Florida Catholic | ‘Plan of God’ lands Salesian Sisters at Pensacola school

‘Plan of God’ lands Salesian nuns at Pensacola school

AMY FERRARA SMITH | FLORIDA CATHOLIC STAFF

Published: 08.15.08

Sister Isabel Garza, center, with Sisters Rufina Delgado, left, and Sister Betty Ann Martinez are establishing the first new foundation for the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco in nine years at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Pensacola. Sister Garza holds the poster commemorating the 100th anniversary of the order, celebrated in July of this year.
AMY FERRARA SMITH | FC

PENSACOLA | Just two weeks before the Salesian Sisters of John Bosco celebrated their 100-year anniversary on July 16 of this year, three nuns of this order officially became a part of Pensacola’s St. John the Evangelist Parish community.

“We’re here because of the faith and persistence Father Joe (Callipare, pastor) had and because of the prayers of the parishioners,” said Sister Isabel Garza, who began as principal of St. John School July 1 with 37 years of experience as an educator. “It was the plan of God.”

St. John the Evangelist Catholic School

325 S. Navy Blvd.

Pensacola, FL 32507

850-456-5218

www.sjsw.ptdiocese.org

Along with Sister Garza, Sisters Rufina Delgado and Betty Ann Martinez traveled to Pensacola from Paterson, N.J., the home base of the Salesian order in the United States, to serve as educators to the students and spiritual presences to the congregation. Among them, they have 109 years of teaching and administrative experience.

The order can be traced back to four pioneer Italian nuns who, in 1908, boarded a steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean with a message of faith, hope and Christ’s love for Italian immigrant families in the U.S. This year, these three pioneer Salesian sisters are carrying that same message to the community of St. John the Evangelist as they establish the first new Salesian “foundation” in nine years.

“The first sisters came with nothing and they only knew Italian,” said Sister Martinez. “We have something. … We’re truly happy.”

With their presence at this Catholic community, the nuns follow the dedication and fortitude of the Sisters of St. Joseph and the Sisters of Mercy, both of whom tended to the St. John family in years past.

“We’re building on the spirit of the two congregations ahead of us,” said Sister Garza. “We’re building on the shoulders of giants. They didn’t give up.”

“St. John School and Parish is very fortunate to have the Salesian Sisters of St John Bosco with us,” said Father Callipare. “In this day and age when Catholic schools are closing, consecrated religious vocations declining (although the Salesians have postulants and novices, and religious communities of women are evaluating their ministries) we rejoice that the provincial council and the mother general of the Salesian Sisters saw fit to establish this new foundation.”

Father Callipare said the sisters are known for their method of education and is glad that the children “will be the beneficiaries of the Salesian education charism of reason, religion and loving kindness, and this cannot but have a positive effect in the homes and wider community.”

He’s always been interested in the Salesian family, he said, “and now divine providence has made their presence a reality in our diocese. ‘Nothing is impossible with God!’ We are living proof here at St. John’s.”

Of the 34 years that she has taught, Sister Delgado has spent 26 of them working specifically with prekindergarten children. She will be a teacher’s aide in the K4 class at St. John.

“I’m looking forward to meeting the children,” said Sister Delgado, a native of Puerto Rico. “I want to help them grow their relationships to love Jesus and Mary and carry them in their hearts.”

Sister Martinez, who grew up in San Antonio, has spent 38 years of her life educating children as both a principal and teacher. At St. John, she will serve as the director of religious education, coordinating the CCD program with school religion classes.

“I want to bring the community together as one,” she said. “From day one, I began to pray for the people here and for myself to work for the good of the children. In 20 years time, they are the future; they are the church.”

One new program that the sisters plan to implement is “Drop Everything And Read” (DEAR). They will begin the school day with religion class each morning and they will end it with 15 minutes of mandatory reading for both students and teachers. If the students see their teachers reading, explained Sister Garza, they will also be encouraged to do so.

Even though the sisters have known each other practically since they took their vows, all three have never lived together until now. Before their arrival, Father Callipare and several parishioners worked to clean the parish’s convent to make their new residence comfortable.

“I saw (Father Callipare) on his knees scrubbing,” said Sister Martinez with a smile.

When it was done, he gave the sisters a tour of their new home. “The last room he showed us was the chapel,” she continued. “Jesus was already there. (Father Callipare) turned on the light and said, ‘And here is everything.’”

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