SISTER MONICA VINGES

June 26, 1942 - January 12, 2017

Sister Monica Vinges, 74, (formerly Sister Peter Joanne), a Sister of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, died Thursday, January 12, 2017 at Saint Vincent Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, Cedar Grove, NJ. Sister Monica was born in Newark, NJ, the daughter of Peter and Victoria (Gowlis) Vinges. She entered the Sisters of Charity on September 6, 1960 and was a member for 56 years. Sister Monica graduated from the College of Saint Elizabeth, Convent Station, NJ with a B.S. degree in Elementary Education. She taught at St. Lucy and St. Anne Schools, Jersey City, Sacred Heart School, Vailsburg (Newark) and the Hopi Indian Reservation, Fort Defiance, AZ. She was a Guidance Counselor at St. Teresa School, Summit and St. Vincent Academy, Newark. Sister Monica earned her MA in Counseling and Human Services from Montclair State College (1971) and a Masters in Social Work from Yeshiva University (2000). She was a Clinician and Family Therapist at Catholic Community Services, Cranford; Clinical Counselor at Mt. Carmel Guild, Jersey City; Outpatient Clinician at Trinitas Regional Medical Center, Elizabeth, NJ. In addition to her clinical work, Sister Monica was an Instructor in the Residency Program in the Department of Psychiatry at Trinitas, as well as Clinical Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at Seton Hall University. Sister Monica was a staff member at Counseling Care Center in Bloomfield NJ. In 2016 she moved to the Convent of Saint Elizabeth, Convent Station, where she resided until her death. She is survived by the Sisters of Charity; her professional colleagues, and the many medical and mental health professionals whom she mentored. In lieu of flowers, contributions to the Sisters of Charity Development Fund, P. O. Box 476, Convent Station, NJ 07961-0476 would be greatly appreciated