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SISTER MARTINA REVAK, OSB
GOES HOME TO GOD
On December 26, 2018, Sister Martina Revak died at Maria Health Care Center at Villa Assumpta. Sr. Martina had successful surgery two weeks earlier to repair a fractured femur, but complications from pneumonia developed, causing her death.
Martina (Anna) was born in Jonestown, PA on January 16, 1936 to John J.Revak and Anna Hanzok Revak. She attended Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Elementary School and Minersville High School. Her education continued at Ford School of Business in Pottsville, PA; Pennsylvania State University Extension, and the American Institute for Paralegal Studies, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA where she received certification as a Paralegal-Legal Assistant. Prior to entering the monastery she worked as a legal secretary.
Her monastic journey began when she entered St. Joseph Monastery in St. Marys, PA on August 26, 1962. She made first monastic profession on August 22, 1964, and Final Profession on August 23, 1969. She ministered as Assistant Administrator at Elk county Christian High School from 1964-79, during which time she also served as Assistant Convent Secretary. She became sub-prioress in 1975 until she was elected prioress of the community in 1978, an office she held until 1987.
In 1998, after a period of discernment she, along with 2 other sisters from St. Marys established Transfiguration Monastery in Emmaus, PA, as a dependent house of St. Joseph Monastery. Transfiguration was the first Benedictine Monastery in the Allentown diocese. During her years in Emmaus, Martina ministered at St. Francis of Assisi parish as a pastoral associate. For over 20 years she ministered mainly to the elderly and homebound, whom she dearly loved, and planned most of the funeral liturgies there. Her compassionate work among these parishioners will live long beyond her years. Martina served on the Diocesan Commission for Religious, and organized several programs for spiritual enrichment at Transfiguration Monastery, including the Oblate program and Prayer Group.
In 2007, Martina along with Sisters Germaine Hartle and Josepha Meyer, began a canonical process of transfer into the Benedictine Sisters of Baltimore at Emmanuel Monastery in Lutherville, MD. Transfiguration became a monastic mission of the Baltimore community and the sisters continued their mission there for another seven years until Martina and Germaine moved permanently to Emmanuel Monastery. Sr. Josepha died in December of 2013.
Martina is survived by her sisters at Emmanuel, her sister Judith (Revak) Hoffman and husband Richard and her brother Joseph and his wife Diane. Visitation and Vigil Service will be held at Emmanuel Monastery on January 2nd, and a Mass of Resurrection celebrating her life will be held on January 3, 2019 in the chapel at Villa Assumpta.
Martina loved to cook and shared her culinary skills with much joy with her sisters. One of her great loves was the hot air balloon, a treat she had that was captured in a photo used on the cover of her Mass of Resurrection Liturgy. She always loved a good time, a good joke ....and a party for any reason at all. She loved her Benedictine heritage, which she allowed to form and shape her into a woman who endeared herself to many. We will miss her gentle presence among us.
important statements from the conference of benedictine prioresses
Conference of Benedictine Prioresses Statement on Racism 2/4/17
Statement in Support of Comprehensive Reform of Immigration Policies 2/2013
Prevention of Gun Violence A Statement of the Conference of Benedictine Prioresses 3/21/13
Statements can be found on the Federation of St. Scholastica web site
www.federationofstscholastica.org
AWE: an awesome enterprise
makes the news
Read the article by Colleen Dunne, which got front page coverage at this link http://ncronline.org/news/sisters-stories/transformations-follow-after-nuns-take-mother-and-child
For more information about AWE visit their web site at www.asyleewomen.org
