Sister Stephanie Duggan

As a child growing up in Ireland Sister Stephanie always dreamed of going to America. It seemed like such a magical place! Everybody was going there and it was supposed to be wonderful. When she was twenty-one years old she fulfilled her dream. On May 19, 1950, she left home, spent eight days at sea and arrived in America to live with her aunt in New York.

Her aunt, who was a nurse, was able to get her a job at Holy Family Hospital. There she worked with the Sisters of Charity who were very kind and welcoming. However, Stephanie never thought of becoming a sister. The priest asked if she ever thought about becoming a nun. Surprised, she answered that she never had. ”Well “, he advised, “ Think about it and come back to me if you want to talk more.” She did and she went back unsure why.

S. Stephanie had read in the Irish Echo about a group of Irish women who had joined the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace. It seemed a good fit for her. So, when she decided to enter the convent, she felt that’s where she wanted to go. In her conversation with the parish priest, he asked what order she was interested in joining. She responded, ”The Sisters of St. Joseph”. He thought that was a fine idea and connected her with Sister Lucinda from Brentwood. It was during her meetings with S. Lucinda that Stephanie asked where the Irish women were. They discovered they had been talking about two different Communities! Although S. Lucinda offered to connect her with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, Stephanie decided to let things be and entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood!

Two years later instead of being missioned to teach, S. Stephanie was asked to work in Brentwood caring for the sick sisters. She then was sent to St. Joseph Hospital to test out her ability in healthcare. Stephanie loved the work and asked to study nursing. She successfully passed the state boards and when Maria Regina opened, she was sent there. From there she was sent to St. John’s Hospital for one year to gain experience. She stayed for 28 more serving first in the nursery and then on the surgical floor.

In 1999, she returned to Brentwood to become a nurse in the convent.

Looking back on her more than 70 years in religious life, S. Stephanie says that nothing that happened beginning with her entering this community instead of the other one was planned. She didn’t plan on being a nurse, nor did she ask for anything that followed. Yet, she was willing to do it all and was happy in each thing she did and in each place she was. It still seems amazing to her how it all unfolded, but her summary is “ It’s been a wonderful life!”.