15
July 2021 www.thefloridacatholic.org
YOUR MIAMI COMMUNITY
ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO
Florida Catholic staff
MIAMI Brother Richard De- Maria, who chronicled his "journey to death" in monthly letters to his friends, fellow Edmund Rice Chris- tian Brothers, and in the archdio- cese's Let's Talk blog, has died. The former archdiocesan su- perintendent of schools (1998- 2010) died peacefully June 20 at St. Cabrini Nursing Home in Dobbs Ferry, New York. His sister, Joann Mulqueen, shared the news via email with the same group he had emailed since being diagnosed with ALS - also known as Lou Gehrig's disease - in 2016. There was no trauma or drama, he simply passed peacefully," Mul- queen wrote. "He had remained in good spirits, was still eating, and receiving many, many visitors. He continued to be able to commu- nicate with smiles, his eyes, and shaking his head in response to questions," she noted. Those who knew him recalled his gentleness, his ever-present smile and his brilliance. He held degrees in science, counseling and education management as well as a doctorate in theology, and he con- tributed articles to scholarly jour- nals. His profound commitment to Catholic education, and especially education of the poor and margin- alized as the only means to "change the world and change people," brought him to Miami in 1993 to serve as principal of Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame, a struggling inner-city high school with a sto- ried past and an uncertain future. (It merged with Msgr. Edward Pace High School in 2016.) In 1989, he had left the "ivory tower" of Iona College in New Ro- chelle, New York, where he had served in various capacities, includ- ing provost, for 18 years, to work with migrant farmworkers in the Diocese of Venice, Florida. After his time as superintendent here, at the age of 68, he became a missionary, working with the Christian Brothers' houses of for- mation in South Africa and Kenya, where he had "a major impact on the formation of the young men joining our congregation in Af- rica," according to fellow Christian Brother Patrick Sean Moffett, who succeeded Brother Richard as prin- cipal at Curley-Notre Dame. Brother Richard explained his decision to go to Africa this way: "I realize that I have become used to living a life of comfort, thanks to the generosity of others. I realize as well that I have also become used to having influence. To live in a place where I will have no position or in- fluence or importance and where many comforts will not be available to me will be difficult, to be sure- I look forward to this, not because I am a masochist but because I am a Christian who believes that new life al- ways comes after death. At this point in my life, I need to be stretched, dis- oriented, broken-down, so that a new strength and wisdom can emerge. I am hopeful that my ex- perience as a 'stranger in a strange land' will result in a person who has a greater ability to wonder at beauty, truth and the good. I am eager to begin undergo- ing this pruning process." He used similar words in de- scribing his approach to his illness. In the Let's Talk blog where he first spoke about his ALS diagnosis, he wrote: What amazes me is how calm I am about the prospect. This calm- ness is not the result of ignorance of how this disease slowly but inevi- tably takes away all one's abilities until one dies- What produces this calm in me? My faith in the saying that God never sends us a cross without the grace to bear it. My ex- perience in life has always proven that to be true, and so I am confi- dent that somehow or other I will develop, late in life, the humility to accept the certain loss of strength and abilities that is inevitable. I also hope that this will lead me to a deeper experience of unity with my God of surprises." He graciously accepted his ill- ness," said fellow Christian Brother Jim DePiro, who lived with him in Miami for 10 years. "(I) admired how he gave up his position at Iona and moved to the margins at Bo- nita Springs (Florida) - One of his greatest attributes was his ability to laugh at himself." Hope Sadowski, administrative assistant in the Office of Schools, who worked with Brother Richard throughout his 12 years as super- intendent, shared the news of his death in an email to archdiocesan principals and Pastoral Center em- ployees. I was privileged to receive these blogs which were full of spiritual messages of someone whose faith carried him during this time," Sa- dowski wrote. "He is now finally at peace and has all the answers (to
Served in Miami as principal, schools superintendent, blogged about his 'journey to death' from ALS
Brother Richard DeMaria, 78
13667-0715
Catholic Investments for Catholic Families
Introducing Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors' advisory services.
Contact me today to learn more about our faith-based investments.
Guard. Grow. Give.
SM
KoCAA is an SEC registered investment adviser that maintains a principal place of business in the State of Connecticut. For information about KoCAA's business operations, please consult the Firm's Form ADV disclosure documents, the most recent versions of which are available on the SECs Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors, LLC, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Knights of Columbus, the world's largest Catholic Lay Organization. Knights of Columbus does not offer investment products outside of the affiliated products offered through KoCAA.
Contact me today to learn more:
Sergio A. Urrutia
Investment Advisor Representative 855-563-2467 sergio.urrutia@kofc.org www.kofcassetadvisors.org
Knights of Columbus, 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510
14490-0715
his questions) during this difficult time." Brother Richard was born June 25, 1942, in Wadsworth, Ohio. He entered the juniorate of the Ed- mund Rice Christian Brothers in August 1958, the novitiate in 1960, and professed his first vows in September 1961. In 2019, his blogs about living with ALS were awarded third place among blogs by religious/clergy by the Catholic Press Associa- tion of the U.S. and Can- ada. In 2010, he received the Lumen Christi (Light of Christ) award given by the Catholic Educators Guild of the archdiocese. The funeral Mass was celebrated June 26 at the Church of the Holy Family in New Rochelle, followed by burial at the Christian Brothers Cemetery in West Park, New York. In addition to his sister Joann Mulqueen, he is survived by two other sisters, Betty Jane Sobon and Sister Gail DeMaria, of the Congre- gation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace; Mulqueen's husband, John; five nieces and nephews; and six grandnieces and grandnephews.
n
Obituary
Brother Richard DeMaria
MAUSOLEUM CRYPT
Crypt-Single, marble, front, mausoleum crypt located at Forest Lawn Memo- rial Gardens North, 200 W. Copans Road, Pompano Beach, FL 33064. Beautifully maintained cemetery with perpetual care, water fountain features to enhance its peacefulness and seren- ity. Substantial savings compared to today's prices for this most desirable level. $8,750 Call or leave a message 508-394-9927
CLASSIFIEDS
TO SIGN-UP, PLEASE VISIT:
thefloridacatholic.org/newsletter
FLORIDA Catholic
13,000
Subscribers
AND GROWING!
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!
Previous Page