Sister Janis McQuade, SSJ, (far right) with the 2026 OCIA class at St. Stephen Mission in Elkin. As the primary onsite pastoral presence, she handles sacrament preparation for the mission’s families. (Photo provided)ELKIN — For Sister Janis McQuade, SSJ, there was never much doubt about what she wanted to be when she grew up.
“I always wanted to be a Sister,” she said. “I never had any doubts and was never homesick a day in my life.”
As she celebrates 60 years with the Sisters of St. Joseph, she carries a quiet confidence rooted in her belief that God continues to guide her wherever she is called to serve.
Sister Janis grew up in a close-knit Catholic family in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. One of eight children, faith and family were everything to her. “Church is just who we were. Everything revolved around the church and parish life.”
Roots of her vocation
After high school, she entered the Sisters of St. Joseph and began the congregation’s formation process while attending Chestnut Hill College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in education. She later received a master’s degree in theology and pastoral ministry from La Salle University. She took her final vows as a Sister of St. Joseph in 1973.
“I felt that calling deep in my heart,” she said. “God puts it in your heart and you don’t know how that mystery is going to unfold, but it does.”
She began her ministry in education, teaching in New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and Washington, D.C., among other locations.
“I taught every grade in all types of socioeconomic environments,” she said.
In 1981, she transitioned into pastoral ministry at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Winston-Salem, where she worked in faith formation, RCIA, children’s ministry and a variety of other parish responsibilities for nine years.
She continued pastoral ministry at St. Thomas More Church in Chapel Hill before returning home to care for her ailing father while continuing ministry work there.
After her father’s passing, she spent a year at Charlotte Catholic High School before once again returning north to help care for her mother and sister.
Finding a home in Elkin
In 2006, she was offered a position at St. Stephen Mission in Elkin. The mission church has approximately 90 households and serves a diverse congregation with members from Central and South America, the Caribbean and Vietnam.
“We are pretty eclectic and intergenerational,” she said.
As the primary onsite pastoral presence, she handles much of the day-to-day ministry. Her work includes parish administration, accompanying families in sacrament preparation, family faith formation and other milestones on their faith journeys.
“You become part of their family and they become part of your faith journey,” she said.
Unlike some of the larger churches where she served, the smaller community of St. Stephen allows Sister Janis to cultivate personal relationships – something central to the purpose of the
Sisters of St. Joseph. “It was nice to be in relationships with people,” she said. “People trust you with their stories and their faith journey.”
She encourages those who feel they are being called to religious life to have a healthy prayer practice and develop a strong relationship with Jesus. She also advises attending weekly Mass and finding a spiritual director or mentor.
“Talk to someone who is living the life and find out if that is a fit for you,” she said.
This year marks significant milestones for both St. Stephen Mission and Sister Janis. As the church celebrates its 70th anniversary, Sister Janis is marking nearly 20 years of ministry there.
“It seems like I just walked in the door yesterday,” she said. “It’s a blessing, it’s pure grace on God’s part that you get to do what you love.”
— Courtney McLaughlin
