Sister Anita Kuchera

Born as Agnes Kuchera in Egypt, Pa., Sister Anita entered our community in 1948, made first vows in 1950 and professed final vows in 1955. In her early ministry days, Sister taught in the Pennsylvania towns of Pittsburgh, New Castle and Bethlehem, as well as in Boonton, N.J.

Sister holds a bachelor’s degrees in education and guidance counseling and a master’s degree in religious studies. A teacher at our former St. Francis Academy in Bethlehem in the 1960s and 1970s, Sister also served as a pastoral associate for six years at St. Matthias Catholic Community in Somerset, N.J.

But Sister Anita’s main focus over the years was on retreat ministry at our former St. Francis Center for Renewal (SFCR), where she served as director from 1970 to 2003, many of those years while also teaching. She returned to SFCR from 2009 until her retirement at the close of 2019.

For her many years of service, Sister received St. Francis Center for Renewal’s Woman of Strength award in 2012. In retirement, she remains active in prayer ministry.