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By Andrij Wowk
Hierarchs, clergy, students and members of the parish community gathered at the Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Perth Amboy, NJ on Sunday, December 3 to celebrate a unique milestone: Sr. Yosaphata Litvenczuk, M.S.M.G’s 50th anniversary of religious life and work as an educator and administrator.
A half-century’s worth of memories and accomplishments by Sr. Yosaphata were remembered and shared during the event, which included a Divine Liturgy celebrated by Archbishop-Metropolitan Stefan Soroka, followed by a banquet in the school auditorium attended by some 300 guests.
In addition to Metropolitan Soroka other honored guests included the Most Rev. Stephen Sulyk, Archbishop-Metropolitan Emeritus and former pastor of the parish, former pastor Fr. Roman Dubitsky, and Sr. Yosaphata’s nephew, Fr. Silivio Litvenczuk from Brazil.
Sr. Yosaphata arrived in the United States in 1952 as an orphan from her native Brazil and became a novitiate of the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of the Mother of God, based in Stamford, CT. She attended Mother of God Academy and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Charter Oak State College before beginning her spiritual ministry on January 1, 1963, when she took her final vows as a Missionary Sister of the Mother of God.