SAN DIEGO — “Not every diocese sponsors such a gathering, and its existence here is a testament to the deep respect and high esteem in which the bishops of the Diocese of San Diego have long held the women religious who serve so generously in our Local Church.”
That is how Sister Kathy Warren, OSF, described the 26th Annual Bishop’s Appreciation and Jubilee Celebration for Women Religious, to be held on Saturday, Feb. 28, at the diocesan Pastoral Center.
Continuing a tradition that began under his predecessors, Bishop Michael Pham will welcome the religious sisters of the diocese for Mass, followed by a festive luncheon. Auxiliary Bishop Felipe Pulido will preside at this year’s Mass.
“This annual event, sponsored by our bishops — both current and past — is a truly wonderful celebration,” said Sister Warren, who heads the diocesan Office for Women Religious.
“This gathering is a moment of blessing, faithfulness and profound gratitude to the God who calls each of us and sustains us in our ministries. Joined by our bishops, we rejoice in the privilege of continuing to help build the Reign of God in this corner of the world, ever mindful of the many collaborators who have walked with us over the years,” she added.
About 70 religious sisters and their guests, representing many of the 28 congregations present in the diocese, are expected to attend this year’s event.
A highlight of the annual gathering is the recognition of those religious sisters who are celebrating milestone, or jubilee, anniversaries in religious life.
This year’s jubilarians include four who are celebrating 60 years – Sisters Mary Jo Piccione, SP, Mary Waskowiak, RSM, Virginia Sturgeon, SSND, and Cora Weismantel, SSND; one celebrating 50 years – Sister Angela Cardoso, CSC; and two celebrating 25 years – Sisters Maria del Cielo Gudiño, MC, and Candida Massabo, HMSBS.
Three of them shared their stories with us:
Sister Mary Jo Piccione
Sister Piccione was born in 1948 in Indianapolis, Indiana. She was the second of seven children in her Irish/Italian family.
After her graduation from high school in 1966, she entered the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Education and Religious Studies.
In 1976, she went on to receive a degree in Nursing from the University of Indianapolis.
Sister Piccione professed first vows in 1969 and final vows in 1978.
She then ministered as head nurse in her community’s infirmary.
In 1984, Sister Piccione was missioned to California, where she was blessed to minister with and to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange and the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary in hospitals, clinics and other outreach programs.
She then moved to Washington, D.C., where she first ministered at the archdiocesan nursing home and later responded to a call for nurses to minister with Health Care for the Homeless in shelters and outreach programs.
Returning to Los Angeles in 1993, Sister Piccione ministered with L.A. County Public Health’s TB/HIV program in East L.A. for the next eight years. At the invitation of the hospital chaplain, she joined the Pastoral Care Team at St. Jude Hospital in Fullerton, California, where she served for eight years, before moving on to St. Mary’s Hospital in Apple Valley for the next 13 years.
In 2022, Sister Piccione joined with other religious sisters in San Diego to apply for a grant from the Hilton Foundation ministering to those who lived alone. This ministry provided the privilege of collaborating with members of other congregations.
Her most recent calling is with the Pastoral Care Team at Scripps Mercy Hospitals in Hillcrest and Chula Vista.
Sister Piccione believes her life experiences and missions have led her to be a healing presence. Her gifts of family and friends and community have allowed her to be an instrument of God’s providence and to live out her community charisms of love, mercy and justice.
Sister Virginia Sturgeon
Sister Sturgeon settled in La Mesa with her family in 1952. She and her brothers attended St. Martin of Tours Academy, where they were taught by the School Sisters of Notre Dame.
In 1964, after graduating from the Preparatory Institute of Notre Dame in Sunland, California, she entered the School Sisters of Notre Dame on Aug. 15.
After completing university studies and teaching in Illinois, Missouri and Los Angeles, Sister Sturgeon returned to San Diego to teach at University of San Diego High School, then later for the San Diego Unified School District at Horace Mann Middle School and Scripps Ranch High School. She also has served as an administrator at San Diego and Mira Mesa high schools.
From 2016 to 2023, she mentored aspiring teachers during their semesters of supervised practice as part of their credential programs at the University of San Diego, San Diego State University and National University.
Currently, she shares her love of creation, especially the wild places of San Diego, as a volunteer for the Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation, as well as an occasional trail guide. She continues to explore San Diego’s wild places with her family, with other sisters, and with friends in the San Diego Hiking Club.
Sister Mary Waskowiak
Sister Waskowiak was born in 1948 in San Francisco, California. She grew up in the Bay Area and entered the Sisters of Mercy in Burlingame, California, in 1966.
She professed first vows in 1969 at Mercy Convent in Burlingame and final vows in 1975 at St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco.
Sister Waskowiak’s ministries have included secondary education, vocation and new membership for the Sisters of Mercy, director of the Mercy Spirituality Center in Burlingame, elected leadership with the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, spiritual direction and executive leadership coaching.
Currently, Sister Waskowiak is the founding director of Casa de Misericordia, an intentional community in San Diego. Her primary focus is immigration and the needs of migrant persons.
For more information about the women religious of the Diocese of San Diego, visit sdcatholic.org/women-religious.
