Anastasia Chernitsky, SCN, 87, born in Juanita, Pennsylvania, died March 27, 2021, at Nazareth Home, Louisville, Kentucky. Sister was in her 67th year of professed religious life.

In 1951, Sister Anastasia entered the Vincentian Sisters of Charity (which merged with the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth). Sister Anastasia had always been drawn to caring for the ill and elderly and first ministered at Vincentian Home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Although she completed a portion of formal training at Mercy School of Nursing, Sister Anastasia felt God was calling her to teach. She majored in math and earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. 

Sister Anastasia taught in the Diocese of Pittsburgh at St. Dominic, Donora; St. Ursula, Allison Park; St. Bartholomew, Crabtree; St. Thomas High, Braddock; and Vincentian High School, Pittsburgh. Sister also taught in the Diocese of Greensburg at St. Mary, Uniontown, and Cardinal Mooney High in Youngstown, Ohio. She also taught CCD classes, first communion preparation classes and even tutored other Sisters.

In 1978, Sister Anastasia began ministry at Regency Hall Nursing Home in Pittsburgh where she served in a number of roles. She created “Reality Orientation” classes for those with dementia to help residents stay oriented and navigate memory loss. She served as a receptionist, as well as assisting with payroll for 18 years. From 2001 to 2008, Sister Anastasia also ministered in payroll at St. Louise Convent and volunteered in the mailroom. In recent years, she ministered in the apostolate of prayer.

Sister Anastasia was much loved by former patients and students alike. A sports enthusiast, she supported sports teams wherever she taught. Over the years, many of her students kept in touch and visited her. She was also a prolific writer, a gifted poet, and loved sharing a good joke with others. 

One of ten children, Sister Anastasia is survived by her sister, Helen Piwowar, and sister-in-law Dorothy Chernitsky; nieces and nephews, great-nieces and nephews, and great-great nieces and nephews; and by members of her religious community.

In light of the pandemic, a Memorial Mass will be held at a later date. Sister Anastasia will be buried in the Nazareth Cemetery on Monday, April 5, 2021, at 1 p.m. The prayer ritual will be filmed and shared.

Funeral Arrangements are being handled by Ratterman Funeral Home, 3800 Bardstown Road, Louisville. Memorials may be sent to the SCN Office of Mission Advancement, P.O. Box 9, Nazareth, Kentucky, 40048.