Oldest religious sister in US turns 112; 'Her presence, her joy' is real, says prioress

(OSV News) -- For decades, Dominican Sister Francis Dominici Piscatella immersed herself in the ministry of teaching, not retiring until she was 84.

Now, having turned 112 on Easter at Queen of the Rosary Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Dominic in Amityville, New York -- a supercentenarian for two years, and a member of her order since 1931 -- she is, like all members of the body of Christ, still able to participate in the ministry of presence.

Her colleagues and family are grateful.

"Her presence, her joy," the Dominicans' prioress, Sister Peggy McVetty, told OSV News. "I have to say it's for real. At one time I thought (presence) was a word that was instigated. But it's very true."

On April 17, Holy Thursday, when the prioress performed the customary washing of feet for her order, she also did it for Sister Dominici, as she is best known. "It was very humbling to me, and very present for everyone, to see this woman very aware of what I was doing."

Relatives, about 30 in all, held a party for her the afternoon of April 20 following Mass.

Life is a bit quieter after Sister Dominici moved into the assisted-living floor of the motherhouse last June after sharing a condominium for several years in nearby East Williston with fellow Dominican Sister Francis Daniel Kammer, who had been her student.

Now she has help with basic tasks such as getting dressed, although she's more mobile than some of the other nuns there in their 90s, is still a fixture of daily Mass, and she participates in weekly activities.

"She does need some assistance," the prioress observed. "Although not as much as you would think at that point of life." Her biggest obstacle is "she's a little hard of hearing. But if you get right down in her ear to talk to her, she understands perfectly."

Nephew Phil Piscatella said it only takes a little prompting, and "she talks up a storm," keeping up with current events.

Four years ago, Sister Dominici told Catholic News Service, "I guess God doesn't want me yet. He just wants me to hang around."

"That's her favorite line," her nephew said. "God's not ready for me yet."

Phil's wife, Marie, said Sister Dominici specified a robust menu for the birthday celebration: "She likes her cavatelli made special, and there's eggplant and chicken salad."

Fittingly for a former math teacher, her life and career are accompanied by statistics testifying to her resilience.

She is the oldest woman religious in the United States, a distinction bestowed in December 2022 when 111-year-old Sister Vincent de Paul Hutton died in Kentucky, according to the Gerontology Research Group, the organization that tracks centenarians worldwide.

The oldest woman religious in the world, at 116, is Teresian Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas, from Porto Alegre, Brazil. She is also currently the world's oldest documented living person, having been born on June 8, 1908.

Sister Dominici was born April 20, 1913, in Central Islip, New York, one of seven children of Italian immigrants Salvatore and Angela Piscatella.

At age 2, Sister Dominici's left forearm was amputated after she sustained a serious hand injury. Because of that disability, she was turned away from several other religious communities before joining the Amityville Dominicans.

She earned bachelor's and master's degrees at St. John's University. Her 52 years in education began with teaching math and tutoring at several grade schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, and later at Dominican Commercial High School in the borough of Queens, and the Dominican-run Molloy College in Rockville Centre, New York, where she later worked in the finance office.

Other physical challenges have included a car accident that resulted in a shattered right arm and a near-fatal brain bleed from a fall at age 102. She also has had a hip replacement.

She credited her mother for her independent spirit. "Nobody has ever had to help me," Sister Dominici told CNS in 2022. "If anyone was helping somebody, it was I helping them. When I went to the convent, I had to prove to my superiors that there was nothing I couldn't do."

She is one of a very small handful of people whose lifespan begins before World War I and the second term of President Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), and extends beyond her COVID-19 booster shot. Pope Francis, who passed away April 21 at age 88, was her eighth pope since Sister Dominici entered her order.

Having outlasted "all the trends of life," Sister Peggy said Sister Dominici is "as vibrant as she can be at this point. She gets her hair done every week, and wants it done."

Perhaps reflecting her vivacious spirit, it's without a hint of gray. "And that's all I'm going to say about that," the prioress added.