Sister Anita Kuchera, OSF
Originally from Egypt, Pa. (now known as Whitehall), Sister Anita Kuchera entered the School Sisters of St. Francis from Holy Trinity Parish there in 1949, and professed first vows at Mount Assisi Convent in Pittsburgh in 1950. She celebrates her 75th Jubilee in 2025.
While her earliest school days were at a public school close to home, she later attended St. John’s Catholic School in Stiles, Pa. It was there that she first encountered Catholic Sisters and where the thought of becoming one herself took hold. “I grew to love and admire them,” she recalls.
Later, at Central Catholic High School in Allentown, Pa., Sister Anita met the School Sisters, and her calling began to bloom. Her algebra teacher, Sister Magdalene Lovrich, greatly influenced her decision to pursue religious life in the Franciscan community. She went on to earn bachelor’s degrees in education and guidance counseling and a master’s degree in religious studies.
“Sister Anita instilled the love of education and teaching in me. Her guidance solidified my decision to become a teacher. She was and continues to be a mentor, even from afar.”
Sister’s first teaching assignment was at St. Gabriel School in Pittsburgh, the very first parish where the Sisters of her community lived and taught when they came to the United States in 1913. She later taught at St. Michael in New Castle, Pa.; SS. Cyril & Methodius in Boonton, N.J.; and, finally, at the former St. Francis Academy in Bethlehem. Sister also served as a pastoral associate for six years at The Catholic Community of St. Matthias in Somerset, N.J.
A new, defining chapter began in 1970 when Sister Anita was asked to lead the Sisters’ St. Francis Retreat Center in Bethlehem. For 33 years, Sister served in retreat ministry, eventually retiring in 2019. For her many years of service, Sister received St. Francis Center for Renewal’s Woman of Strength award in 2012.
“This ministry touched my life in so many ways,” she says. “It truly deepened my relationship with God.”
Today, Sister Anita lives at Monocacy Manor in Bethlehem, where she spends much of her time devoted to prayer. “The world is in great need of prayer,” she says. “It gives me much joy to bring healing to the world this way.”