McChesney, Sister M. Callista

An oral history of Sister M. Callista McChesney, a Sister of Charity of Seton Hill from 1931 until 2007. The interview was conducted by Sister Marie Corona Miller on April 17, 1988.

Sister M. Callista McChesney was born on June 28, 1912 in Sharpsburg, Pa. Daughter of John McChesney and Elizabeth Katchey, Mary Elizabeth McChesney entered the community on February 2, 1931 as Sister Mary Callista McChesney.

Sister M. Callista worked as a store clerk and telephone operator before entering the community. Over the course of her ministry, she taught primary education at schools in the dioceses of Pittsburgh, Greensburg, and Altoona-Johnstown as well as the Archdioceses of Los Angeles and Washington. Among the schools she taught at were St John Baptist, Scottdale; Holy Innocents, Sheraden, St. Philip, Crafton; St. Irenaeus, Oakmont; St. James the Greater, Apollo; St. Anselm, Swissvale; St. Pancratius, Ca.; St. Joseph, Tucson; SS. Peter and Paul, Tucson; and St Jane de Chantal, Bethesda, Md. She also taught elementary-level catechetical classes at Most Holy Trinity Parish, Huntington from 1968 to 1975. Later in life, she was the Coordinator of the Greensburg Central Catholic Faculty House, and then performed volunteer work at Saint Pius X Convent, Mount Pleasant.

Sister M. Callista earned her B.Ed. in Education from Duquesne University in 1956.

Sister M. Callista McChesney passed away on July 15, 2007, at the age of 95.