|
|
|
|
|
 |
Sr. Mary Alba Roagna
April 15, 1930 – October 1, 2001 Sr. Mary Alba Roagna was born in Priocca d’Alba on April 15, 1930. Sr. Alba entered the Daughters of St. Paul in Rome when she was 17 in 1947. She made her first vows three years later in 1950 and final vows in 1955 at the age of 25. In 1960 Sr. Alba came to the United States and joined her aunt, Mother Paula, who was the founding sister of the Daughters of St. Paul in the USA. Sr. Alba spent many years organizing the shipping department in. She laid the groundwork which the Daughters continue to use today in the mail order distribution system. In 1972 she was assigned to the Staten Island community. For two terms she was the local community’s superior and helped open the Books and Media Centers in Manhattan, Edison, New Jersey, and St. George. She also served as superior of the Chicago community, building up the new Books and Media Center there. After three years in Chicago, she returned once more to her beloved New York City. In truth Sr. Mary Alba’s heart belonged to New York and she spent 26 years living there. She loved the people there and they loved her dearly. Sr. Mary Alba had often stated that she wanted to die quickly so as not to be a burden on her sisters and that she did not want to die alone. On October 1st, she died unexpectedly of a heart attack, surrounded by her sisters, during a community meeting. Her memorial Mass on Staten Island was attended by the friends and benefactors that had come to love her so well during her many years there. She was buried at the Provincial House of the Daughters of St. Paul in Boston.
The community of Daughters of St.
Paul in New York.
"I came that they may have life and have it to the full." Sr. Mary Alba enjoyed the fullness of life. A woman of vitality and strength, determination and faith, she didn’t know half-measures—whether it came to preparing a meal with exquisite care, following up on someone’s request for prayers, or contributing to her community in whatever way she could, even as her energies waned. Her oft-repeated expression, taken from her aunt, Mother Paula—"We do as much good as holy we are," became her program of life—and she did her best to allow Christ the Master to transform her, to configure herself to him, to enable her to reach the goal of our lives: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." Words of Remembrance Sr. Germana Santos, Provincial Superior "We remember Sr. Alba with great affection. She inspired us with her sincere dedication to God, her open-hearted generosity toward her community, and her deep love for our congregation and its mission. We, her sisters, enjoyed her friendship and warmth, her sense of humor, her hard work and organizational skills. And yes, her striking resemblance to her aunt, Mother Paula Cordero, was a living link to the great woman of faith who founded our congregation in the United States…. "Sr. Mary Alba lived in New York for 26 years. She truly loved New York and its people. One sister in our province told me this week: ‘Sr. Alba was another victim of the World Trade Center attack.’ There’s a lot of truth in this figurative statement. Sr. Alba was deeply saddened by the tragic events of September 11th, and mourned the loss of a good friend who perished that day…. "In a very special way, Sr. Alba loved and cared for her friends and the benefactors of our congregation. She took to heart their problems and concerns and brought them in prayer before Jesus Master. She did not hesitate to turn to them for help for special needs in the congregation. She gave these benefactors the opportunity to be graced by God for their charity. They in turn knew of Sr. Alba’s deep appreciation and prayer…. Thank you, Sr. Alba, for your ‘heart of gold,’ and your love for each of us. Until we meet again, pray for us and don’t stop loving us."
From a letter written by Sr. Alba’s family in Italy: We carry in our hearts your smile, your great flexibility, your great will to accomplish things that is so much a part of our Piedmontese roots, and in particular YOUR GOODNESS AND GENEROSITY…. Do you know, Sr. Alba, that in these days at our parish of San Stefano in Prioca where you were baptized, we recited the Holy Rosary all gathered together as one big family to remember you, like we did when you came with Maestra Paula and all the sisters. Your brothers recounted stories of when you were young, and in particular I’d like to recall the story of your brother, Luigi: When you decided to enter the Congregation, he absolutely did not want you to go because you would not be near him and he would not be able to see you anymore…. We remember when Bruna, Daniella and Tiziana were there, and we spent our vacation together with you in Boston and Toronto. It was truly a beautiful experience and a most wonderful trip. And then in the kitchen, when we decided to prepare some special dishes "alla Piedmontese"… you were so proud of everything… and we had some discussions too… you always wanted to be right…. But not withstanding this you taught us so much and even when we were far away a day never passed that we did not think of you. Now it is so hard for us to think that in another part of the world we do not have our aunt any more. But we are certain that you see us from heaven where you have already found your loved ones in Paradise. We love you! CIAO Zia…. GOD BLESS YOU! Fax from Luigi, Sr. Mary Alba’s brother, read at her funeral Mass To Sr. Germana and all the sisters, THANK YOU for my sister. I am sorry not to be present, but I know that all of you are my sisters. Sr. Alba, I’m very sorry that I can no longer keep you up to date on the treatments that I have every four months. I’ll have one now on October 19 and another in November. I miss you very much. I still have not managed to realize that you are no longer with us. You know that I say a little prayer every day for all the people who have died throughout the world who are largely forgotten. I will remember you every day. I am very sorry that I can no longer cry the way I used to when I would read your letters. I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH, AND WILL LOVE YOU, ALWAYS MORE. Ciao, Sister Alba. God bless you. Your brother, Luigi
"When I was a young girl, I used to love boys, and I loved children. I said that when I got married I would have 12 children. But now I have the entire world. It’s a beautiful life. Certainly it’s not easy, but God is good." Sister Mary Alba
Sr. Alba with benefactors of the Daughters of St. Paul from New York City on the occasion of her 50th Jubilee
People who knew and loved Sr. Alba "When you think of the Daughters of St. Paul, you think of Sr. Alba. She always kept us in her prayers, and she was in ours. She was a very special person to us."—Richard and Lois Nicotra, benefactors of the Daughters of St. Paul
"Sr. Alba WAS the Daughters of St. Paul in New York. Knowing her, we’ve loved all of you."—benefactor "She brought many people closer to God."—a construction worker A young woman and her husband for whom Sr. Alba had been praying to conceive a child: "She gave the best hugs." Sr. Alba had given the woman a medal of Mother Thecla; in her remarks, the woman acknowledged that through Sr. Alba’s encouragement, she and her husband were able to begin the adoption process; they now have two beautiful children.—a friend Anecdotes from Sr. Mary Alba’s life Last July, Joe Meagher, took Sr. Christopher, Sr. Alba, and Sr. Mary Joan out for ice cream, a place that, according to Sr. Alba, was special because the ice cream was homemade. Sr. Alba asked the waitress what they had, and the waitress named the flavors. Sr. Alba chose a couple of scoops of maple nut ice cream. Then she asked: ‘What else do you put on it?’ The waitress showed the different kind of toppings and flavored syrups. Sr. Alba chose two types of syrups, one on top of one scoop of ice cream, and the other on the other scoop. ‘What else?’ she said. The waitress answered: we put whip cream and the cherry. At this point Sr. Alba said: ‘Skip the cherry, I’m on a diet." * Sr. Alba never had a problem with asking young women she met if they had ever thought of becoming a sister. In fact, one time at a restaurant she said to the young woman who was serving the table, "You’re very pretty. Have you ever thought of becoming a sister?" * She taught us so many things. The maxim I remember most was: "When someone asks you if you know how to do something, be smart! Never admit you don’t know how to do something. Just say, ‘I’ll learn.’" Sr. Alba was ‘practicality’ incarnate. She could adapt to any situation at a moment’s notice, especially if it involved food. * I had called her at the end of August and asked if she thought it would be okay for me to come down in November to celebrate the 10th anniversary of my 40th birthday. She had been so excited and began making plans immediately. She was talking about a nice dinner, inviting the friends of the community and the brothers and sisters of the Pauline Family. Sr. Alba was a planner, she was a worrier, she was doer…. She cared for the community’s needs in so many ways and made sure we lacked for nothing. She had a dominating, caring personality and a great sense of humor. (Like the time she made these two fantastic meat loafs. She popped them in the oven and we all got busy. She had us and Joe Meagher working on some project. And as Joe recalls, the meat loafs burned so bad they had shrunk into these two little black mounds…. Sr. Alba just laughed and laughed at her foibles…. More than anything, in these last years and especially these last days since the events of September 11th, it became evident that Sr. Alba had a New York heart because New York hearts are big, colorful and generous to a fault. New York hearts will give selflessly until there is no more to give and then some. Sr. Mary Alba’s heart became a New York heart because of the incredible overflow of love she experienced everyday from the people she knew and loved. No one can resist such goodness. Sr. Mary Alba absorbed what it meant to have a New York heart and tried to give it back as good, if not better, than she got. -–Sr. Rose Pacatte, FSP
|
