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The Saint Jude Parish Speakers Series “Sharing the Light” is honored to present Sister Janice Vanderneck, a Sister of St Joseph – Baden and a beacon for Immigrants coming to Pittsburgh in search of safety, work, and a better life for themselves and their children.
 
Sister Janice grew up dreaming of becoming a missionary in Latin America, loving the language and culture. In 1967 she entered the Sisters of St Joseph hoping to pursue that dream. While completing a MS in Theology she went to the Amazon. While teaching religious education she encouraged people to think critically about power struggles, oppression, and influence.
 
When back in the US and wishing to share the dire circumstances of the poor, and the richness of their culture, she began the Latino Catholic Social Ministry Office in the diocese, where she found families who were denied medical assistance for their children. This began a crash course of what the life of undocumented immigrants was like, beginning her commitment to advocacy for helping those who had been trafficked for cheap labor gain.
 
In 2013 the Sisters of St Joseph established Casa San Jose in support of sister’s mission to facilitate the full participation of Hispanics in the Mission of the Church. She quickly gained a reputation for her outstanding coalition building, advocacy for civil rights, economic justice, housing, and immigration challenges.
 
Sister Janice is a glowing point of light for our brothers and sisters fleeing their countries in order to find freedom and a better life for their children and themselves. She has received countless honors and awards for her tireless work but in November she was honored by the National Catholic Association of Diocesan Directors for Hispanic Ministry at their 30^th-anniversary celebration in Las Vegas.