Long Island nun — the world's oldest at 112 — shares four words of advice after a lifetime of service
Sister Francis Dominici Piscatella, the world's oldest nun at 112, has four words of advice for anyone who wants to match her longevity
'Teach until you die,' Piscatella, who celebrated her birthday in late April, told The Post.
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5 Sister Francis Dominici Piscatella, 112, is the world's oldest nun.
Heather Khalifa for the NY Post
Piscatella, who is enjoying her golden years on the South Shore of Long Island in her 94th year of service to the Catholic Church, said people should follow the good they've've seen from their loved ones.
'You have to be a saint before you get to heaven.'
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Now living in Amityville's Queen of the Rosary Motherhouse, Piscatella had a long journey of faith and fate throughout her years.
'For some reason, God doesn't want me yet,' the longstanding member of the Dominican order said. 'I feel normal. I never gave my age a thought, it just happened to be.'
When she was just 2-years old and living in Central Islip, she lost her left forearm in an accident with a passing train — a life-altering event that Piscatella made the most of.
5 Piscatella celebrating her 112th birthday at the Queen of the Rosary Motherhouse in Amityville.
Sisters of St. Dominic
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5 An old family photo on the desk in Piscatella's room.
Heather Khalifa for the NY Post
'I was the second oldest of seven children. My mother wouldn't let them help me because 'you're not always going to have your sisters, so you better just shape up and do things for yourself,'' she said.
'That's what I did. Nobody really ever had to help with anything,' the centenarian added.
A blessed life
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Growing up in a large family of Italian immigrants, the calling to Catholicism came from the love she saw her family extend to the family and community.
Her father, a foreman with the Long Island Railroad, brought daily sandwiches his wife made for a worker who showed up routinely empty-handed at lunch, and her mother was known to frequently cook 'a big Italian meal' for the nuns in town.
Growing up in that environment, it became an easy call for Piscatella to join the order right out of high school, she said.
'It was normal for me to help people, and I liked helping them,' the super senior said.
However, finding a convent that would accept her with only one arm in 1931 proved challenging, and Piscatella had to physically show that her disability would not be a hindrance to service.
She only found her way into the Dominicans thanks to another nun seeking a change of scenery and leaving a teaching position in the void.
5 Piscatella with her close friend Sister Francis Daniel Kammer.
Heather Khalifa for the NY Post
'The priest said, 'Well, can she teach?' And the sister said, 'Oh, she's a great teacher,' said Sister Francis Kammer, Piscatella's close friend, former student and roommate for 45 years.
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'And he said, 'Then she stays.' And she never looked back.'
Piscatella taught from her heart on all sorts of subjects, from math to history and arithmetic, while working in administrative roles since that fateful day at age 17 — until she was 84.
'Well, I don't want to brag, but I was a pretty good student in everything. I was a good teacher because I was teaching myself too. I was knocking it into my own head,' said Piscatella, who spent much of her tenure at Dominican Commercial High School in Queens and Molloy College in Rockville Center, along with several New York City schools.
5 Piscatella told The Post her advice to people looking to live a long life is to 'teach until you die.'
Heather Khalifa for the NY Post
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Nowadays, Piscatella enjoys deep prayer and connection with God while setting an example that's being adored by the Catholic community on Long Island — many of whom she celebrated turning 112 with.
'She accepts the will of God. Her whole life, I never heard her complain about anything,' Kammer said.
'She had a brain bleed 11 years ago, and they thought she was never going to walk again and never going to talk again. She accepted it, and here she is walking and talking.'
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Piscatella — said she is happy she 'can still think' at her advanced age.
'I could still teach, or at least I think so,' Piscatella said.
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