Filippini Sisters continue legacy of service, education within Diocese

Whether it is through teaching in the classroom, engaging in pastoral ministry and catechesis, moderating parish groups like the Rosary Altar Society or serving parish and school communities in other roles, members of the Institute of the Religious Teachers Filippini have had a strong presence in New Jersey for more than a century.
 
Filippini Sisters have also been part of the ministry of the Diocese of Metuchen since its founding in 1981 and continue to be engaged in active teaching and ministry across the diocese. “It is a privilege and honor to witness to the goodness of Christ Jesus each day in our ministries in the Diocese of Metuchen,” said Filippini Sister Patricia Pompa, provincial superior. “We praise and thank the Lord for the opportunity to continue our charism of ‘Go and Teach the Word of God’.”
 
The order traces its ministry in the United States to 1910, when the first five Filippini Sisters arrived in the country and began their service to newly arrived Italian immigrants in St. Joachim Parish, Trenton. Their first mission in the area that is now part of the Diocese of Metuchen came in 1922, when they opened St. Mary of Mount Virgin School, New Brunswick.
 
While the school closed in 2006, the Sisters there continued to serve the parish, which is now known as Visitation following the 2014 merger of St. Mary of Mount Virgin with St. John the Baptist and St. Theresa of the Infant Jesus.

“We served as administrators and teachers in the parish school. We also taught catechism to children, teens, and adults,” said Sister Patricia. “We held Bible Study classes and ongoing formation classes for adults, led the parish’s RCIA program, and visited homebound parishioners, bringing the comfort of the Holy Eucharist and the balm of friendship to the lonely. Last, but certainly not least, we engaged in sacramental preparation.”
 
This month, as the order prepares to leave the parish after 102 years of ministry there, Sister Patricia reflected on how the order’s reach has expanded, and the new ministries they have begun over the past several years. “While it is never an easy thing to withdraw from a place of ministry such as the Parish of the Visitation in New Brunswick,” she said, “we are grateful for the opportunities the Lord is opening up for us.”
 
 
In 2021, a Filippini Sister joined Our Lady of Victories Parish, Sayreville, to serve as parish catechetical leader, and in the same year the order began a ministry in St. Elizabeth-St. Brigid Parish, Peapack, where Sisters serve in the religious education program. Last year, they also began service in St. John Vianney Parish, Colonia, where Sisters teach religion to students in grades two through six at the parish school and assist with parish activities and the youth ministry.
 
Later this year, Filippini Sisters will also take up residence in Metuchen, in the new St. Lucy Filippini Convent. “These new ventures are signs of hope for the future of our mission in the Church,” said Sister Patricia, “even in times of challenge.”

Sister Alice Ivanyo was first missioned to the Metuchen Diocese in August 2021, and her first assignment was to Our Lady of Victories Parish. While she had never been to Sayreville before and didn’t know anyone there, she immediately felt right at home. “The people accepted me wholeheartedly without ever having met me,” she said. “Everywhere I go, people are kind and friendly.”
 
Filippini sisters continue to have a presence in other parish and school communities as well – including St. Augustine of Canterbury Parish, Kendall Park, where they serve in the religious education program and the parish school, as well as St. Ann Parish, Raritan.

“We treasure our ministry of education in Catholic schools, but like our holy Foundress, St. Lucy Filippini, we realize that education and formation can and does take place in a variety of settings,” said Sister Patricia. “Imitating Jesus the Teacher, who speaks to the heart of each one of us in various ways, we joyfully continue the mission of leading souls to Him.”
 
Christian Charity Sister Anna Nguyen, diocesan Delegate for Religious, also pointed out that Bishop James F. Checchio, himself, was taught by Filippini Sisters in high school. “We have the Bishop of the Metuchen Diocese coming from the influence of the Religious Teachers Filippini Sisters,” she said, “and countless more faith-filled people for generations.”
 
With the order’s central focus on Catholic education, Sister Anna emphasized the importance of their work in today’s world. “We need these Sisters now more than ever to further the cause of faith formation in our youth in the diocese,” she added, “as well as in other dioceses where these Sisters serve.”