Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul renew vows, observe patronal feast day
Sisters Josna and Vinaya of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul teach preschoolers at De Paul Academy in High Point.HIGH POINT — Fueled by prayer and the sacraments, the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul pour themselves out for those in need in the Triad, cementing the bonds of God and community through their indefatigable charity.
From Mananthavady – a city in the Wayanad District in Kerala State, India – Sisters Christie Kunnel, Josna, Vinaya, Praveena, Agnes Maria and Elsa Tom now live at St. Vincent’s Convent in a rural area near the High Point city limits. They call Christ the King Church their home parish while serving other nearby Catholic churches and the wider community in multitudinous ways.
“We are so happy to be here,” says Sister Christie. “Serving Our Lord in this way brings us great joy.”
FILLING SPIRITUAL AND MATERIAL NEEDS
The sisters prepare for and participate in liturgical services for the church by arranging flowers in the sanctuary, washing and ironing church linens, and singing in the choir. They also take Communion to those in the hospital and the homebound and teach religious education at three parishes.
One of their community outreach ministries is De Paul Academy, which prepares immigrant children for beginning school at the right age. Sisters Josna, Elsa Tom, Vinaya and Praveena are all licensed teachers at the five-star preschool.
Habtamu Workneh and his family came from Ethiopia. Each of his three children has thrived at De Paul Academy.
“When my daughter went there last January, she did not speak English. I was so afraid she would get confused. Later, when I took her for her entrance test for kindergarten, she did perfectly. She got a 100. I was so happy and surprised.”
Workneh’s twin sons now attend the school and love learning and playing games there. He says Sister Josna does a wonderful job of keeping him informed.
Workneh adds, “I asked my daughter what the difference was between her school in Ethiopia and the one here, and she said the sisters talk to her and treat her as a mother would. This has been a big relief for me.”
A BEAUTIFUL VOCATION
The current convent, which opened in 2011, is the mother house for the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in the U.S. and has the capacity to house 14 religious sisters. The sisters grow a variety of fruits on the 16-acre property, including apples, persimmons, muscadine grapes, plums and blueberries.
With only six sisters – in 2015 there were 13 – there is a shortage of hands to get all the work done. Since then, six sisters transferred to convents in Charlotte and Lake Wylie, S.C. Even so, they go about their days cheerfully.
“My charity began at home,” says Sister Christie, who grew up in a large Catholic family in India. It was there where her mother and siblings noted how nicely and neatly she completed her chores, and where her parents first encouraged her to help anytime she saw someone in need.
Sister Christie is the seventh of 10 children, including three siblings who likewise have religious vocations – two of her brothers are priests, and one of her sisters is also a religious sister. The children attended a Catholic school and were educated by nuns.
In India, Sister Christie, RN, BSN, studied for six years to become a nurse while also starting formation for her religious vocation. Today, she and Sister Agnes Maria, RN, BSN, use their education to care for the sick at High Point’s Atrium Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Sister Christie splits her time between the medical center and Pennybyrn retirement community, where she often stays after her hours to spend more time with her patients.
“I have 21 residents during my shift,” she says. “I stay longer because they need more. They need someone to listen to them.”
TIME TO CELEBRATE
Last month, the sisters were able to fully observe their patronal feast – the Sept. 27 feast of St. Vincent de Paul, known for his compassion for the poor – for the first time since 2019.
The sisters renewed their vows of chastity, poverty and obedience on Sept. 25 at Christ the King and celebrated two days later with friends and family at the convent, waking early for prayer and Mass offered by Father Philip Kollithanath, the pastor of St. Joseph Church in Asheboro.
As pastor of Christ the King from 1994 to 2011, Father Kollithanath petitioned then-Bishop William Curlin to invite the sisters from his native state of Kerala, India, to the U.S. In 1999, the bishop extended the invitation to the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul at Mananthavady, and the first group arrived in 2000.
“Children love to be with the sisters,” says Father Kollithanath. “We know how important it is for children to have nuns in their lives. When these nuns came in their habits, it was a hit in the community. The children want to touch them and talk with them. People are very welcoming, including the non-Catholics. Their presence in habits has made a big, big impact on the diocese. Now our children are more aware of the need for vocations to the religious life.”
Twenty-three years after Bishop Curlin’s invitation, the sisters continue their work with a deep sense of joy that only serving the Lord could bring. “I want to help people. If anyone is need and I can help, I will do it,” Sister Christie says. “That’s what St. Vincent de Paul was all about, helping the poor.”
— Annie Ferguson. Photos by Paul Campbell, Annie Ferguson and provided by Sister Christie Kunnel
The Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in High Point recently renewed their vows, celebrated their patronal feast, and shared details about their ministries and community outreach.
CHARLOTTE — Lee F. McGuiness could command a room. A graduate of Charlotte Catholic High School and Belmont Abbey College, he became a successful businessman, known as a consummate salesman whose very presence made a statement.
When he died in 2020, McGuiness, 85, made a different kind of statement: He left behind instructions and a gift to establish an endowment through the Diocese of Charlotte Foundation to further the work of Charlotte Catholic’s Alumni Association, demonstrating his love for his alma mater.
“He always remembered his high school,” said Janie McGuiness, his wife of 25 years. “The endowment was all set up in his will. He was a highly organized person.”
McGuiness graduated from Charlotte Catholic in 1953 and played saxophone and tuba in the high school band.
A native New Yorker, he moved with his family to Charlotte as a young boy. He got his start in sales as a teen delivering newspapers and selling subscriptions. Over the course of his career, he sold paper and plastics and eventually formed a packaging consulting company which he ran until his passing.
“He was a true salesperson,” Janie said. “He was bigger than life. He always made a statement when he walked into a room.”
McGuiness was also a devoted family man. His first wife, Nancy, whom he married his senior year at Belmont Abbey College, died from cancer after 37 years of marriage. They had four children together.
“His family was his priority,” Janie said. “He loved spending time with his children, my three children, our 17 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Our kids and grandkids always sought his advice as they got older.”
Jim Kelley, development director for the diocese, said Charlotte Catholic set McGuiness on a path to success – so it was important for him to give back, so that others might benefit from a similar experience.
“Charlotte Catholic really impacted him, and he remembered that almost 70 years later,” Kelley said. “It set him on course to appreciate and live his Catholic faith. It was a grounding point from which so many things became possible.”
The Lee McGuiness Endowment Fund was created in June 2021 with a $22,872 annuity. The money will remain invested so it can grow over time and will also generate income annually for the Charlotte Catholic High School Alumni Association.
The association encourages alumni involvement in the school to support its educational mission and provide alumni with social activities and opportunities for spiritual enrichment.
“There are so many different ways for people who are putting together estate plans to create something that will become part of their legacy – and help the Church for years to come,” Kelley said. “Setting aside an annuity is a great option because it will provide retirement income while you’re alive and then become a gift that will continue to grow for the benefit of parishioners who follow.”
— SueAnn Howell
Fund an endowment
Interested in setting up – or adding to – an endowment to benefit your parish or Catholic school? You can establish an endowment in the Diocese of Charlotte Foundation by leaving a bequest in a will, a beneficiary designation from a retirement plan, a trust or annuity, or a gift of real estate, life insurance, cash or securities.
For details, contact Gina Rhodes at 704-370-3364 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..