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God doesn’t want her yet.
That’s how Sister Francis Dominici Piscatella — the world’s oldest living nun — jokingly explains her secret to living such a long life.
“I’m glad to be famous for something,” the Amityville nun said when journalist Kristy McNally informed her that she was not only the oldest living nun in the country, but in the entire world.
Piscatella turned 112 on Easter, April 20. The Central Islip native offically became the globe’s oldest nun when 116-year-old Brazilian nun, Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas, who had been the world’s oldest person, died on Wednesday.
Currently listed by the Gerentology Research Group as the world’s 56th oldest person, Piscatella was featured over the weekend in a News 12 report, visiting with McNally at the Queen of the Rosary Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Dominic in Amityville.
Born Ursula Piscatella on April 20, 1913, in Central Islip, the supercentenarian had long ago lived through two world wars and the Great Depression. She has now survived multiple pandemics.
Pope Francis, who died April 21, was Piscatella’s eighth pope since she entered the order.
At 2 years old, she lost her left forearm in a train accident, an event that would shape her resilience and independence. Despite being turned away by several religious communities due to her disability, she joined the Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville in 1931.
Piscatella pursued her passion for education, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from St. John’s University. She dedicated over 90 years to religious life, including 52 years teaching at Dominican-founded Molloy University before retiring at 84.
Stays active
Only recently — last June — did Piscatella move into the assisted-living floor of the motherhouse, according to a Catholic Review report. Prior to that, Piscatella had been sharing an East Williston condominium for several years with fellow Dominican Sister Francis Daniel Kammer, her former student.
While life is a bit quieter these days for Piscatella, she remains active, attending Mass and participating in community activities at the motherhouse.
“Her presence, her joy,” Piscatella’s prioress, Sister Peggy McVetty, told the Catholic Review. “I have to say it’s for real. At one time I thought (presence) was a word that was instigated. But it’s very true.”
Some 30 family members helped Piscatella celebrate her birthday following East Sunday Mass.
Top photo: Sister Francis Dominici Piscatella celebrates her 112th birthday in Amityville. She is the world’s oldest living nun.
