Dominican Sister of Peace Sister Joan Popovits died on September 26, 2021, at Grant Hospital in Columbus, OH.
A native of Chicago, Sister Joan was born in 1944 to Goldie Persin and Joseph Popovits.
Sr. Joan was called to religious life by the joy that she saw in the Sisters whose Convent was near her high school. She entered the Congregation in 1962, made her first profession in 1965, and took her final vows in 1970.
Sr. Joan’s first ministry was in hospitality, serving as cafeteria manager at St. Mary High School in New Haven, CT, then as a cook in Somerset, OH. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Ohio Dominican University in 1970, then served at the Saint George Hospital as a purchasing agent.
In 1975, Sr. Joan began a ministry as a Pastoral Minister at St. John the Baptist Parish in New Haven, CT. She had found her true calling and continued on that ministry for the rest of her life. She served in Plainville, CT, while earning her Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry from Saint Joseph College, and went on to serve in Michigan for 16 years, before moving to Columbus, OH, as Pastoral Minister at Holy Spirit Parish.
For the past seventeen years, she worked with the senior citizens at Holy Spirit and Saint Philip parishes, establishing new programs to help them stay active and connected.
Her favorite pastoral ministry was visiting the homebound. During COVID quarantine, she continued her “visits” by phone, and was delighted to be able to serve God’s people in person again as vaccines became available.
Sr. Joan was preceded in death by her parents and her brother Joseph Popovits. She is survived by her sister-in-law Kathy Popovits and several nieces and nephew, as well as her community at the Dominican Sisters of Peace.
A public viewing and prayer service was held on October 4, 2021, at Holy Spirit Parish, in Columbus, OH. A private service was held on October 5, and the Mass of Christian burial was conducted on October 6, both at the Dominican Sisters Motherhouse Chapel. Sr. Joan was buried in St. Joseph Cemetery, Columbus, OH.
To donate in Sr. Joan’s memory, please click here.
To download a printable copy of this memorial, click here.
Memorial gifts in Sr. Joan Popvits’ memory may be also be sent to the Dominican Sisters of Peace, Office of Mission Advancement, 2320 Airport Dr, Columbus, OH 43219.
Posted in Obituaries