millersville University. She also earned her M.A. in Religious Studies from Loyola University in Chicago.

Sister Yolanda Maria de Jesus Marcelino was born in Poços de Caldas, a city in the south of Minas Gerais in southeastern Brazil. She joined the Congregation in 1952, professed her first vows in 1957, and earned degrees in Literature and Pedagogy (study of teaching methods and practices). Much of Sister’s ministry has been dedicated to Education in our Congregation’s schools, with most of her ministry spent at Pius XII Franciscan School in São Paulo. She also taught adult literacy programs and co-founded our Saint Clare and Saint Francis of Assisi Social Center in 1993.
Sister Yolanda served in leadership and spent time in the United States while serving on the General Council from 2004-2012. She also served in Formation ministry in Brazil. Fluent in Portuguese and English, Sister Yolanda presently resides at our Generalate in São Paulo, where she assists with translations and administrative support. She also continues to serve as an advisor to our Pius XII Franciscan School.

Sister Hilária de Oliveira entered the Congregation in Brazil at age 15 and made her final profession in 1962. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology. For three decades, Sister Hilária served at our schools in São Paulo as a teacher, treasurer, and guidance counselor, as well as principal at Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Pius XII Franciscan School.
In 1991, Sister Hilária came to the United States to study at Duquesne University. She was missioned to St. James Church in Kearney, NJ where she served in pastoral and liturgical ministry. She then served as a caregiver at our Franciscan Child Day Care Center before returning to Brazil to attend the Center of Franciscan Studies. In 1997, Sister Hilária returned to the United States and was missioned to serve in the Newark Diocese which had a large population of Brazilian immigrants. Parishes she served included St. James Parish in Newark and Sts. Peter and Paul, Blessed Sacrament, and Catherine of Sienna in Elizabeth, where she engaged in pastoral and liturgical ministries that included preparing Masses in Portuguese and assisting with religious education and other needs of Portuguese-speaking parishioners. In 2013, she returned to the Franciscan Child Day Care Center where she served as a caregiver until it closed in 2022. Presently, Sister Hilária serves as a child caregiver at St. Elizabeth Seton Center Child Care in Whitehall.

Sister Joanne Brazinski, a native of Elizabeth, NJ, attended Saints Peter and Paul School before enrolling at St. Francis Academy. After graduation in 1965, she entered the congregation. Sister Joanne served as an educator at Holy Trinity in Moon Run, St. Valentine in Bethel Park and Mt. St. Peter in New Kensington, she then served as Formation Director for women entering the congregation in the USA. In 1983, she was missioned to serve in Boca da Mata, Alagoas, the rural northeast region of Brazil.
In 1988 she was elected to serve in General Leadership, first as General Council, then as Assistant General Superior and afterwards served as General Superior of the congregation from 1996 – 2000, a time of congregational restructuring. During this same period, she also served for three years on the Board of the Franciscan Federation, serving as president from 1999-2000. In 2000, she was elected as General Minister of the newly restructured congregation. After a brief sabbatical in 2004, she served as a spiritual director and facilitator. In 2012, Sister Joanne was elected to serve once again as General Minister of the congregation, during this period the Generalate was transferred from Pittsburgh, PA to São Paulo, Brazil. During this period in leadership, she also served for four years as Councilor of the International Franciscan Conference. In 2021, Sister Joanne had some sabbatical time and now serves in various support ministries.