Sister Bianca Camilleri, FMIHM, 87, a longtime and beloved educator in the Diocese of Camden, died Nov. 12.
For more than 60 years, she was a teacher – first in Israel and later in the Diocese of Camden.
Most recently, Sister Bianca had been a volunteer at Saint Michael the Archangel Regional School in Clayton, where she was a librarian, planned the school liturgies, served as a substitute teacher and led the school’s Pen Pal and Rosary Clubs.
“Sister Bianca was a gift to Catholic education in South Jersey,” said Dr. Bill Watson, diocesan superintendent of Catholic schools. “She demanded excellence, but did so with love. She always had each student’s best self – who God intended them to be – in mind and heart as a teacher and mentor. She will be greatly missed, but her impact will endure.”
Born Feb. 24, 1937, in Malta, Sister Bianca entered the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on Sept. 6, 1955, and made her first profession March 25, 1958.
In October of 1958, she moved to Israel, teaching English in the Holy Land and studying at the University of Jerusalem, before making her final profession there in 1961.
Ten years later, Sister Bianca was sent to the United States and taught in Catholic schools in New Jersey including those in Westmont, Blackwood, Glassboro and Clayton before retiring in 2012. She served post-retirement at Saint Michael the Archangel.
In October 2022, she accomplished a longtime goal of becoming an American citizen; she was sworn in at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in Mount Laurel.
“I always wanted to be an American citizen. In fact, in my heart I always was one,” she told the Catholic Star Herald shortly after the ceremony. “I would celebrate the national American holidays and participate in the festivities with the schoolchildren; I would go to parades and wave the American flag with great pride. The freedom one has as an American citizen is very important to me, as well as the opportunities one has to voice your opinion. I always taught the students to be proud and respect their country.”
Natalie Drainville, a third-grade teacher at Saint Michael the Archangel Regional School, first met Sister Bianca in 2016. Drainville’s first daughter was entering school at the time. As both a parent and a staff member, she said she appreciated Sister Bianca’s love and guidance.
“[She] brought Jesus to students and helped them build a relationship with the Lord,” Drainville said, adding that her own children are now altar servers thanks to Sister Bianca. The sister’s devotion to liturgy planning helped youth see the responsibility and joy of the ministry, she said.
Drainville said Sister Bianca brought joy and humor to the entire school community. “She was a kind woman and an example of who we all need to be. She brought the Word of God to everyone.”
Sister Bianca was also successful in strengthening generational bonds, creating a Pen Pal Club for Catholic school students. Begun at Holy Saviour in Westmont and continuing at Saint Michael the Archangel, the initiative has students write letters to senior citizens.
In the club, students learn “how to respect the elderly, pray for them and let them know they care,” Sister Bianca once told the Catholic Star Herald.
Traditionally, the club would conclude at the end of the school year with students and seniors sharing a meal at the school, interacting face to face.
“She only expected the best from students, and she did bring out the best in them,” said Joanne Sidoti, Saint Michael the Archangel vice principal.
A viewing will be held from 4-6 p.m. on Nov. 21 at Saint Bridget University Parish, 125 Church St., Glassboro. The viewing will continue 10-11 a.m. the next day, Nov. 22, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial. Burial is planned to be at Saint Joseph’s Cemetery, Blackwood.
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