WINSTON-SALEM — After a combined 80 years of service, three Sisters of St. Joseph will retire from St. Leo School and Bishop McGuinness High School at the end of June.
TateSister Anne Thomas Taylor, Sister John Christopher “JC” Tate and Sister Emma Yondura have been called to return to the Sisters of St. Joseph’s motherhouse in Chestnut Hill, Pa., near Philadelphia, the religious order’s leader announced “with both sadness and gratitude” in a recent letter to Bishop Peter Jugis.
Noting their years of service – and the Sisters of St. Joseph’s central role in founding both schools – Congregational President Sister Maureen Erdlen, SSJ, told the bishop it was with “both sadness and gratitude” that she shared this decision. “It seems that once they arrive in North Carolina, our sisters never want to leave – a sentiment I know you can well appreciate.”
Sister Erdlen said the retirement is necessary so the religious community can attend to the sisters’ long-term care needs.
“We are grateful for the kindness and care these sisters, and their predecessors, have provided for generations of students,” parish and school leaders said in a joint announcement March 5. “Since their arrival to the diocese in 1943, the Sisters of St. Joseph have been integral to the founding and flourishing of our schools: Villa Maria Anna Academy in 1949, St. Leo School in 1953 and Bishop McGuinness High School in 1959.”
“The sisters have been role models for what it means to give oneself to others through a vocation to religious life,” said the joint announcement, signed by Bishop McGuinness’ chaplain Father Noah Carter and Interim Principal George Boschini, and St. Leo’s pastor Father Christopher Gober and Principal Gary Callus. “Their charism as Sisters of St. Joseph has been more than teaching – they have imbued our schools with love for God and others. Throughout their years of service, the sisters have become members of our families, taught thousands of students, mentored fellow teachers, and exemplified Christian discipleship.”
YonduraSister Yondura has taught in the Diocese of Charlotte for four decades, first at St. Ann School in Charlotte from 1973 to 1978. She then taught at St. Leo School from 1981 to 1987, and returned in 1992. First-graders have been her love since she began teaching, and multiple generations of students have passed through her classroom. In 2015, she retired from teaching first grade and since then has run the afterschool program.
“It is with tears in my eyes that I prepare to leave,” Sister Yondura told the Catholic News Herald. She said she would keep praying for students, and hopes for their prayers in return. “I want them to do the best that they can do, as God is calling them to do,” she said.
Sister Taylor came to Bishop McGuinness in 1996, serving first as a music teacher, then for 20 years as dean of students. She also helped build up the school’s theater arts offerings from an extracurricular program into its own department.
The high school “is a wonderful, wonderful place,” Sister Taylor said. “It’s sad that our presence will not be there physically, but the spirit of the Sisters of
St. Joseph will always be there. Our charism, the hospitality and the warmth will always be there.”
Sister Tate came to Bishop McGuinness in 2001. She taught chemistry full-time for many years, then served as a substitute teacher in the science department and as attendance coordinator.
Taylor
“I’ve really enjoyed teaching, and I love Bishop,” she said, but after 57 years in education, she added wryly, “I figured it was time to hang up my school shoes and go on to something different.”
In the announcement from the Sisters of St. Joseph, Sister Erdlen said the order does not have anyone available to replace the three sisters. School leaders said they “are exploring ways to continue our relationship through periodic visits and special projects.”
Other Sisters of St. Joseph continue to serve in the diocese: Sister Joan William Pearson, a former student of both St. Leo and Bishop McGuinness who has served the Hispanic community in North Carolina since 1996; Sister Janis McQuade, pastoral associate at St. Stephen Church in Elkin since 2006; and Sister Geri Rogers, who taught at Our Lady of Mercy School in Winston-Salem for 17 years before becoming the principal in 2007.
— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, Editor
Endowment being established
Bishop McGuinness High School is establishing a “Sisters of St. Joseph Endowment.” If you are interested in contributing to this fund in honor of the Sisters of St. Joseph, please contact Katie Williams, the school’s director of advancement, at 336-564-1009 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.