May 20, 1930 — February 24, 2025
Sister Mary Philip Kwolek, the former Angeline Kwolek, a member of the Felician Sisters of Our Lady of Hope Province, died at Immaculate Heart of Mary Convent in Buffalo, New York, on Monday, February 24, 2025, after a brief illness. Sister Mary Philip was 94 years old and lived 76 of those years as a Felician Sister.
Angeline was the tenth of eleven children born to Stanislaus and Mary (Kraus) Kwolek, Polish immigrants, who settled on the south side of Pittsburgh and were members of St. Adalbert Parish. Her parents were staunch Catholics who were well-grounded in their faith and had a strong work ethic which they passed on as their legacy to their children. Angeline attended St. Adalbert Grade School and High School and grew to love the Felician Sisters who were her teachers. She became very familiar with the sisters and was always willing to run errands for them, all of which increased her desire to be one of them. In one of her letters when she petitioned to make final vows, she wrote: “I always took an active part in all activities … enjoyed them but it was always the same…the thought that this is fine and good, but it’s not for me …I felt God wanted me somewhere else.”
That burning wish to serve God as a Felician Sister became a reality for Angeline when she entered the postulancy at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Province in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, on August 4, 1948. She was invested with the Felician habit on August 7th, 1949, received the name Sister Mary Philip, and made her First Profession of Vows on August 10, 1950, when she sealed her commitment for her entire life with her Final Profession on August 8, 1956.
In preparation for the ministry of education, Sister Mary Philip pursued studies at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh where she earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees and did further studies at Catholic University in Washington, DC. Being astute in learning, she took advantage of many educational and professional opportunities which served to make her more proficient in her teaching experiences of more than 37 years as an elementary and secondary teacher in the dioceses of Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Erie, Pennsylvania as well as the Diocese of Cleveland.
In 1967, the community asked for a volunteer to teach in the American School in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Sister Mary Philip took advantage of that opportunity to broaden her horizons. It was there that she became skilled in the Portuguese language, spoke it fluently and translated Portuguese to English with great ease. Sister worked in Brazil for four years. A few years after her return from South America, she volunteered to work as the receptionist at the Generalate of the Felician Sisters in Rome, Italy, and served there from 1985 – 1989, and from 2001 – 2003. While she ministered in Rome, she also taught English to elementary school children at the Scoula di Sant Anna. Her multi-language ease was an indispensable requirement for her work at the Generalate given that in the cosmopolitan Eternal City one must be ready to communicate in several languages. Her being a true “people person” was an asset in this ministry.
These international assignments highlighted her adeptness for languages and learning. Sister Mary Philip was fluent in Portuguese, Latin, Spanish, Italian, and Polish, which prepared her for her ministry in translating documents for the Congregation, mainly Polish and Portuguese works, into English. In addition, she took on the task of translating conferences of Father Justin’s Holy Hours from Polish to English for a seven-year period.
The strong work ethic inherited from her parents continued to influence her life when, in 1992, she became the founder and director of Leo Meyer Manor, a facility in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. For ten years, she worked tirelessly to provide a “home away from home” for 49 residents of the apartments there.
Apart from her ministerial obligations and assignments, Sister Mary Philip was a dedicated community member, a true people person. She was jovial, fun-loving, committed, generous with her time and talent, and always willing to help. Oftentimes, sisters spoke of her as the road runner, always on the move— truly, the energizer bunny. She worked hard and always enjoyed playing jokes and pranks on her sisters. Sister Philip served willingly as local minister in a number of local homes where she was assigned, participated in community events, worked on committees, and attended provincial chapters. She was deeply devoted to her spiritual obligations and her time of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. In her heart, she was always seeking to fulfill what she had promised to her superiors when preparing to seal her commitment for life: “I love Jesus with all my heart and soul; I desire nothing else than to be intimately united with Him. His strength will support my weakness — His love will enkindle mine.”
In 2020, she returned to Coraopolis where she assisted the local archivist and was invaluable in translating many of the community documents which were still in Polish. In May of 2021, recognizing that she was in need of more personal assistance than she could receive in Coraopolis, Sister Mary Philip accepted her final assignment and was transferred to Immaculate Heart of Mary Convent in Buffalo, New York. In her final years, one by one, she returned to God the gifts He had given her for service to the Church, the Congregation and the People of God.
In her last weeks, she became weaker and the weekend before her death, the sisters came to sit and pray with her. On the evening of her death, Monday, February 24, 2025, Polish hymns were being played for her. The last hymn that was played was among her favorites, Serdeczna Matko, and it was at that point, that she breathed her last breath. Ironically, this hymn to Mary was her only request for her burial Mass. Surely, Jesus and His mother Mary, led her to her eternal reward.
Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Convent in Buffalo had a wake in their chapel on Thursday, February 27th. This provided an opportunity for them to share memories they had of her and to bid farewell to Sister Mary Philip. She was then transported to the Sanvito Funeral Home in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, where her family and friends came to pay their respects on Friday, February 28th. Both sisters and family shared their favorite stories at the Sharing of Memories service at 7:00 p.m. Her body was then transferred to the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Convent Chapel that evening in preparation for the funeral Mass the next morning.
On Saturday, March 1st, the Mass of Christian Burial was offered by her nephew, Reverend Philip Pzybyla, celebrant and homilist, with Reverend Samuel Esposito, chaplain, concelebrating. The committal service was held at the Felician Cemetery where Sister Mary Philip joined the many Felician Sisters who preceded her in death.
Well done, good and faithful servant, for modeling the charism of Blessed Mary Angela wherever you were sent throughout the world.
Sister Mary Philip, may the angels lead you into paradise and the martyrs welcome you at your coming to the heavenly Jerusalem. May Blessed Mary Angela, your Felician Sisters who have gone before you, and your dear parents and siblings be at your eternal homecoming.
