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COMMUNITY
August 20, 2019 | The Valley Catholic
On A Firm Foundation: A Life of Ministry
By Mary Quilici Aumack
Chief Executive Officer
The Catholic Community
Foundation of Santa
Clara County
“To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield!”
-Alfred Lord Tennyson
A couple of weeks ago, Doug and I
had the honor of cohosting a retirement
celebration for our good friend, Sister
Rosalie Pizzo.
The party was hosted by Peggy
and Lon Normandin. Peggy and Sister
Rosalie graduated together from Notre
Dame High School in 1952 and have
been friends since they met in freshman
year. Sister Rosalie’s ministry started
right after graduation and has been go-
ing strong for 67 years!
Have you met Sister Rosalie? If so,
you’re one of the lucky ones. Sister Ro-
salie is Italian (I do love a good fellow
Italian), intelligent, funny, effective, and
deeply faith filled. In her 67 years of
ministry, she has spent time teaching,
in school administration, in leadership
roles for the order (including in Rome),
leading outreach efforts and, for the
Sister Rosalie Pizzo, seated second from the left, gathers with family members, including
her two sisters seated next to her, at a recent retirement dinner.
last nine years, serving the Diocese of
San José as the Bishop’s Delegate to the
Religious.
For me, Sister Rosalie is one example
of the powerful and effective women
religious. Although I grew up with the
sisters at Saint Justin and Notre Dame, it
wasn’t until much later in my adult life
that I began to fully comprehend their
broad and important impact. These are
women of great intellectual capability,
compassion, and passion. They work
Have you named
the Church in
your estate plan?
Become a member of the
Society of Saint Joseph
We want to thank you for your
generosity and welcome you as a
member of this honorary Society.
SAVE THE DATE:
Second Annual
Legacy Mass & Reception
October 12, 10:30am
Mass with Bishop Cantú
Formal invitation to follow
for Society memebers
in partnership with
To learn more:
visit cfoscc.org/SocietyofSaintJoseph
call 408.995.5219
email [email protected]
across the world and in broad ministry.
They never really stop working. They
simply move through a continuum of
action, advocacy and prayer.
I could go on and on about Sister
Rosalie, but here are some things said
by a few of the countless people who
love her:
From Sister Terry Davis: “I think the
most wonderful gift that Rosalie brings
us is her genuine care for people. I have
watched her help others in amazing
ways, even when she did not know
them personally. She really is, for me,
a symbol of the Good Samaritan, the
one who will cross cultural and societal
expectations to help people in need. She
has accompanied people through the
court system, through homelessness,
and through both mental and physical
illness. She is a truly faithful friend, no
matter what happens.”
From Monsignor J. Patrick Browne:
“She’s one of the most determined
people I know; does not give up or give
in (hence the Tennyson quote, which
was Monsignor Browne’s idea).
From Bishop (Thomas) Daly (current
Bishop of Spokane, Washington and
former Auxiliary Bishop of San José) in
a note that he sent to be read to her at
the party: “Sister, I often told you that
‘you radiate the glory of the resurrec-
tion.’ That is, you have a genuine joy that
comes from your awareness of God’s
love for you, and your love of others
flows from this heartfelt belief. And
because of your faith in Jesus Christ, you
have brought the Good News to people
and communities that were blessed by
your example of discipleship. You have
been an example to your own Sisters and
to me personally as to what a follower of
Christ really should and can be.”
And from (Diocese of San José)
Bishop (Emeritus Patrick J.) McGrath as
he blessed her at the party: “You have
been an example to me of leadership
based on gospel values; a strong and
effective woman.
You might think this whole article is
about Sister Rosalie, but that’s not true.
It occurs to me that she is one shining
example among so many in my life:
• My parents and family
• Other women religious
• The many priests that I have got-
ten to know who do broad and
important work
• Great friends, the family we
chose
• Young families focused on sac-
ramental and prayer life
It all gets to the “why” of us, the thing
that compels and propels us – Gratitude,
for the real presence of Jesus in our lives.
Gratitude for the Good News of the
Gospel. I am grateful for the ministry of
Sister Rosalie and those like her.
Because of my job, I am often ap-
proached by friends and acquaintances
about all things Catholic. When they
ask me about where I find joy, I tell
them (among other things) about Sister
Rosalie.
This is why I continue to have hope
and find passion in ministry. This is why
I am so very grateful to be a part of the
Foundation as we work to provide FOR-
EVER VALUE, to help fund the future
of the Church. Check out our website:
www.cfoscc.org.
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