On Sunday, August 4, the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary – Eastern American Area will celebrate Sister Fernanda Moreira’s 100th birthday at Marymount Convent in Tarrytown with a Mass celebrated by Bishop William Murphy at 11 am, followed by a birthday toast and festive luncheon at 1 pm in the Scavullo Room.
Born Idaline Moreira in Portugal on August 4,1924, early on she felt close to God and desired to enter religious life. In May,1943, she entered the Religious of Sacred Heart of Mary in Guimaraes, Portugal. She professed her three-year vows in April,1946, in Porto, Portugal and her final vows in Rome, Italy in 1950.
Her ministry took her to various RSHM convents and schools throughout Europe, including Guimaraes, Porto and Lisbon, Portugal; and Marymount Schools in London, Barcelona and Rome where she served as “house mother” to younger students and enjoyed chaperoning class trips. She also ministered with the RSHM in Mutare, Zimbabwe (formerly Umtali, Rhodesia). Along the way, Sr. Fernanda became fluent in Spanish, Italian and English in addition to her native Portuguese. She moved to Marymount in Tarrytown in 1995 where she provided support to the convent team and volunteered as a Eucharistic Minster at Phelps Memorial Hospital. She viewed her service at Phelps as a “gift” to “be able to pray and distribute Communion to the sick.”
Looking back on her years of ministry, Sr. Fernanda stated, “I have been blessed in my years of ministry, always being enthusiastic about the gifts I have been able to share, helping people when I can, saying words of encouragement to them, offering a smile when needed and being grateful for their gifts. I thank God for being able to respond to the various calls received.
The Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary are an international congregation of women religious called to love God and make God known and loved. Each sister wears a cross that reads Ut Vitam Habeant, “ that all may have life.” Their lives are centered on the common understanding that everyone deserves a life of dignity. Through various ministries, the sisters cultivate a care for the most vulnerable and a care for creation.
