ABOUT US
OUR FOUNDER
Sr. Elizabeth Marie Stoup, SSJ
APRIL 23, 1932 - MARCH 18, 2026
A Life of Faith and Service
Long before Magnify had a name, there was a Sister who saw with remarkable clarity the dignity, promise, and God-given gifts of children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Born in Syracuse, New York, and later raised in Florida, Sr. Elizabeth Marie Stoup felt called from a young age to religious life and to a life surrounded by children. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine in 1952, made her perpetual profession in 1958, and prepared for ministry through studies in elementary education and special education at Incarnate Word College in San Antonio. As a Sister of St. Joseph, she lived her congregation’s call to be “seized by God’s love,” serving the dear neighbor and fostering human dignity, union with God, and love of neighbor.
A Heart for Children Long Overlooked
Sr. Elizabeth’s first assignment was at Morning Star Catholic School in Lantana, part of a pioneering effort to educate children with developmental disabilities at a time when many were excluded from school altogether. She later served as principal in Jacksonville and West Palm Beach, and then opened and led Morning Star Catholic School in Orlando, where she remained for decades. She never doubted that children with special needs could learn. She insisted they deserved not merely care, but true education, joy, discipline, faith, and the opportunity to flourish. “As an educator, you don’t baby-sit—you teach them to do something,” she said.
She saw what others too often missed. She saw sacred dignity. She saw potential. She saw possibility. She welcomed children and adults who had been overlooked and created places where they could learn, grow, laugh, pray, and be known. Those who spent time with her remembered her wide smile, her deep peace, and her conviction that a person’s life did not begin and end with the school day or with graduation. She believed in the wholeness of the person and in a lifetime of growth.
The Vision She Planted
As she listened to parents worry about the future of their children, Sr. Elizabeth recognized a deeper need. She believed in creating supports that would cultivate and care for each person’s God-given gifts. She envisioned a ministry that would magnify the abilities of those served and return to God what had first been received from Him. That dream, planted in faith like a mustard seed, eventually became Bishop Grady Villas in 2004. Looking back on that long journey, she said with characteristic simplicity, “It was a dream… But I planted the seed.”
Though the ministry she helped inspire later grew into Magnify of Central Florida, the heart of this story is Sr. Elizabeth herself: a woman of faith who believed every person was worthy of love, opportunity, and belonging. Her life was a living expression of the Sisters of St. Joseph charism—practical love of God and neighbor, reverence for human dignity, and faithful service to those in need.
Honors Bestowed in Gratitude
Sr. Elizabeth remained humble and unassuming, but her lifelong service was recognized by Church and community alike. In 1991 she was named a Point of Light. In 2008 she was the first Harvest Ball Legacy Honoree of Bishop Grady Villas. In 2014 she received the Legacy Award from Bishop Moore Catholic High School for her work as teacher and principal of Morning Star Catholic School. In 2018 Pope Francis honored her with the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Cross. She also served the wider Church on the board of the National Apostolate for Inclusion and later as Assistant General Superior within her congregation.
Her Living Legacy
Even after retirement, Sr. Elizabeth continued serving people with special needs at L’Arche Harbor House in Jacksonville until she was no longer physically able. The deeper measure of her life is not only what she built, but how she loved: gently, faithfully, joyfully, and without drawing attention to herself. We remember Sr. Elizabeth Marie Stoup, SSJ as a Sister, teacher, shepherd, and dreamer of holy possibilities. May her witness continue to inspire all who encounter her story.
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