When Roseann Tribuani decided to become a Catholic nun slightly more than 50 years ago, her family was very supportive. 

“My dad was very happy.  He had been a seminary student himself for a few years before dropping out, and my mother was happy that it was the right fit for me.” she said. 

Not so much her boyfriend of two years. 

“He was very disappointed. That was a hard thing to tell him,” she said. “We were anticipating marriage, but I knew I was making the right decision.”

A member of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Sister Roseann is retiring this month after 50 years as a Montessori teacher in Catholic schools, the last 38 of those years as a beloved first, second and third grade teacher at Norwood-Fontbonne Academy.

“The Norwood-Fontbonne community will always remain in Sister Roseann’s debt for the incredible impact she has made on our school and the countless lives she has touched,” said Ryan Killeen, president of the school. “Her expertise, passion for Montessori education and deep commitment to living her faith have shaped the very core of our school. Her 38 years of generous service are remarkable, to say the least. Each day Sister Roseann embodies Maxim 39: 'Make a wholehearted gift of yourself.'"

When asked if she had ever been kidded for having the same first name as the eponymous TV show comic star who made her reputation for being loud, brash and even obnoxious, Sister Roseann smiled.

“Not really,” she said. “But one thing that has been brought up is my last name, Tribuani, because people have recognized it as the same last name as a character on the TV show, 'Friends.'”

That is quite a coincidence, she said, because one of the show’s producers gave the name Joey Tribuani to the character played by Matt LeBlanc as a tribute to a friend of his, who was also a cousin of hers, she said. 

Sister Roseann, the youngest of five children, graduated from West Catholic High School for Girls in 1968. She went to St. Joseph's College (now University) while also working at Fidelity Bank. “That was not fulfilling enough,” Sister Roseann said, “I needed more, so I started teaching small children, and that was perfect.”

As a result, Sister Roseann, who was ordained in 1971, spent two years at St. Joe's and then two years at Chestnut Hill College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She then obtained a master's degree and went to school in New York to become a certified Montessori teacher.

Sister Roseann's first teaching job was as a lay teacher at Our Lady of the Rosary School in West Philadelphia, where she worked for two years. Then she went to St. Athanasius in East Germantown for a year, then Manasquan at the Jersey shore for six years and Immaculate Heart of Mary in Roxborough for three. Then she went to Norwood-Fontbonne, where she stayed for 38 years.

At Norwood-Fontbonne, parents can choose to put their children in a traditional program or in a Montessori program, in which first, second and third grade children are all in the same class, about 20 students altogether. In the non-Montessori classes there are three classes of 10 children each. 

“My first school was run by the Sisters of St. Joseph,” Sister Roseann said, “and I was so influenced by them that I decided to become a nun. They were very good teachers, and they were recruiting me without me even knowing it.”

Sister Roseann, who is regarded as a legend at Norwood-Fontbonne, has taught the mothers and fathers of many children she taught later. 

“At first I was skeptical of the Montessori method,” she said, “but I found out it is a wonderful way to teach. There is a lot of relationship building. Kids become more accepting of differences. Every kid does not use the same materials. 

“I would definitely do it all over again,” she continued. “The kids know that you love them and that you care. It is so life-giving. I have had so many children I feel so close to. You are loving but firm. I care about the whole person, and they know that, so when I say 'knock it off!' they do. They accept the firmness because they know I care about them.”

More information at norwoodfontbonneacademy.org. Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com