Sister Diana Wauters, RA went home to the Father on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, June 2, 2024, at St. Joseph Villa – near Philadelphia, PA. She was in the 81st year of her life and the 61st year of her religious consecration as a Religious of the Assumption.
Diana Wauters was born October 2, 1942, in Greensboro, North Carolina, the second of three children of Joseph Wauters and Margaret Vercruyses. Both parents had come to the United States in their childhood from Belgian Flanders and they met and married here and became American citizens. The family moved to Allentown, PA and Diana attended Catholic schools there until her Senior Year, when she was enrolled in Ravenhill Academy and obtained her High School Diploma in June 1960.
In July of that same year Diana entered the Assumption as a postulant and made her Novitiate at Ravenhill, the North American Provincial House in Philadelphia, PA. Taking the religious name Sister Joseph Therese, she made her first vows on July 16, 1962, and chose for her Mystery, the Annunciation. She pronounced her perpetual vows in October 1967 choosing as the Scriptural word engraved in her ring, “My Beloved is mine, and I am His” from the Song of Songs.
Sr. Diana taught in Assumption schools at St. Hugh, Miami, FL and Ravenhill Academy while studying for her BS from St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia. In 1970, after a time of reflection and dialogue, she asked and was sent to the Province of West Africa for the first time. She spent 6 years at Abidjan, Ivory Coast teaching in a Catholic High School and being part of the foundation of the Community of Attiécoubé, one of the first pioneer “insertion” communities in a poor neighborhood in the Congregation. Diana was also instrumental in launching “Bible Camps,” a two-week summer Bible formation program for children led by youth, which was later developed by Sisters Jeanne Cathrine and Cécile Thérèse of the community of Attiécoubé and spread throughout the Congregation.
Returning to the US Province in 1976, Sr. Diana helped found the first Worcester community while studying for a Masters in Social Work at Assumption University and later the University of Pennsylvania where she obtained her MSW before leaving again for West Africa in 1980.
This time Sr. Diana was sent to Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso as Provincial Councilor and Superior of the Cana Community, another insertion in the poor neighborhood of Sarfalao. During Diana’s time as Councilor the first novitiate in West Africa was established, and the West African sisters formed there would later lay the foundation for the African Assumption province of today. Sr. Diana is remembered by many of the sisters who were formed there, as this message attests : “I remember her being so simple and human, very kind and so very, very fraternal, so close to people. Thank you for the years she spent with us. West Africa is very grateful to her.”
At the end of her mandate in 1987 Sr. Diana asked to return to the US Province at West Philadelphia, where she joined in the early part of the exploration and discernment process for a foundation on the Southwest border.
But before the foundation of Chaparral, Sr. Diana was called to the service of leadership in the Congregation when she was elected General Councilor of Sr. Cristina González in 1994. Sr. Diana returned to the US in 2000, in time to participate in the final stages of exploration on the Southwest border until the site for the foundation was chosen and the first community of 4 sisters (Diana along with Sisters Chabela, Tere and Dora), all of different nationalities and provinces, was inserted at Chaparral, New Mexico, on the US-Mexico border in 2001. Sr. Diana explained the objective of the community : “We wanted to insert ourselves in a neighborhood as a religious community. We would be a presence in the community as well as work with/in the community. This vision meant that the community would have to be located in an area big enough and densely populated enough to allow for multiple ministry opportunities, either in pastoral ministry or social projects. We also desired to collaborate in evangelization through the formation of Base Christian Communities. Accompanying the Faith journey of the people in and through their day to day struggles and joys was a key component in our thought.”
In 2006 the US Province sent Sr. Diana as delegate to the General Chapter, where she was again called to the service of the congregation when she was elected General Superior for a term of 6 years. Diana would stay at our Motherhouse in Paris for 6 years and during her mandate she led the congregation through a period of Restructuring, uniting smaller provinces together along Continental lines. During this period two important events would take place: 1. The beginning of the process of fusion of the Congregation of the Augustinian Religious of Notre Dame of Paris with our Congregation. 2. The long-awaited Canonization of Saint Mary Eugenia in 2007. The sisters who served with her as General Councilors and Provincial superiors recount her style of leadership as being participative and encouraging – what we would call today “Synodal”.
On her return to the US Province in 2012 Sr. Diana had no other wish than to return to her beloved Chaparral. That she did, until declining health made her move to our community in Philadelphia in 2020, just before COVID shut things down. Chaparral and the people of the Border always held a special place in her heart.
In February 2023 when the progression of her illness became very manifest, it was necessary for Sr. Diana to have special care. The Sisters of Saint Joseph welcomed her into their facilities at Saint Joseph Villa, where she would receive competent, professional, and loving care, until her death on June 2, 2024, always accompanied by the sisters of her beloved province of the USA. We express our gratefulness with Sr. Diana’s last words : “tell them I love them.”
Sr. Diana’s funeral will be held in Philadelphia on June 17th at 10:30 am at Saint Joseph Villa, 110 W. Wissahickon Ave, Flourtown, PA. In the Mother House there will be a special mass in her memory during the General Chapter that will take place in July for the entire Congregation. Together we will give thanks for her life and mission, as well as celebrate her new life.
May she rest in Peace and in our hearts!
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