Scholarships

Through the generosity of our former, long-time, esteemed English teacher, William (Bill) Waters, several students have been granted a scholarship in honor of Sister St. Gervase, SSJ, which has assisted them in attending Wildwood Catholic Academy.

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Philadelphia is the religious order of sisters that, for many decades, was the heart and soul of Wildwood Catholic. One of the many marvelous nuns who taught at Wildwood Catholic was Sister St. Gervase, who was assigned to Wildwood Catholic from September 1978 until June 1983. Sadly, she died on September 17, 2020. Because of Covid-19, Sister’s obituary was not widely published and her funeral was private. Below is the obituary printed several months after her passing in the order’s newsletter:

Sister St. Gervase Glackin went home to God on September 17, 2020, two weeks after her 91st birthday. A resident of St. Joseph Villa since 2014, Sister’s liturgy and funeral followed at the Villa on September 22. The second oldest of seven children, Mary Angela, lost her father when she was just eight years old. Her mother, Mary Glackin, wanted a good education for the young children and enrolled six of the children in St. Joseph Academy in McSherrytown, PA, a boarding school owned by the Sisters of St. Joseph. The youngest Glackin child, Charles, remains.

Strongly influenced by the spirit and dedication of the Sisters at the Academy, young Mary Angela entered the Novitiate in September 1946. Her first ministry, teaching elementary school children in various grades, schools and dioceses, lasted for twenty years. Subsequent ministry in secondary education allowed her to share her love for reading and writing and to introduce them to authors, especially English writers. She often accompanied groups of students to London where they, too, enjoyed all things British.

Summers also allowed Sister to pursue opportunities for offering volunteer services in New York and even in California, in various capacities.

Her ministry, later on, included teaching college students, including stints at Drexel and Villanova Universities and Community College of Philadelphia. In 2002, Sister St. Gervase became coordinator of Outreach at St. John Church in Philadelphia before accepting an invitation to assist students with reading and writing skills in the English department at Neumann-Goretti High School.

After a brief time volunteering at Mount Saint Joseph Convent, Sister St. Gervase took up residence at the Villa, often sharing readings of published poets. She enjoyed writing her own poems for special occasions and shared them as well. Truly a unique and creative spirit, St. Gervase will be fondly remembered.

Sister St. Gervase left a lasting impression on many of the over 600 Wildwood Catholic students she encountered during her five academic years spent laboring at the school. She was an inspired teacher of British literature and writing skills and started Wildwood Catholic’s very first AP course (AP English Literature and Composition). She held “high tea” for her students at the convent, donned special attire to confer knighthood on famous British writers from the past, and took students and some parents on literary trips to England. To quote one of her English department colleagues, “Her life was marked by exuberance in the classroom and a passion for service in the outside world.”

To honor the memory of Sister St. Gervase, the following AP English Language and Composition students have been awarded a scholarship:

• Santiago Chavez
• Gerald Garrison
• Ashe O’Donnell

Our thanks to Mr. Waters for sponsoring this generous scholarship in memory of Sister St. Gervase. May Sister’s love of all things “English” and her passion for service be an inspiration to our students.