Sister Valerie Balbach

“It’s been a wonderful life,” asserted Mercy Sister Valerie Balbach, who is celebrating her 80th jubilee this year.

“The Lord has been looking after me all the time,” she explained.

She noted that she has had a lot of ups and downs in her life. “With downs, I always came through fine. Up times were great,” she said, adding that most of the times were up.

Born in Newark, Doris Balbach was the daughter of the late William and Celestine Balbach. Raised in Keansburg, Sister Valerie came to know the Sisters of Mercy at St. Ann School, Keansburg. After graduation, she went to Red Bank Catholic High School, which was also served by Sisters from the Mercy community. When she was a sophomore, she told her French teacher, Mercy Sister Helen Murphy, that she thought she wanted to become a religious. Sister Helen became her mentor. “She inspired me to enter the Mercy community and we became good friends,” recalled Sister Valerie.

In 1941, the year she graduated from Red Bank Catholic, Sister Valerie entered the Sisters of Mercy religious order. At the time, each new postulant would be asked to take a new name. They were given books about the saints to help them choose one. Sister Valerie wanted to take her mother’s name, Celestine, but the year before another Sister took the name so she had to choose another one. She said when she read about St. Valerie, “That was it. She is a little like Mother McAuley, our foundress. She worked with the poor and helped everyone.”

The year Sister Valerie joined the Mercy community, the world was in the early turmoil of World War II. “Times were hard,” she said, “but those of us at Mount Saint Mary’s did not know much about the war. We had no television or newspapers.” The only difference the young Mercy Sisters felt was the lack of help. “We were doing a lot of work that normally people would be here to do,” she said.

Sister Valerie received her habit in 1942 and pronounced her first vows in 1944. She chose as her motto, “Jesus I am all thine.”

“I chose it because I was working for the Lord,” she said.

Sister Valerie continued her education at Georgian Court College (now University), Lakewood, majoring in French. She earned a master’s degree in elementary education at Seton Hall University, South Orange. The young teacher then began her career in education at St. Paul School, Burlington, and Holy Spirit School, Atlantic City.

At Phillipsburg Catholic High School, her next assignment, Sister Valerie taught primarily French. In 1953, she was named principal of St. Elizabeth Elementary School, Bernardsville. She then served a total of five three-year terms as principal at St. Matthew School, Edison, and St. Paul School, Princeton, before becoming assistant administrator at St. Mary Academy, Lakewood.

Almost 50 years after becoming a religious, Sister Valerie was appointed first as an instructor and then director of student teachers at Georgian Court. She served there from 1988 until 2013. Commenting on her service at Georgian Court, Sister Valerie said the student teachers were “very young, very energetic, and well worth my time.”

Reflecting on her 80 years as a Mercy religious, Sister Valerie said some of her best times were spent with her good friend Trinitarian Sister Bartholomew. Friends for over 50 years, Sister Valerie said she and Sister Bartholomew did a lot of traveling. “We saw the world,” she said.

Sister Valerie, who lives at Mount Saint Mary, Watchung, is a member of the Gabriel Hall community and is still a vital and engaged member of the Sisters of Mercy.

“I can’t do too much, but when I am not tired help out whenever I can,” she said softly, adding, “I’m 98 you know.”

Joanne Ward