Sister Anna Veronica Oncia, OP (Sister Martin Imelda) of the Dominican Sisters of Hope, died December 29, 2014 at the Kaplan Family Hospice Residence in Newburgh, NY. She was 83 years of age. Anna Veronica OnciaR (2)The daughter of the late Carlo Victorio and Domenica Cifarelli Oncia, she was born March 16, 1931 in Newburgh, NY.
Sister Anna Veronica entered the novitiate of the Dominican Sisters of Newburgh, NY on December 8, 1950, made her First Profession in June 1952, and Final Profession in August 1955. Sister Anna Veronica earned her BS in Elementary Education from Villanova University and her MS in Education with a focus on reading approaches from the College of New Rochelle.
Sister Anna Veronica taught at Cathedral Elementary School in Raleigh, NC (1952-1959 and 1968-1973) and at Annunciation School in Crestwood, NY (1959-1968). She taught at Guardian Angel School in New York City (1973-2004). Sister retired, and moved to the Center of Hope in Newburgh, NY until it closed in 2007. While at the Center of Hope she volunteered in the Development Office, and later in the Archives Office.
Sister Anna gave several workshops for beginning teachers in the Archdiocese of New York. In its early stages, she was also asked to work on religion exams for the Archdiocese of New York. Before coming to the Center of Hope, after her retirement from Guardian Angel School, Sister did substitute teaching as well as workshops for the Guardian Angel teachers.
Sister Anna Veronica is survived by her brother-in-law, Salvatore Aulogia; her niece Ruth Anne Carr and her husband James; her nephew Salvatore Aulogia Jr. and his wife, Cheryl; her niece Carla Venti and her husband Anthony; her niece Chryssa Kennedy and her husband Joseph; her niece Rosanne Moore and her husband John; and by many grand nieces and nephews. Sister Anna Veronica was predeceased by her sister Florence Aulogia.
Viewing was on Saturday, January 3, 2015 from 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.; Wake Service 10:30 a.m. Mass will be 11:30 a.m. All were held at the Chapel of the Most Holy Rosary at the Dominican Center in Newburgh, NY. Burial followed at the Dominican Sisters’ Cemetery, Newburgh, NY.
I had the pleasure of having Sister Anna Veronica for 4 years at Guardian Angel in the late 1970’s. She was a tough woman, but she fostered in us a love of reading. We all had advanced reading levels and we excelled in the subject. May God always look after her soul and bless her many years of effort.