July 1, 2011
Sister Joan Miller to celebrate golden anniversary
Franciscan Sister Joan Miller, formerly known as Sister Josita, a native of Evansville, will be celebrating her fiftieth anniversary as a member of the Oldenburg Francisan Sisters.
An open house reception will be held at St. John the Evangelist Church in Daylight, on Sunday, July 10, from 1 to 5 p.m. CDT.
Of her 50 years in the religious community, 40 years were served in ministry in the Diocese of Evansville.
Sister Joan graduated from the parochial grade school at St. Mary Church in Evansville, then entered the religious community in 1961. She returned to St. Mary Church to teach in the school from 1971 until the school closed in 1973.
Over the years, Sister Joan served as a pastoral associate at St. Mary Church, then at Good Shepherd Church in Evansville. She also was hospital chaplain at Deaconess Hospital in Evansville.
From 1986 to 1988, she was director of religious education and youth minster at St. Nicholas Church in Santa Claus and at St. Joseph Church in Dale.
She was president of the Sisters Senate in the diocese, working with Bishop Francis R. Shea at the time, to secure a commensurate salary standard for women religious in the parishes and schools of the diocese.
She was a pastoral associate at St. John Church in Daylight for five years, then at St. Anthony Church in Evansville from 1994 to 2004.
She returned to the motherhouse at Oldenburg in 2004 to serve as her community’s vocation director. She currently also serves on the vocations committee of the Diocese of Evansville.