Ten Popes and Ninety Years as a Religious Sister: This Is the World’s Longest-Living Nun

(ZENIT News / New York, 05.09.2026) – A Dominican nun from New York is the oldest living religious Sister in the world, according to the Guinness World Records. She celebrated her 113th birthday on April 20.

Sister Francis Piscatella was born in 1913 on Long Island and entered the Dominican Sisters in Amityville in 1931. She has lived under ten Roman Popes, dedicating 94 years of her life to the service of the Church: «God gives us a certain number of years to live, and we try to live that number of years,» she stated in an interview with Fox 5 News.

The nun lost part of her left arm in an accident at the age of two, which did not prevent her from following her vocation. «I had to show them that having only one arm didn’t hinder me at all,» she told Channel 7 Eyewitness News. She was a geometry teacher, drawing perfect circles on the blackboard with her one good arm for 52 years at Molloy College in Rockville Center, New York.

«I wanted to be someone important to the Sisters,» she commented. She had a profound influence on both generations of students as well as the nuns.

Her case is similar to that of Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas, who died at 116 after a long life dedicated to God and the service of others. Her death was on April 30, 2025, making her the oldest living person in the world at the time, although she radiated a youthful spirit. She was born in 1908 in Brazil and felt the call to serve God from a very young age. She professed her vows in the Teresian Sisters (Society of Saint Teresa of Jesus) and also dedicated herself to teaching.

Sister Piscatella lived through two World Wars and several pandemics. During the celebration of her 113th birthday, she commented: «It’s so kind of everyone who came and made this day so beautiful.» Her tireless spirit keeps her busy with household chores and attending Mass daily: «My whole mind is on God. He has sustained me all these years.»

It is revealing how often nuns live to such great ages, as if a life of prayer, purpose, and daily routine lead to a quiet resilience. Sister Piscatella added to Fox News, «I’ve stopped counting my years. I never thought I would reach this age.» Her life continues to bear fruit, a living symbol of persevering faith and quiet service, an indelible mark on the Church and on those who have passed through her classrooms.