Sister Jane Talbot

Biography of Sister Jane Talbot

Sister Jane Talbot's father was of English descent; her mother of French and Irish extraction. How surprised they would be to know their daughter considers herself part Italian! During her ten years as pastoral minister of Our Lady of Grace Parish, she has grown in appreciation of the Italian people of the neighborhood. She found them to be warm and loving. Sister Jane, who excels in French, has learned enough Italian to understand parishioners who are not bilingual. She relishes Italian food and enjoys cooking it as well.

Early Years: Sister Jane grew up in Huntington, Long Island, with her two brothers and sister. From her earliest years she appreciated the serenity and beauty of nature and of all living things. She and her family always had a special love of the sea which came from her grandfather who was a sea captain. A product of Catholic education, Sister Jane attended St. Patrick's and St. Hugh's elementary schools and St. Dominic High School in Oyster Bay. One of her best teachers, however, was her mother. It was she who instilled in Sister a love of the English language, its literature and poetry. . After Sister Jane graduated from Adelphi University, she began a career as a teacher of French and English at Our Lady of Mercy Academy in Syosset. Here she had her first contact with the Sisters of Mercy. She found herself drawn to their life and mission and, most especially, to their fourth vow in which they promise, "the service of the poor, sick, and ignorant' In September, 1950, she entered the Novitiate of the Sisters of Mercy in Syosset and made her final vows in 1956. All through the years she was assigned to teach in high schools: Our. Lady of Mercy and Mercy High School in the Rockville Centre Diocese, and Catherine McAUley, Mater Christi, and St. Joseph's in the Brooklyn Diocese. Nevertheless, she always longed to work among the inner-city poor, the homebound and elderly people. Wherever she lived, she took special care of Sisters who were elderly or ill. She even found time to train catechists in Our Lady of Mercy parish, Brownsville. She did graduate studies at Catholic University and Seton Hall University where she received a Masters Degree in French. As a French teacher, Sister Jane chaperoned students on trips to France. She also led student volunteers to help the elderly on Roosevelt Island. Their caring reinforced her faith in the goodness of young people. Here, at Our Lady of Grace, she invites the elementary school children to give a measure of service by donating to the food pantry and visiting people in nursing homes, especially at holiday time.

Realizing a Dream: About 15 years ago, Sister Jane found herself in a position to devote herself full time to the ministry to which she had a strong attraction. She obtained permission to live with Sisters of Mercy a short drive from the Talbot's Connecticut home. She 'remained there until after the death of her parents. While living in Connecticut, Sister Jane studied Gerontology at the University of Bridgeport and worked in an outreach program for the elderly, under the auspices of Catholic Charities. With that combination of education : and experience behind her, Sister Jane accepted a position from Father Dominick Cutrone, Pastor of Our Lady of Grace Parish, Brooklyn, as a pastoral minister, but without any job description. "All I knew" he recalls, "is that we needed a woman. Not 'only 'were there all men in the rectory, but at that time even the principal was a man~' He knew the parish would benefit from the presence of a woman on the parish staff, especially one with Sister Jane's credentials. His instinct was on target. "No one has contributed more to the spiritual uplifting of this parish:' he said. 

A few months after Sister Jane joined the staff, however, we almost lost her as a result of a car accident. During her months of recuperation she learned first hand what it meant to be dependent on others. From the moment Sister Jane arrived, she explored the needs of the parish. She started programs which fulfilled those needs. These programs sought out and responded to the homebound and elderly parishioners. She personally visits many and has been a great source of strength and consolation to them. She has also invited and directed scores of volunteers who serve as home and hospital visitors. She supervises a food pantry and a gift shop, and most recently, has initiated a program for delivering sandwiches to homeless people in Coney Island. 

Sensitive to the spiritual and emotional needs of the people of the parish, Sister Jane attends their prayer meetings and arranges for the Anointing of the sick and dying. She initiated support groups for single adult Catholics and bereavement groups to help widows and widowers cope with the loss of a loved one. That Sister Jane is happy in her ministry is apparent to those who know her and work with her. 

It took a little while for people to really know the shy, self-effacing Sister Jane. In a crowd you wouldn't notice her. She's quiet and unassuming. But if she has something to say for the good of the parish, she'll let her voice be heard. She directs her many volunteers in a way that they can work independently of her and still be fruitful in their ministry. One member of Sister's team recently said "Sister Jane is such a good, good person. You can't imagine how many people love her. Parish ministry is truly her calling. "I don't know what we would do without her" Truly, a sentiment shared by every parishioner.

Ecclesiastes 3:3

And now it is time that we say goodbye to our beloved Sr. Jane Talbot, who passed away on June 05, 2009.

I first met Sr. Jane when I attended a singles club meeting at Our Lady of Grace in 1989.  She was the moderator of the small group and Fr. Cutrone use to attend the meetings when he could.  When I took over that club as President and held meetings, I would ask for her guidance in how to run the club.  Her and Fr. Cutrone always supported us.  She would tell me to have the club members volunteer for various activities at the church.  Our first job was the Anointing Mass.  Since then, between her and Fr. Cutrone, I never stopped volunteering.  I started taking the pictures or helping at as many events as I could.  And  I tried to get the members of the singles group to volunteer as well.  After we merged with St. Bernard’s and St. Thomas’s Singles Club and changed our name to C.Y.A.C. we were able to attract new members and we were always ready to help at an event.   Once you got a call from her, you could not say NO.  I told her I did not want my feet washed at the Holy Thursday Mass years ago, but it took five minutes before I said yes to her. 

            We will all miss her at OLG.  She started many groups, which are still going strong since she left to live in Brentwood, Long Island.   Thanks to Annette Bonvino and the Pastoral Staff, her office never missed a beat.

A person’s span on earth is not measured in years, above all, that is least important.  To find happiness & success, and most important to find  God is the zenith of any person’s worldly activities.  Let me say, that what Sr. Jane found, we must all seek.

Mary Ann De Luca

Sister Jane Talbot