(1948-2019)

On December 25, 2019, as the Adrian Dominican Sisters joined with Christians around the world in celebrating Jesus’ birth, Sister Joanne Podlucky was born into new life as she went to meet Jesus face to face.

Joanne Theresa Podlucky was born March 22, 1948, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, to Joseph and Julia (Viboch) Podlucky. She was the oldest of five children, with Joseph, Ronald John, Francine, and Carolyn following her into the family.

The Podluckys were a close-knit family in a close-knit community. Like so many Johnstown men, Joseph was a steelworker, while Julia took care of the home and family, and in their Slovak and Italian neighborhood, everyone knew everyone and people looked out for each other.

Sister Joanne and her siblings all attended Sts. Peter and Paul School, where they were taught by the Vincentian Sisters of Charity. She went on to Vincentian Academy, a boarding school in Pittsburgh, for high school. Such a lengthy relationship with the VSC Sisters, plus the fact that an aunt was in that religious community, led Joanne to decide to enter that congregation at the beginning of her senior year, and she finished high school as a postulant. When she was received as a novice in August 1966, she was given the religious name Sister Jessica.