Sr. Angela Homoki-Szabo, SSS

Sr Angela was born in Szentkirály, a village in the Great Plain region of Hungary. Her parents Pál and Ilona were-farmers and had nine children, Ilona (Helen) was their firstborn; she later took the religious name Angela. As she was the oldest child, it became natural for her to help in taking care of her younger siblings. This caring attitude accompanied her during her entire life.

She attended grade school in her hometown and high school in Kecskemet. Although she felt the call to religious life, she could not follow her desire as the Communist regime in Hungary outlawed religious orders. She worked in her hometown as a clerk, and soon got a chance to work for the church as a sacristan. During this time, she got involved with the Catholic Girls’ Association, which was also pushed underground. One of the leaders of this group was a Sister of Social Service; through her she got to know our community which continued to function in illegality. Sister Angela courageously responded to the new opportunity to give her life to God and entered the SSS. While in her hometown she herself led underground groups of girls, four of them eventually joined the SSS. In 1954 she left her hometown and moved to Budapest where she could pursue her religious formation - of course underground. During this time, she supported herself as a housekeeper and nanny. The revolution of 1956 brought the hope of freedom to Hungary, but the uprising was soon defeated by the Soviet troops. While the iron curtain was open for a short while, eight novices, among them Sr. Angela, were told to escape and to head to the Buffalo Novitiate in the US. She was finally able to follow her dream to freely give herself entirely to the Lord. During novitiate she was one of the group mothers in the home for Emotionally Disturbed Children in Syracuse.

She took her first vows in 1960, and her final vows in 1967. She chose as her motto: “Teach me to do your will”. For her silver jubilee she chose “In your love set me free” and at her golden jubilee she changed this to “Blessed be my Lord forever”.

She earned BA in Sociology and Social Welfare at D’Youville College and an MA in Social Work (gerontology) at SUNY Buffalo and worked in different ministries serving the elderly at Black Rock and the Office for Aging in Buffalo, NY, and then managed the local Telephone Assurance Program until her retirement in 1989.

In the SSS community Sr. Angela was active in formation work from 1962 to 1989.

From 1975 to 2015 she was serving in various positions in the district and the general leadership. She was District Moderator 1991-2000 and 2012-1015.

After the death of our Foundress Sister Margaret Slachta (1974), Sister Angela, along with Srs. Anne Lehner, Judith Fenyvesi, and Teresina Joo played an important role in the life of the SSS community as they responded to the call for renewal that flowed from the Second Vatican Council, trying to study, understand, and implement the mandate of returning to the original charism. This team worked hard on drafting our new Constitutions; Sr. Angela worked on the chapter on formation.

From 2000 on she started to work in the archives of the community, managing the materials and organizing the photos.

Besides her ministries she was well known for her cooking, gardening, and camping skills. The neighbors on Summit Avenue all admired the gorgeous display of colors and blooms around the Sisters' home. There is a long list of national parks where she had camped - glorying the beauty of God's creation everywhere she found it!

Sister Angela spent her last years at the Wellness Center of the SSJ in Clarence where she continued to attend to our other sisters who are living there.

She returned to God on May 23, 2024. Friends may call TUESDAY May 28th from 2-4 pm at the Sisters of Saint Joseph Clarence Residence 4975 Strickler Rd. where a Mass of Christian Burial will be offered Wednesday May 29th at 11am. Flowers gratefully declined, memorial may be made to the Sisters of Saint Joseph. Online condolences to www.denglerrobertspernafuneral.com