Associate Spotlight: Ann Curley
Apr 1, 2026
By Samantha Miller
Ann Curley, having never gone to Catholic school, didn’t encounter many Sisters until much later in life. But once she met the Sisters of St. Joseph, she knew she felt at home with them.
Her connection with the Sisters of St. Jospeh began in 2001, when she was trained by S. Josephine Daspro in the ministry of Spiritual Direction at The Cenacle in Lake Ronkonkoma, where S. Josephine was director. In 2002, when S. Josephine was called home to Brentwood, Curley followed.
“The first time I stepped on the campus of the Sisters St. Joseph in Brentwood, I knew there was something there for me,” she said.
Curley volunteered weekends at the Brentwood Campus starting in 2002, to be present in the office when retreats took place. She met many retreatants and many of the Sisters at that time.
“It was a most wonderful time for me,” the 82-year-old Valley Stream resident said. “As the Sisters kept seeing me around, I was invited to become an Associate. I did not know what that was exactly, but I kept showing up and always feeling most welcome and at home.”
Curley became an Associate in 2012.
“When I became an Associate, I was most happy for all the Sisters and Associates offered me,” Curley shared. “I attend monthly LAC meetings and Large Group/Joseph Days, where it is always a joy to be with everyone. It is a blessing and grace to be with all, to listen and share. As I am mostly a listener, I am very happy to be in the background, though fully present.”
For Curley, it is simple to bring the mission of the Sisters into her everyday life.
“Living out the mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph is to be open and receptive to all that happens in my life, while choosing how I hear God calling me,” she said. “I can’t be all things to all people, but I can be who I am through my life and my association with the Sisters and pass that on.”
This article is part of a series celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Associates of the Sisters of St. Joseph. View below for the first in the series.