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September 25, 2025From a young age, Sister Mary Anne (Felicia Ann) Seliga recognized that God had planted within her the seed of a religious vocation, and she courageously responded to that call. Having come to know the Presentation Sisters during her years at St. Leo’s Elementary and St. Bernard’s High School, she entered the congregation in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, in 1955.
Sister treasures the memories of her early years in religious life—times of community prayer, shared recreation, and the deep bonds of sisterhood. While much has changed over her 70 years, she reflects with gratitude that these changes have been life-giving, enabling the sisters to meet the needs of the times with renewed energy and vision.A dedicated educator in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Mary Anne found great joy in teaching. “Teaching children was a wonderful experience,” she recalls. “Seeing the look on their faces when they truly understood a lesson was so satisfying.”
Her passion for learning eventually led her to earn certification in library science, and she embraced her role as school librarian alongside her teaching duties. “Reading to the younger children was a special time for me,” she shares. “I loved being a librarian.”
That same love of stories carried into her religion classes, where she sought to make Scripture come alive for her sixth-grade students. She introduced them to the richness of tradition by hosting Seder meals during Passover, helping them connect the rituals and foods with the earliest roots of the Catholic Church.
“Another favorite memory was preparing a Living Passion Play during Holy Week,” Mary Anne recalls. “We presented it to students, families, and parishioners. The teacher who followed me has carried on this tradition, and just recently, her students came to Notre Dame Assisted Living to perform for us. I am so grateful to see it continue.”
Beyond the classroom, Mary Anne served as coordinator of the congregation’s former retreat facility, Camp Joy, in New Hampshire, and as administrator at Presentation Convent in Leominster, Massachusetts.
Today, as a resident of Notre Dame Nursing and Rehab Center, Sister reflects on her many years of vowed life with deep gratitude. She treasures the rhythm of prayer, the blessings of community, and the ever-present love of God. She continues her ministry through prayer for the needs of the world and delights in the beauty of creation, often spending quiet moments in the courtyard when weather allows.
