July 01, 2020
In Memoriam: Sister Ann P. Stankiewicz, O.P.; taught philosophy for 27 years
Sister Ann Patricia Stankiewicz, O.P., retired associate professor of philosophy who taught at Providence College for 27 years, died on July 1, 2020. A member of the Dominican Sisters of Hope, she was a Dominican sister for 62 years.
A lifelong educator, Sister Ann came to PC in 1981 as assistant professor of philosophy. She was promoted to associate professor in 1994 and retired in 2008. She served as philosophy department chair from 2000-2004 and as director of the Humanities Program from 1986-1990.
Born in Newburgh, N.Y., Sister Ann earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Villanova University and her master’s degree in philosophy from Fordham University. She later attained her Ph.D. in philosophy of education from State University of New York-Albany.
Sister Ann entered the novitiate of the Dominican Sisters of Newburgh in 1952 and made her final profession in 1958.
She was a dedicated teacher whose career included all levels of education. She taught elementary school for 10 years at Saint Rose School in Haddon Heights, N.J., and at Holy Family School in New Rochelle, N.Y. She then taught for two years at Pope Pius XII High School in Passaic, N.J.
Sister Ann then moved on to The Catholic University in Washington, D.C., where she was very involved in the civil rights movement. She returned to Newburgh in 1968 and began working at Mount Saint Mary College in the Higher Education Opportunity Program. While there she also taught philosophy. She later joined the faculty at PC.
After retiring from the College in 2008, Sister Ann remained in Providence for three years before moving back to her hometown of Newburgh.
In addition to her deep love for teaching, Sister Ann was deeply respected and loved by her students. She had the ability to make the most complex philosophical truths simple enough for her students to grasp.
Sister Ann is survived by her sister, Elaine Aulogia; several nephews and nieces, including Kathleen A. Stankiewicz ’03 & ’05G; and her Dominican Sisters of Hope.
A celebration of her life and a Mass of Christian Burial will be scheduled at an appropriate time. Burial will be in the Dominican Sisters of Hope Cemetery at Mount Saint Mary College, Newburgh.
