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Sr. Sira Borghetti Sr. Sira was an Italian sister who spent her entire Pauline life in the United States. She entered our Congregation in the community of Alba, Italy, on July 19, 1930. Five years later, on August 20th, she made her religious profession and left shortly after to join Mother Paula and the other sisters who had opened the first community of Daughters of St. Paul in the United States. She spent almost 40 consecutive years in the community of Staten Island. It would be difficult to estimate how many packages, boxes, and bags of books she carried aboard the Staten Island Ferry to bring with her to Manhatten and other parts of New York City. She regularly knocked on the doors of "high society" figures in the wealthy Park Avenue district of Manhatten, offering to those whom she met the opportunity to encounter God through the inspiration and guidance of the books she offered them. During World War II, Sr. Sira carried out an exquisite work of charity among the Italian prisoners of war who were invited to our Staten Island community every Sunday for an Italian dinner. She never lost an opportunity to encourage them to draw closer to the Lord. Sr. Sira remained intensely aware of the apostolic growth of the congregation even as her declining strength forced her to leave the active apostolate to carry out various household tasks in several of the communities. Up to the end of her life, Sr. Sira never tired of sharing with everyone her great devotion to Mary, Queen of Apostles, especially by hand-crafting countless rosaries distributed through Pauline Books and Media Centers throughout North America.
Sr. Sira with one of her nieces from Italy An e-mail from Sr. Sira's nieces and nephews in Italy, read at her funeral held at the Daughters of St. Paul Motherhouse in Boston, Massachusetts on July 2, 2001: Dearest aunt, Sr. Sira, For us you were always a great example of faith and of a life lived with great humility in the service of God and neighbor. We felt protected by your prayers and guided by your counsels. You always had a special remembrance for each of us, and as a result of this, now that you left this earth we feel a great emptiness. An emptiness, however, that is filled in part by the certitude that from heaven, where you certainly must be, you will continue to protect us and pray for us. We all feel very fortunate because we had a wonderful aunt. Thank you from all of us. Your nieces and nephews
"Sr. Sira was a great Pauline missionary-a missionary who
gave everything to the congregation and to the United States province
from the first day she arrived in New York till the last day of
her life. Sr. Sira gave her all without counting, without re-thinking,
without seeking what could be easier or more comfortable. Above
all, Sr. Sira has taught us a great love for our mission."
"With Sr. Sira's passing, we'll miss another of the great, strong Italian women who made up the early foundation of the Daughters of St. Paul in the United States. Our congregation is stronger because of them; it is built on solid ground because of their unswerving faith and tremendous generosity. "Sr. Sira, thank you for your love for our congregation and
for our US province. We all will hold your memory dear. Now we trust
in your prayers for us."
An excerpt from Sr. Sira's written memories of the first years of the Daughters of St. Paul in the United States The apostolate was always done with intensity-six days a week. We did it with much enthusiasm and love-not missing any person as we carried our bags of books from door to door. Even if there were sacrifices, we did not pay much attention to it. We were satisfied with the good done and with the little progress which we could see day by day. The Founder, Fr. James Alberione, on every occasion, would tell us to have faith, not to get discouraged. If they close one door, he said, knock on another. If they did not accept us in one place [and this happened often], ask in another. He also said, "The time will come when they will want you, but you will not be able to fulfill all the requests you receive because they will be more than you can accept." This started to come true many years ago. I remember at the beginning of the year 1962 I was in Miami and had the occasion of meeting a Bishop from the south. He asked me where I came from. When I told him New York, he said to me, "Do you have occasion to see Mother Paula?" When I answered affirmatively, he continued, "Tell her I am unhappy with her, because I asked for sisters and she sent them to other dioceses and not to mine." I answered, "Maybe those other places asked before you." "Tell her to put me on the list and when it is my turn to call me," the Bishop responded. "And I hope it's soon!"
Mary, Queen of Apostles, grant your motherly protection to all
those who dedicate themselves to this urgent "apostolate of
the press." Make their words, their sacrifices and their footsteps
bear fruit. Obtain for their effort the sweet reward of seeing a
wider diffusion of those writings that unhesitatingly promote Jesus
Christ. O Mary, obtain for us at the end of our life, the crown
promised to those who have fought the good fight and kept the faith
intact. Amen.
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