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Our Response to Love:
A History of the Felician Sisters
in Lodi, New Jersey
The history of our community holds many rich stories of love and fidelity to God and to the service of humanity.
For those of you visiting our
web site here is our simple attempt to share our treasured history by
capturing the intense response to love made by nearly 1,000 Felician Sisters
in the Lodi, New Jersey Province since 1913. Our response to Love with
love defies definition, understanding, and boundaries. 
It speaks of total
abandonment, a total commitment of one's entire being for the sake
of the Kingdom. There is no way to "capture" the totality
of such a response. The endless hours of giving, caring, loving, praying,
serving and being for others can appear in full focus only in the Heart
of God. He sees all. He knows all. No expression of love can be excluded.
Every moment in the life of our Sisters has been a "Response to Love." It is this response, this legacy that we, the Felician Sisters of Lodi, New Jersey joyfully celebrate and share with you.
Yesterday Today Always...
May the Lord be your everything everywhere in place of everyone.
May He fill your soul with all kinds of consolations. May He give you...a HUMBLE LOVE which expends itself;
a GENEROUS LOVE which forgets itself;
a STRONG LOVE which is not afraid of pain;
a STABLE LOVE which does not change;
a PATIENT LOVE which can bear everything;
a FERVENT LOVE which never weakens;
a CONSTANT LOVE which never falters.
This is the kind of love I wish for you, my dear sisters,Blessed Mary Angela Truszkowska
Foundress of the Felician Sisters
Shortly before the mid-nineteenth century, somewhere in Warsaw, Poland, an enthusiastic, generous, joyful Sophia Truszkowska fell in love with God. This love was so intense it empowered Sophia to gather together a communion of persons in love with God. Through their communion, Sophia's followers sought to enable one another in holiness and wholeness. They yearned to be a sign and an expression of God's love within their own community and among the extended communities of the People of God. Thus, on November 21, 1855 the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Felix of Cantalice, Third Order Regular was born in the vision and ardor of Sophia Truszkowska, now Blessed Mary Angela, its spiritual foundress.
Why St. Felix?...Simply because the inhabitants of Warsaw delighted in the presence of the "happy" Sisters who frequented the shrine of St. Felix of Cantalice with the children they so lovingly served.
The congregation enters the
new world
The Congregation followed the Rule of St. Francis of Assisi and the early
Sisters served Christ among the poorest of the poor. They conducted orphanages,
homes for the aged and shelters for abandoned women. Their spirituality
was defined as "love overflowing" and their bondedness was
deeply rooted in living "All through the Heart of Mary in Honor
of the Most Blessed Sacrament."
Blessed Mary Angela continued to be driven by a profound longing to seek anew the mind of God and the needs of the Church. And so, in the year 1874, the Gospel venture of the New World summoned the Felician Sisters to Polonia, Wisconsin.
The provinces of Livonia, Michigan; Buffalo, New York; and Chicago, Illinois were established in rapid succession. Mounting numbers of Felician Sisters soon staffed schools, hospitals and orphanages. When the Sisters of Buffalo found themselves ready to give rise to a new Province, the Lord led them to Lodi, New Jersey.
And it is here that our story of love begins.
April 19, 1909 The Sisters of the Buffalo Province purchased the Henessey-O'Hare estate in Lodi, New Jersey. In September of that same year, Sister Mary Sigismund, Sister Mary Pancratia and Sister Mary Augusta arrived in Lodi fully equipped with faith and trust and ready to establish a new Province.
They discovered a stone residence, a grist mill, a silk factory and a large farmyard on the twenty-two acre heavily wooded area. Though the buildings were in dire need of repair, they formed the nucleus for a new beginning. The stone mansion became the first convent and chapel, and the grist mill served as a shelter for 13 orphans.
December 1, 1910 The Immaculate Conception Province, Lodi, New Jersey was incorporated. The old silk mill was vacated, the damaged superstructure razed, and a brick building fondly known as the "little red house" was erected.
July 14, 1913 The new Province, now populated with 345 Sisters and forty-two missions was officially established with Mother Mary Benedict Kuminska as its first Provincial Superior. Vocations were numerous and convent housing became a problem.
September 17, 1914 The cornerstone for a spacious new convent was blessed by Bishop Edward Kozlowski.
July 1, 1915 An aspirancy, a residence for girls who hoped to enter the Felician congregation after high school, was introduced. The east wing of the new Provincial House became Immaculate Conception High School and was immediately affiliated with the Catholic University of America.
September 8, 1920 Mother Mary Hortulane Kaminska was appointed the second Provincial Superior but resigned in 1925 because of failing health. Mother Mary Benedict Kuminska completed the term.
1916-1933 Tuberculosis claimed the lives of sixty-five young sisters. Since there was no known cure for the disease, the patients had to be placed in an approved sanitarium. Admission to a public sanitarium meant the isolation of a spiritually deprived Sister in a totally secular environment. To remedy the situation, the original Henessey-O'Hare mansion was refurbished and medically equipped to serve as a private sanitarium. It was approved by the state in 1925.
November 14, 1926 A four-story orphanage, erected to house the increasing number of orphaned children entrusted to the care of the Sisters, was officially blessed.
November 19, 1928 Mother Mary Angelica Pilarska, the third Provincial Superior, acquired an elegant villa in a Mt. Arlington, New Jersey resort area bordering Lake Hopatcong. The villa was promptly named St. Francis Rest Home and, although intended primarily as a convalescing center, it also provided a picturesque setting for annual retreats and summer vacations.
March 12, 1931 Through the efforts of Monsignor John Gulcz of Wilmington, Delaware, the Sisters acquired a 225 acre estate in Ogletown, Delaware where Our Lady of Grace Home for children was established.
July 1, 1932 The Immaculate Conception Province numbered 764 Sisters serving 50 missions. It was time to give birth to a new Province.
July 13, 1933 The Longview Estate in Enfield, Connecticut was purchased as the site for the new Province.
July 13, 1934 Our Lady of the Angels Province was officially established in Enfield, Connecticut with Mother Mary Annunciata as its first Provincial Superior. 332 Sisters and twenty-two missions were transferred from Lodi to Enfield.
September 17, 1942 Mother Mary Alexis Trojanowska, the fourth Provincial Superior, assigned a contingent of Felician nurses to serve in the hospitals of Puerto Rico. However, political difficulties quickly intervened and the Sisters returned to Lodi in 1947.
March 26, 1942 Through the efforts of Sister Mary Simplicia Kaniecka, the Immaculate Conception Normal School established in 1928 and affiliated with the Catholic University, became the Immaculate Conception Junior College and was empowered to grant the Associate in Arts Degree.
August 1, 1946 The Felician Sisters of Lodi accepted the management of Blackwell General Hospital in Blackwell, Oklahoma. In eight years the Sisters gave Blackwell a new hospital, a school of nursing and a convent. The hospital was staffed by Felician Sisters until 1974.
November 1, 1950 Mother Mary Clara Szwarc, the fifth Provincial Superior, assigned the first three Lodi Felicians to Brazil.
August 15, 1954 As the health care ministry continued to expand, the Sisters accepted the management of St. Joseph's Hospital, the oldest Catholic hospital in Philadelphia. Since the hospital is located in the inner city, its ministry almost exclusively services the poor and the underprivileged. After thirty-six years of Felician Sisters' sponsorship, St. Joseph Hospital was transitioned into North Philadelphia Health System on July 31, 1990.
April 18, 1956 Mother Mary Antoinette Kaszuba, the sixth Provincial Superior, responded to the growing need for a larger Immaculate Conception High School. A new building was dedicated on September 8, 1958. Its construction prompted the demolition of the seven-foot wall fronting the provincial property.
April 26, 1960 The Provincial House was too small. Mother Mary Virginette Chlebowska, the seventh Provincial Superior, therefore initiated the construction of a five-story extension known as the Mother Angela Wing. It was blessed on May 31, 1961.
September 25, 1962 Upon the invitation of Archbishop Thomas Boland the Province assumed the management of St. Mary's Hospital in Orange, New Jersey.
May 28, 1964 The old infirmary was replaced by a modern air-conditioned facility re-named "Our Lady of Lourdes Hall and Infirmary."
July 14, 1964 The Province fell heir to the historic Claremont Manor in Claremont, Virginia. It served as a renewal center and high school until it was sold in 1976.
June 1, 1967 Through the efforts of Sister Mary Justitia Lawniczak and Sister Mary Hiltrude Koba, the Immaculate Conception Junior College became Felician College with full authorization to confer the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Teacher Education. The ministry of Higher Education was now permanently established.
August 15, 1968 An extraordinary Chapter of Affairs convened in Lodi. Historic changes in legislation, lifestyle, ministries and habits were introduced.
May 18, 1969 The new Felician College and Library were dedicated and soon fully accredited by the Middle States Commission of Higher Education and by the State of New Jersey. The Immaculate Conception Normal School evolved into a four-year liberal arts college.
February 2, 1970 Mother Mary Virginette Chlebowska was elected Superior General of the Congregation and on May 30, Mother Mary Amadeus Lewicka was appointed the eighth Provincial Superior.
June 18, 1971 A House of Prayer was established in Washington, New Jersey where the Sisters participated in the ministry of the Blue Army. The house served as a spiritual haven until 1984 when the Felician Sisters were recalled to Lodi.
June 30, 1972 The aspirancy program was terminated. A whole new approach to the ministry of vocations was promptly initiated.
September 1, 1973 An extensive renovation of the Provincial House Chapel was begun and completed in March, 1974.
April 20, 1974 562 Felician Sisters of Lodi celebrated the 100th anniversary of our arrival to the United States with a Mass of Thanksgiving held at the Sacred Heart Cathedral, Newark, New Jersey.
July 1, 1974 The entire "orphanage" facility became the Felician School for Exceptional Children.
December 31, 1974 The Felician Sisters relinquished Blackwell General Hospital because of the decreasing number of available Sisters in health care ministry.
July 12, 1976 Mother Mary Amadeus was elected to the office of Superior General and Mother Mary Viterbia Kozlowski was appointed the ninth Provincial Superior.
November 21, 1979 The Congregation celebrated its 125th anniversary. St. Clare's Home in Mt. Arlington became a Retreat Center for laity and religious.
October 24, 1982 Mother Mary Charitine Spitalniak was appointed the tenth Provincial Superior.
September 1, 1983 Sister Mary Antonelle Chunka initiated "The Promise", a ministry to marginal youth in Jersey City.
October 10, 1984 Bishop Theodore E. McCarrick appointed Sister Mary Michaelita Wiechetek Chancellor of the Diocese of Metuchen. Sister is the first Felician to serve in this capacity.
October 19, 1985 The Lodi Province was proclaimed a National Peace Site, joining the 100 other such sites located around the world.
July 1, 1986 John Cardinal Krol placed the St. Ignatius Nursing Home of Philadelphia into the hands of the Felician Sisters.
August 15, 1987 Sister Mary Elvine Dymnicka became the first American Felician Sister to be missioned in Kenya, Africa.
June 14, 1992 The Felician Sisters of Lodi, for the first time, welcomed 18 lay associates to share in the mission of the Congregation at a Covenant Ceremony in the Immaculate Conception Chapel, Lodi.
April 18, 1993 Beatification of our foundress, Mother Mary Angela Truszkowska, by his holiness Pope John Paul II in Rome.
September 29, 1994 Rite of Blessing and Dedication of Kirby Hall, the renovated wing of the former Immaculate Conception Convent and now part of Felician College, housing classrooms and labs, faculty offices and lounges, and a state-of-the-art physical fitness center.
October 15, 1994 The twelfth provincial minister of the Felician Sisters of Lodi, Sister Mary Antonelle Chunka, was announced. Sister Antonelle was elected shortly after the General Chapter at which Sister Mary Seraphica Pienciak, former provincial minister, was elected to the General Administration of the Congregation.
October 2, 1998 Blessing and dedication of the newly acquired Fairleigh Dickinson University's Rutherford Campus by Felician College. Another campus was needed for greater academic and student support space for Felician students.
November 20-27, 1999 The Felician Sisters of Lodi joined the Congregation in a pilgrimage to thank God for the 125 years the Felicians existed in America and to honor those courageous Sisters who came across the ocean in 1874. On their week-long trek the Sisters journeyed to the first little hamlet in the small Midwestern town of Polonia, Wisconsin and then to other cities where the Felician pioneers established the first foundations on this new continent. At every stop, with grateful hearts, they joined in singing the traditional hymn – our Lady's song of praise – the "Magnificat."
December 9, 2001 Evenings of Praise, Worship and Song were started at the provincial house chapel for youth groups from the metropolitan area. Contemporary Christian music, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, witness talks, and opportunities for the reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation are part of the program for these evenings.
December 23, 2001 Sister Mary Timothy Ruszala carried the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Torch for 2/10 of a mile in the Staten Island area. Carrying the Flame is a rare and memorable honor that very few people get a chance to experience.
May 2001 The Gift of Song, the first recording made by the Felician Sisters' Choir of Lodi under the direction of Sister Marilyn Marie Minter, was released. In October 2003 a second CD was released, The Glory of Christmas.
April 2002 The VIM (Volunteers in Mission) program was initiated by Sister Mary Antonelle Chunka and other Felician Sisters. This program invites lay volunteers to share with the Felician Sisters in mission.
August 23, 2002 Groundbreaking ceremony for Angela Court, a 67-unit senior housing project for low income elderly in West Philadelphia. This project is an extension of the mission of Saint Ignatius Nursing Home.
July 13, 2003 The 90th Anniversary of the Immaculate Conception Province was celebrated with gratitude and prayer.
December 2004 Sister Mary Antonelle Chunka was selected by the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace, Israel to participate in a Pilgrimage Peace Walk in Jerusalem, December 18-23. Sister Antonelle joined a delegation of 120 religious leaders from different denominations across the USA, Europe, Africa and the Far East as well as thousands of peacemakers from 70 countries of the world. The goal of the program was to directly contribute to the establishment of true peace in the Middle East by building a bridge of reconciliation, understanding and respect among the three monotheistic religions of Judaism, Islam and Christianity.
November 5, 2005 Over one hundred Felician Sisters processed into the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, New Jersey to celebrate the 150th jubilee of the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Felix of Cantalice.
January 8, 2006 The Sisters of Our Lady of Lourdes Hall and over one hundred guests celebrated the blessing of the newly renovated infirmary, a project initiated by Sister Mary Aquinas Szott, thirteenth provincial minister of the Felician Sisters of Lodi.
