The Sisters of Christian Charity staffed St. Joseph's Regional Academy in Jim Thorpe for 134 years and are viewed as the backbone of the town's St. Joseph Parish.

On Sunday, around 20 Sisters were honored during a commemorative Mass at the church followed by an outdoor picnic.According to Pat Hydro, the parish wanted to honor the Sisters' religious service in connection with Pope Francis' declaration of 2015 as a celebration of a Year of Consecrated Life.“The Sisters of Christian Charity really co-founded our parish,” Hydro said. “Some of them spent their whole life here. In fact, five of them are buried right up in our cemetery. We wanted to do something to pay them a special tribute.”Sister Geralyn Haggerty, a Jim Thorpe resident, taught for eight years at the school. It may be her lucky number as it was in the eighth grade when she decided to pursue a life of religious service.“The Lord's call is mysterious,” she said. “There are such wonderful people in the parish. The Sisters have been gone from here since 2007, but the parish has done an incredible job of carrying on our mission.”During his homily, Father Francis Baransky called the Sisters “a precious gift to the church.”“The church is a better place for your presence,” he told them. “Your religious efforts and ministry continue to nourish many people in many different places. You have answered a call to service and we thank you.”For more on the Mass and picnic, read the print edition of the Times News.