Sister Virginia Chasas

Virginia was born to her parents Peter and Amelia on March 18, 1925. Her siblings Mary, Amelia, John, Frances, Elizabeth, Thomas and Joseph welcomed their baby sister, Virginia into their loving family.

Virginia attended St. Joseph Elementary School in Babylon and experienced High School at Bishop McDonnell High School in Brooklyn. Upon graduation, Virginia entered the Sisters of St. Joseph on September 8,

After making her final vows in 1948 Virginia continued her studies at St. John’s University. She received both her BS and MS from St. John’s in Science. Virginia began her teaching career in Puerto Rico in 1962 at Catholic University, where she taught biology.

After ten years of teaching, the University sent Virginia on for her doctoral studies. Completing her Ph.D. in 1972, returning to the University, Virginia was asked to be the Dean of the College of Education. She was very dedicated to her students. They loved her as a teacher, being sensitive to their diverse needs, she adapted the curriculum and translated the material for those who didn’t understanding the language. Her care of the students gave them confidence about the material being taught.

Her students always knew where to find her because her beloved dog, Spike would be outside the classroom as she was teaching. They traveled together. Everyone knew how much Virginia loved dogs, people would leave their dogs on campus if they couldn’t take care of them or after a hurricane. As a result, at one point Virginia adopted six dogs. She was able to care for them because the father of one of the professors was a veterinarian. Spike loved to spend time in the backyard of the convent where he would find shade under the lemon, orange, charrona and banana trees.

She tells the story about the banana tree which was watched by everyone especially the workmen, waiting for the bananas to ripen. One day she covered a sleeve of bananas with a plastic bag, put a sign on the bag saying: “Science Experiment” so no one would take the bananas. Her sense of humor and creativity kept everyone on their toes.

Virginia retired from teaching but the University didn’t want her to leave so they created a new position called the “Office of Strategic Programs” only to find out they didn’t have any strategic plan, so Virginia created one. During this time, Virginia was appointed Vicar of Puerto Rico where she took care of the needs of the sisters, as well as working at the University. The story is that one day she was to make a visit to a convent, the sisters waited and waited, no Virginia, finally one of the sisters called her…. She was sleeping. Visitation didn’t happen that day!

In speaking with Sister Owen, she told me the story about Virginia driving one day with her windows open and her purse on the seat next to her. A young man on his bicycle pulled up next to the car and took her purse. She followed him with the car and stopped him on his bicycle next to a fence, sure as anything he returned her purse!  

When asked what is the secret to reaching 100 years, Virginia responded: “Be Happy!” We thank you Virginia for being who God called you to be and for sharing your life with us. 

Sister Virginia Chasas – Reflection by her grandnephew , Tom

Between 1905 and 1925, there was a gaggle of children born to the Chasas family: Mary, John, Peter, Elizabeth, Tommy, Joseph, and Virginia. Soon after Virginia’s birth her eldest sister and our grandmother, Mary, was
married to John Duggan, with the reception in her parents’ backyard. Our mother, Mary Jane, and her twin sister Patricia were born when Virginia was 8 in 1933.  Needless to say there was lots of activity and, I imagine quite a bit of fun
and probably some shenanigans taking place in the mid to late 1930’s on Livingston Avenue.
In 1938, when she was 13, Virginia boarded a LIRR train (the 7:07 a.m., to be precise) to go into Brooklyn -by herself – to take the entrance examination for Bishop McDonnell High School, the preeminent Catholic school in the City. She took the train, then had to take the subway to get to the school for the test.

Having felt she had done well on the exam, Virginia went with a few fellow prospective students to celebrate with an ice cream soda. Would love to know what her 13-year-old laugh sounded like. She bid farewell to her potential future classmates and jumped back on the subway to reverse the trip, or so she thought. She went the wrong way on the subway. No Google Maps in 1938. She didn’t get her iPad for another 7 decades or so. She had no more money for subway fare having used her extra money for the ice cream soda, so she couldn’t get back on the subway to head east. So she started to walk back. After walking many, many blocks she went up to an elevated station and asked the subway clerk in the booth how much further to the LIRR. Three more stops . . . many, many more blocks to walk. She started to cry, and that subway clerk was one of those people, one of those chance Guardian Angels that we all hope to encounter. He let her through the turnstile and pointed the way. She made it home, no one the wiser of her misadventure, because if her mother, Amelia, had known, Virginia would have gone to Babylon High School.

Virginia found her calling at Bishop McDonnell, and in the decades since, by her wisdom, her words, her deeds, and her Faith . . . Sister Virginia was one of those people who always pointed the way for those fortunate to have crossed her path.
May she continue to point the way for all of us so we can make it home.

Sister Virginia Chasas, the former sister Joseph Agnes, died on March 3, 2026 in the 84th year of her religious life.