On Sunday, August 4, the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary – Eastern American Area celebrated Sister Fernanda Moreira’s 100th birthday at Marymount Convent in Tarrytown, New York, with a Mass celebrated by Father Senan Taylor, OFM Cap, followed by a birthday toast and festive luncheon in the convent's 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 supportd 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 is an international congregation of women religious whose mission is: “to know and love God, to make God known and loved; to proclaim that Jesus Christ has come in order that all may have life.” (RSHM Constitutions #7) Each sister wears a cross that reads Ut Vitam Habeant, “so that all may have life.” Their lives are built around 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.