Rita, born in Los Angeles, enjoyed a life in sunny Santa Monica with her three brothers. She excelled at St. Clement School and Bishop Conaty High School. Two CSJ teachers stood out to her, and she saw how the sisters interacted and loved one another. “It gave me my vocation on a platter. It was a great thing for me,” she said. She was received into community in March 1956.
During her ministry, she became passionate about peace and justice issues and embraced the admonition, “Act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with God.” In 1973, she requested a dispensation from her vows, but her incredible journey led her back to Community and she pronounced her vows again in 2018; members of Community shared her joy and rejoiced in her return!
A summary of her life might say: Rita found Christ as the center of her life, the joy of her heart, and the answer to her yearnings.
May she rest in peace.
