President Sister Rose Christy passed away!
We have very sad news from ARAPAMESU. Our funding president, Sister Mary Rose Christy died on the 25th of April 2011. After a few days being in good spirit, on Monday afternoon she left our world in the arms of staff at Huger Center.
IN MEMORIAM
A.R.A.P.A.M.E.S.U. Association
Sister Mary Rose Christy (1 February 1923 - 25 April 2011)
Catullus said in a verse of his poems: “My small little things how they became priceless…” priceless as it is because in 1991 in Romania came a great person that believed in a change. She believed that in order for the things that are seen to be changed you had to try hard to change all the things that you cannot see; in a very unique way she managed to change both.
Mary Ruth Christy, born in Pittsburgh, PA, was the second of five girls born to Joseph A. Christy and Henrietta Wise. She grew up during the depression in a strongly Catholic family and after graduating from Swissvale High School enrolled in the Pittsburgh Hospital School of Nursing, receiving her R.N. in 1945. In 1946 she moved to San Francisco and joined the nursing staff at St. Mary’s Medical Center, administered by the Sisters of Mercy. On July 1, 1947 she entered the Sisters of Mercy in Burlingame, CA, taking the religious name of Sister Mary Rose. After professing her vows in January of 1950, Sister Mary Rose ministered as a nursing supervisor at St. Mary’s Hospital for three years before being transferred to St. John’s Medical Center in Oxnard, CA, where she continued as nursing supervisor for the next eleven years. Sister Mary Rose was on medical leave in 1964 and 1965 with severe back problems. During a lengthy recuperation from surgery she became interested in reading history and articles and books about political and social issues, and spent a good amount of time writing “letters to the editor” of various newspapers and periodicals . As a result of this experience, when Sister became a member of St. Joseph’s Hospital Mercy Community in Phoenix in June of 1965 she began several years of community organizing and political activity on behalf of Arizona’s poor and marginalized as Director of Community Services at the hospital.
At the same time Sister was completing courses toward an M.A. in political science at Arizona State University which was awarded in 1974. She was a member of several boards of community health services, actively trying to improve the health services for the disadvantaged. In 1975 Sister Mary Rose became the executive director of the Affiliation of Arizona Indian Centers, Inc. where she worked to improve services to the Native Americans of Arizona. In 1980 she moved to Los Angeles to direct the Billy Smith Institute for Career and Vocational Training, a national program for Native American youth. Her community of the Sisters of Mercy called on Sister Mary Rose in 1985 to put her talents to work as the first development director for the Burlingame Sisters of Mercy. For four years she worked to maintain the financial support of the sisters and their works. . In 1990 while taking a much needed sabbatical Sister saw a television special on the deplorable conditions of orphanages in Romania.
Offering her services to a Dutch group trying to alleviate the conditions, she moved to Sibiu, Romania, in that same year and began working to change the conditions in the local orphanages. She came into the country at a time when change was difficult and she was not predicting something very good and efficient, but she changed destinies, places and most importantly, changed the mentality.
Work from 1991-1994 meant for the “Riul Vadului” House Hospital a new perspective, a new approach and an even better life for the residents of this location. Dedication, sincerity, friendship and love for the people brought here the change that she dreamed about and so ended a phase for this wonderful and devoted friend. 1994 brought an end after a long journey between Talmaciu and Selimbar, in Sibiu her first steps were guided towards the Pediatric Hospital and Clinic Hospital Sibiu, a place that defined her in professional point of view. March 1995 brought for the hospital the first bronchoscope for infantile use. May 1995 meant the first renovation for one department of the Clinic Hospital and renewal of the library of Medical College Physicians Sibiu.
In the summer of 1995, 28 fellow citizens with big hearts and eager for change joined Sister Mary Rose in establishing the first non-governmental organization from Transylvania and Romania. The purpose of ARAPAMESU was to assure the promotion of medical assistance, education and human services in Sibiu’s community. Mary Rose developed for the first time in Romania an educational program to assist victims of domestic violence, created the first program for education and supervision of children after school hours – the “School after School” Program, developed a strong volunteer program, one sportive program for the children of assisted families in which all the children could learn soccer and basketball, swimming courses for the children with spine problems, a program that improve the living conditions for the families with no financial resources, an immediate help program for utilities payment and other social services for the families with less income and for preventing the sending of children in orphanages, courses for doctors, alternative therapy courses, exchanges of experience in the medical field, trainings for social mediators and many more.
All her activity was often congratulated by receiving awards like: Woman’s Day Award 1994, diplomas and awards for work in the social field and in 1998 received the title of Honorary Citizen of Sibiu. Until the return in the United States in 2003 her entire life was dedicated in the purpose of ARAPAMESU. Due to health problems, Sister Mary Rose was advised to return to the nuns retirement center in Burlingame, California for 4 years, and then to the Huger Mercy Living Center in Phoenix where she spent the last years of her life.
She will always be remembered as a big hearted person full of energy and determination and her work helped and improved the condition and life of those in need. Thank you for being a part of our life!
Farewell, dear Sister Mary Rose Christy!