Sister Theresa Piva, CSJ (Shirley)
Sister Theresa was born in New Waterford, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, in 1937. After moving to Hamilton with her close-knit family, Sister responded to God’s call to become a Sister of St. Joseph in 1954.
Sister Theresa was a woman of deep faith and trust in God; a prayerful woman noted for her cheery disposition and her warm generosity. Sister was proud of her Italian heritage, her Maritime connection and her family.
She began her ministry at Mount St. Joseph Orphanage, Hamilton where she cared for the boys. When the orphanage closed, she moved to Paris, Ontario where she served as a housekeeper. After taking a course at Thistletown, she worked with emotionally and physically challenged boys at Mount St. Joseph, Hamilton. Over the next years of ministry, she worked as a Child Care worker for the Catholic Children’s Aid Society in Hamilton, in Brantford at a Day Care Centre, in Food Services at the Hamilton Sisters’ Residence and a volunteer in Grades 1 and 2 at St. Francis Xavier School in Stoney Creek.
Health problems led Sister Theresa in a new direction of her life as a Sister of St. Joseph. Mobility issues did not stop her from participating in the life of the Sisters at the Hamilton Residence. She maintained her cheery disposition, never complaining. Sister Theresa suffered graciously and spent hours in the chapel praying in the presence of God, and when the weather permitted, she would pray outside in the warmth of the sun.
In August of 2019 she was welcomed into the Care Centre at the Sisters’ Residence in London, where she continued her ministry of prayer. Sister was deeply grateful to her caregivers in both Hamilton and London.
Expressions of sympathy or donations to the work of the Congregation in memory of Sister Theresa may be sent to the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, 302-911 Golf Links Road, Ancaster, Ontario L9K1H9 or on our website here.