Sr. Margaret Mc Peak, D.W.
and Sr. Marie Immaculata Vane, D.W.
Recognized for 70 Years of Consecrated Life.
On Sunday, February, 1,
2015 in a mass celebrated
by Rev. Bob Smith, of St.
James R. C. Church, in
Setauket, NY, a special
blessing was given to Sr.
Margaret Mc Peak, D.W.
and Sr. Marie Immaculata
Vane, D.W. both of whom
renewed their commitment as Daughters of
Wisdom before the parish, sisters of the congregation, and Daughters of
Wisdom, USA Provincial
Leader, Sr. Catherine
Sheehan, D.W. who received their renewed
vows.
During this year– The Year of Consecrated Life, a time when men and women throughout the world
are being called to renewal of religious life, both sisters were recognized for their journeys of 70
years. From her experience in many various school systems as an educator and administrator, Sr.
Margaret Mc Peak began her work in parish ministry responsible for adult faith formation. Most recently, at age 90, she remains active at St. James R. C. Church in Setauket, NY moderating a small
women’s group.
Similarly, for Sr. Marie Immaculata Vane, 89,
whose 56 year career in education as a teacher
and administrator ended at age 76, she began
and ended her career in New York. Her journey,
started in 1945 at St. Charles Hospital in Port
Jefferson, NY in public education during the Polio epidemic, would eventually come full circle
where she’d conclude her career teaching on
Long Island at Mercy High School in Riverhead. In between she taught in Connecticut,
Maine, and was the principal and superior in
Springfield, Virginia. At 89 years old, although
retired, Sr. Marie is still active, and from time to
is called on as a translator of French. Beyond that, she is doing something she has long looked forward to in her retirement, and that is to be able to just Pray.
At the mass Sr. Margaret McPeak reflected on the significance of such a milestone in her life especially as it coincides with the Year of Consecrated Life, recalling the words of St. John Paul II, “You have
not only a glorious history to remember and recount, but also a great history still to be accomplished. Look to the future, where the Spirit is sending you in order to do even better things.” And, she
included in this the growing need to “recognize laity
and how their importance cannot be separated from
the fact that a call to service and to holiness is rooted
in our baptism; … and that laity must take their places with the priests to build and nourish the church,
the people of God.
Scroll down to read the full content of Sr. Margaret
Mc Peak’s Jubilee Reflection.
Pictured (L-R) are Srs. Joan Canfield, Catherine Sheehan, Margaret McPeak, Marie Immaculata Vane,
Virginia Dunne, Margaret Kelliher, Cathleen Murtha and Dianne Capozzi.