News & Reflections

Sister M. Valeria Evanyo, O. S. B. M., a Sister of the Uniontown Province of the Sisters of St. Basil, fell asleep in the Lord at. Mt. Macrina Manor in Uniontown on Wednesday, October 29, 2025. She was born Helen on February 18, 1932, in Pittsburgh, Pa., the youngest of three daughters of the late Michael and Mary (Minarish) Evanyo.  Her early education was received at Pittsburgh public schools, and later graduated from Mt. Macrina Academy in Uniontown.

After entrance into the Basilian community from St. John the Baptist Parish on the South Side, she earned a bachelor’s degree from Carlow (then Mt. Mercy) College.  Her first ministry was teaching in parochial schools:  Pottstown, Mont Clare, and Uniontown, PA; in Bridgeport, CT.; Chicago, IL;  Cleveland and Lorain, OH.

A love for developmentally challenged children impelled Sister Valeria to pursue a master’s degree in special education, teaching at the Rose-Mary Center in Cleveland and at the Intermediate Unit in Uniontown.

The Lord’s call became quite different when she was appointed a secretary to the English Section of the Secretary of State at the Vatican in Rome, Italy.  Serving in Rome for thirteen years, she served in written communicating for both the Holy Father John Paul II, and for other Vatican offices.  Sr. Valeria has the unique distinction among the Basilian community of having worked for a saint (St. John Paul II).

Back in America, Sister Valeria assumed the responsibility of secretary for +Bishop Basil Schott at the Eparchy of Parma.  This was followed when she became the receptionist at the Chancery of the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh until her retirement from active ministry in August of 2014.  Health issues took her to the monastery in August of 2022, and then  to Mt. Macrina Manor.

Throughout her life of service, Sr. Valeria was known for her light-hearted spirit and great sense of humor.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her sisters, Mary Corso and Pauline Benedik.  Left to cherish her memory are her nieces and nephews: Theresa and Thomas Benedik, Emily O’Keefe, Barbara Fair, June Murray, and Virginia Corso-Phinney, Urban, William and Martin Corso.

Friends will be received at the monastery on Friday, October 31, 2025, from 3:00 until 6:15 p.m., when the Parastas service for a Nun will be celebrated.  The funeral Divine Liturgy will be celebrated by Most Reverend Archbishop William C. Skurla on Saturday, November 1 at 10:30 a.m. Interment will follow in the Sisters section of Mt. Macrina Cemetery.

In blessed repose grant eternal rest O Lord to your departed handmaid Sister Valeria and remember her forever!

by Sister Elaine Kisinko OSBM

Asking for help is not always an easy thing to do. We might be embarrassed that we cannot complete a task, be unable to handle some object, or decipher or understand some written words. We are usually grateful to those people who kindly come to our aid. When it comes to our prayer lives, however, we never stand alone. God the Father, Jesus, Mary His Mother, the angels and saints always listen, hear us, and help us.
Sometimes our prayers vary in intensity from bright, light and happy words of thanks-giving to dark and painful pleas of hurt and anguish. We might have special places where we appreciate spending time with our Lord whether that be with words or in silence.
A great gift of time and place for prayer is, of course, the 91st annual Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help at Mount Saint Macrina in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, this year over the Labor Day weekend from August 29 to September 1. As always, it is truly a time set apart for our spiritual growth, renewal, and refreshment.
It seems that difficulties can evoke people to ask in prayer for heavenly intervention and help. People turn to God in prayer. When thinking of our country and our world today, it is obvious that prayer is greatly needed. Increasing violence, unending wars, disregard for human life, natural and unnatural disasters, and the list could go on and on.
Please make an effort, if you are able, to bring your blessed presence to the Pilgrimage. Kindly come with your favorite prayers and hymns. Come to join the others in the prayer and song of our holy and beautiful Church. We Sisters are grateful for each Pilgrim, from the youngest to the oldest who for four unique days will gather with our Bishops, Clergy and each other to ask in hope for the help we need, both personal and for the healing of our country and our world. We pray that the many people from near and far, united in the prayer, faith, and tradition of our treasured Byzantine Catholic Church, will travel to Mount Saint Macrina in Uniontown safely to receive the grace of God which awaits them there.

Why does Christmas resonate with so many people, even non-Christians?  Why are there carols and songs about it, the giving of gifts, and the warm feelings and emotions it evokes at this time of year?  Why Christmas?

Christmas celebrates a vulnerable, homeless child, born of a young, vulnerable, yet faith-filled woman, into a very poor and precarious situation.  Christmas celebrates the faith of the magi that the star they followed would lead them to something special; the faith of the shepherds, who heard the music of the angels and followed; the faith of Mary and Joseph, who trusted in God, and protected their child against forces determined to kill him.

Christmas celebrates the triumph of vulnerability and humility over the forces of evil. Everyone in the story of Christmas is vulnerable, yet through humility and faith, they play their part in the history of our salvation.

Mary, a betrothed yet unwed mother, is vulnerable to the law, her family, and society’s derision. Joseph, who has no idea what is going on but wants to protect Mary from the law, would have divorced her privately, were it not for a dream. This would have left Mary to raise Jesus on her own and with no husband, would have rendered her a homeless beggar.

The magi, who went to Herod when they saw the star and realized they should not return to him, became vulnerable to his wrath.

I think Christmas resonates with us so much because it also taps into our vulnerability and humility. There is a unique joy and kindness at this time of year that is not as obvious at other times of year. I think it’s because Christmas reminds us of just how vulnerable we all are. Thanks to our humility and faith, we recognize that there is One, and only One, so much greater than ourselves, who is Love Incarnate.

The Sisters of St. Basil the Great wish you, from our home at Mt. St. Macrina to your home, a most blessed Christmas Season and a happy and healthy new year.

God is With Us!

Sr. Susan Sisko & the Sisters of St. Basil

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Dear Friends,

Sixty years ago, Julie Andrews strode through the Austrian Alps singing, “The hills are alive with the sound of music.”   Today, we sisters sing: “The Mount is alive with the sound of Pilgrims.”

What an amazing Pilgrimage! Your prayers, presence, and magnificent singing filled Mt. St. Macrina once again and will fuel its engine until Labor Day weekend next year.

You traveled from near and far via plane, car, camper, or perhaps via computer.  However you experienced this year’s Otpust, we hope and pray that you came away from our 90^th Pilgrimage with a renewed heart and spirit and that Our Lord and His Mother, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, give you the comfort and strength needed for the coming year.

Thank you for your participation, your prayers, and your support.  We cannot begin to express what your presence means to the Sisters who call Mt. St. Macrina our home.

As we remove the tents, store the benches, and take stock of everything else, we can’t help but feel the anticipation for the 91^st Pilgrimage, which will be here before we know it. We’ll be waiting for you!

May the Theotokos, Our Mother, walk with you every step of the journey, and may She be your ever-present Intercessor before the throne of her Son.

Gratefully in the Lord,

Sister Susan Sisko, OSBM
Provincial

Less than two short months after celebrating her Diamond Jubilee of religious life, Sister Theodosia (Mary) Alishofski entered eternity to celebrate her new life in the Kingdom. Sister had been a resident at Mt. Macrina Manor since 2021. Very early in the morning on July 10, 2024, it was from there that the Lord called her to Himself.

Sister Theodosia was born in Freeland, PA, the daughter of the late William and Mary (Condrick) Alishofski. She entered the community from St. Mary’s Byzantine Catholic Church in Freeland, PA, on September 13, 1949, and made her Final Profession of Vows on August 29, 1954.

In active educational ministry from 1951 through 2005, Sister was a teacher and principal in parish schools in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, and Connecticut. When St. Mary’s School in Wilkes-Barre closed, she stayed on to serve in parish ministry and in catechesis.

Sister Theodosia was a gifted artist, and her earlier works were scenes of nature. As time passed, Sister became interested in iconography, and she pursued this calling by attending icon workshops and retreats during the summer. Her icons of the Feasts of the Liturgical Year adorn the walls on the way to the Chapel.  In addition, a large icon of the Holy Trinity is fixed on the back wall of the Monastery Chapel. Thus, Sister’s talents continue to bless us.

While a resident at Mt. Macrina Manor, Sister Theodosia was faithful in keeping in touch by mail or phone with family, relatives, former students, and friends. With over sixty years of contact in her ministry, this was no little feat. It brought her as much joy to share this ministry with so many.

Sister Theodosia was preceded in death by her parents and her brothers Joseph, William, and Msgr. Nicholas. In addition to the members of her community, she is survived by several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Relatives and friends will be received at the Monastery on Sunday, July 14, from 3:30 p.m. to the time of the Parastas at 6:30 p.m. The Funeral Divine Liturgy will be celebrated by Very Rev. Andrew Deskevich, Protosyncellus, and Rev. Jerome G. Botsko, Monastery Chaplain, on Monday, July 15, at 10:30 a.m. Interment will follow in the Dormition Section of Mt. Macrina Cemetery. Donald R. Crawford Funeral Home in Hopwood is in charge of arrangements.