Sister Theresa Eleanor Capria, Sister Theresa Carmela, was born August 8, 1932, in the Bronx. She was one of four children, two sons and two daughters of Francis and Louise Amenta Capria. Theresa attended Saint Frances of Rome Elementary School and Saint Barnabas High School, both in the Bronx. After graduation, she attended College (University) of Mount Saint Vincent, graduating with a BA in mathematics, and entered the Sisters of Charity of New York on September 8, 1954. Sister Theresa pursued graduate studies at New York University before receiving an MA in Catechetical Theology from Manhattan College. She enriched her spiritual knowledge with a year of study at the Institute for Spiritual Leadership in Chicago which awarded her a Certificate in Spiritual Direction.
Sister Theresa used her education and skills as a teacher, pastoral minister, and congregation leader for 64 years of active ministry. She taught high school mathematics, religion, and home economics at the Academy of the Resurrection in Rye, New York. She then became the coordinator of Religious Education programs for Holy Family Church in Staten Island and later the coordinator of Catechist Formation and Sacramental Programs for the Archdiocese of New York. In 1979, she accepted the role of Assistant to the President of the Congregation for eight years, after which she returned to adult faith formation in Saint Lucy parish in the Bronx.
In a second call to Congregation leadership, Sister Theresa served again as Assistant to the President for two terms. She returned to pastoral services at College of Mount Saint Vincent before her retirement. In the following eight years, she found several ministries for her volunteer interests, particularly with young adults in the Congregation House of Hospitality. After living for four years at Mount Saint Vincent Convent, Sister Theresa moved to Cabrini of Westchester. She entered eternal life on January 31, 2025, in her 71st year of commitment as a Sister of Charity of New York.
Sister Theresa, it was your love of Church and faith that lit the steady flame of zeal you offered in all your undertakings. With it, you served the call of the Gospel through faith formation, Congregation events, service on Archdiocesan Councils, and as representative of the Sisters of Charity Federation at a meeting of the Vincentian Family in Rome. The depth and clarity of your writings reveal a sage observer of the ecclesial and cultural landscapes of the times seen through the lens of hope in the promises of a loving God.
At this final call on the journey of life, a loving God welcomes you, Sister Theresa, into the mystery of salvation’s fullness. The hope of the resurrection is now complete in you. Go forward and be at peace.
Wake
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
8:30-10:00 a.m.
Prayer Service at 9:30 a.m. (Livestreamed)
Mount St. Vincent Convent
Mass of Christian Burial
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
10:15 a.m. (Livestreamed)
Mount St. Vincent Convent
Interment
St. Joseph’s Cemetery, 209 Truman Avenue, Yonkers, NY