2026 Jubilee Spotlight

Sister Regina Ann Rokosny Celebrates 70 Years

Originally from Allentown, Pa., Sister Regina Ann Rokosny entered the School Sisters of St. Francis from St. Ann Parish in Emmaus, Pa., in 1955, and professed first vows at Mount Assisi Convent in Pittsburgh in 1956. She celebrates her 70th Anniversary in 2026.

When her mother died in 1943, the only daughter of George and Veronica Rokosny, shared the pain with her brother, Paul, and sought guidance from other women in her life. She found what she needed in her aunts, who helped to care for her, and in the Sisters who taught her at St. Ann’s. “From the time the Sisters arrived in Emmaus, I was fascinated with who they were,” she recalls. “I sensed within myself a willingness to be of service to others.”

Sister Anselma Drab perhaps sensed it, too, inviting young Regina Ann along on frequent trips to deliver food and other supplies to a community of Carmelite Sisters in Limeport, Pa. During their travels, Sister Anselma made clear to her understudy an overarching philosophy. “I recall her telling me that she would rather go to Hell for being too kind than not kind at all,” Sister Regina Ann remembers to this day. “She instilled in me the concept of service to others.”

Young Regina Ann’s calling came so gradually that she cannot pinpoint the moment she knew she was being called to religious life. But she was definitely inspired by the example of the Sisters who taught and mentored her. “What I was aware of was that, whenever I was helping the Sisters, I saw that they were happy and generous,” Sister explains. “So, after struggling with making a decision, I said, ‘Yes.’”

In 1953, Regina Ann journeyed far from Emmaus to Mount Assisi Academy in Pittsburgh, Pa., for high school and to begin her formation. Shortly after graduating in 1955, she was received into the community and given the religious name of Sister Borgia (she returned to her baptismal name in 19xx). Within a year, she was teaching fourth grade at Assumption Blessed Virgin Mary School in Jersey City, N.J., to begin a teaching career that spanned nearly three decades and has infinitely connected her with her former students.

“Each year of teaching — whether elementary or high school — helped me to understand the challenges that young people are met with,” she shares.

Over more than 16 years as a math and Spanish teacher at our former St. Francis Academy in Bethlehem, Pa., Sister became a role model and friend to high school girls who — now as grown women — still revere their time with her in the classroom, on the basketball court, in cheerleading practice, or at play rehearsal. “My fondest memory from high school was when Sister Regina Ann helped me through a very difficult academic year,” says Judy Labanz Colt (1971). “I will never forget her for that, especially that she never made me feel incapable.”

“In those academy years, her energy and willingness to serve seemed endless,” recalls Sister Marguerite Stewart, who lived with and taught alongside Sister Regina Ann for many years. “Her energy and joyful spirit often turned work into fun.”

Having earned a master’s degree in mathematics in 1977, Sister Regina Ann’s knack for numbers continued to serve her well long after the academy closed in 1987. She served for nearly a decade as treasurer for the Bethlehem Province; taught math at our former St. Francis Academy in San Antonio, Texas; and, later, ministered for 30 years as finance secretary for the Franciscan Friars’ former retreat house in Emmaus. “Not only did those years stretch my financial understanding, they helped to deepen my love for the Franciscan way of life.”

The life of service she embraced at such a young age continues today at Monocacy Manor in Bethlehem. She is the only remaining member of a profession group that once numbered 15. Still spry at 88, Sister Regina Ann shares her gifts with the surrounding community in diverse ways, including volunteering at a local food bank and helping out at clothing store for the homeless. “It brings me a lot of joy,” she says. “As long as I am able, I want to be of service to others within my community or elsewhere.”

She has also learned over these many years to serve herself by making time for enriching activities. A 2003 award from the Franciscan Federation cited Sister Regina Ann’s deep love for creation, which often draws her outdoors and to advocate for care of the Earth. “A great pastime for me is tending to the various gardens here at Monocacy, especially the flower beds,” she says. “Gardening … walking … sitting … those are special moments.”

Just as she fashioned herself after early influences such as Sister Anselma, she continues to hone within herself the defining traits of some familiar Biblical women. “I know I tend to be a strong doer like Martha, but have come to know that I long to sit at the feet of Jesus, as did Mary.”

So much has happened in Sister Regina Ann’s 70 years in religious life, but not much has really changed. She remains driven by a sense of service, inspired by all those she has encountered through ministry, and connected to the young girl who once helped the Sisters she would later join. “I would tell her to accept being a woman,” she says of her younger self. “Not perfect, but aware of being deeply loved by God.”