Untitled Document

Sister Florence Ann Cammarata, GNSH

Reflections sent by e-mail and read by Sister's niece, Diane June 11, 2007 from Florence's sister, Mary Horvath from Vero Beach, Florida: I remember visiting Sister Florence and wanting to see what she was wearing under her habit, but she wouldn't hear of it. So being the mischief-maker, I just took my foot and kicked up her hem so I could see. Needless to say, she wasn't very happy about it. She was very proud of her habit and meticulous in caring for it. Another visit that stands out in my mind involved an assembly of some kind with Mother Superior. Florence did a skit in which she played a banjo and sang "Momma don't allow no banjo playing in here. I don't care what Momma don't allow. I'm gonna play the banjo anyhow. Momma don't allow no banjo playing in here." (Diane's aside – sounds like Sister Florence, doesn't it?) Being the good Catholic that she was, Florence loved Bingo. But she must have been playing without the Holy Spirit because she rarely won. That didn't stop her from playing, though. Florence was artistic, and when she worked in the classroom, her blackboards and bulletin boards were lovely. Florence was thoughtful and remembered her family at special times. Just a few weeks ago, the husband of one of her nieces was ordained a deacon. As sick as she was, Florence sent a beautiful card with money enclosed and a note that said, "I want to be part of your calling." She surely will be as she intercedes in heaven for the new Deacon and for all of us. From sister Florence Ann's nephew, Peter: In a short period of time, a little over a year, the Cammarata clan of Holy Angels Parish in Buffalo, NY has dwindled down to one. My dad, Ralph, passed away in March of 2006, my Aunt Frances past away this spring, and now our dear Aunt Florence has left us. An obituary appeared in the Buffalo News this morning, to advise her friends back here that she had passed and to remind them of her endeavors in education through the years. It listed the chronology of her devotion to her “trade” and the places she had been, so the people she had touched through the years can reminisce and remember. I cut it out to keep as a memento. Aunt Florence…Sister Florence Ann…Sister St. Michael was all about mementos. Her worldly possessions were few, but she didn’t horde the few things she had, she often chose to pass them on to others. The dictionary defines a memento as a keepsake, or a reminder of the past. I need to tell you about some of the mementos she gave me. My first recollection of some one-on-one time with Aunt Florence dates back about 45 years ago. We were sitting on the swing, under the grape arbor at gramma and grandpa’s house on a humid summer day. I was in my shorts and t-shirt sweating profusely, and Aunt Florence was sitting opposite me in her full habit, cool as a cucumber. She said she had a little gift for me; so out from underneath yards of material, from a secret pocket I later in life referred as the “vault”, came my first set of rosary beads. They were my first official memento. They were blue plastic and little-boy proof. As if they were a toy, I asked her how they worked. Later on in life, about the time I was graduating from eighth grade and making my confirmation, she gave me a book mark. This memento was made of leather and embossed with a gold border and emblems. The emblems weren’t significant, but the “Made In Italy” stamp was prominent on the front. I always figured she was using it as a symbol of the importance of remembering the family heritage and her father the shoemaker. Maybe she just wanted me to have a bookmark, and I was reading more into it then there really was, but none-the-less I still use it today. She was very proud of her Cammarata heritage and she seemed pleased that I was carrying on the name. I’m also the proud owner of a couple vintage maps of Alaska. Aunt Florence spent part of her “tour of duty”, as she once called it, in Alaska. “Nowhere else in the world may there be found such natural scenic grandeur on so magnificent a scale” boasted the one map. As far as these mementos are concerned, she really preferred Buffalo. She took a particular liking to Buffalo history, as did my father, as did I, as did my kids. So it goes. On April 25, 1992, Holy Angels Parish celebrated the 140^th anniversary of the parish. I ended up with a brochure from the event to add to my memento collection. One of the pages of the brochure was about vocations, and it listed the “names of men and women from families of Holy Name Parish whose commitment to the works of the Lord have led them to vocations of ultimate service in His name”. Aunt Florence was one of an incredible twenty-five women from the parish who became Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart. I was one of the few public schools kids who knew what GNSH meant after those names, and I was proud of it. That same anniversary brochure was entitled “A Legacy of Service…A Triumph of Faith”. Please think about that when you think about my aunt. So if you go back to the dictionary, the Middle English historical definition of a “memento” is a commemoration of the living or the dead. My most prized memento from Aunt Florence is the Maryknoll Missal that she received in 1967 to commemorate the Silver Anniversary of her religious profession. It has a leather cover embossed with gold, just like my bookmark. I don’t profess to know the significance of the green, black, yellow, white and red ribbons that disappear into the pages; but I can picture Aunt Florence running her arthritic fingers through them again and again for comfort. Tucked inside the missal is the card that she passed out to anniversary well-wishers that reads “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior”. On behalf of your many nieces and nephews Aunt Florence, I offer these words as a simple tribute… a memento…from us to you. Peter M. Cammarata 6/11/07	Reflections on the Life of Sister Florence Ann Cammarata June 12, 2007 Today, we celebrate the life of Sister Florence Ann Cammarata, Sister St. Michael, Aunt Florence. Sister was born on August 3, 1920. It is interesting to note that she was baptized on August 24, 1920, just exactly one year before the date of the foundation of the Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart. Her baptism took place in Holy Cross Parish in Buffalo where some of our sisters now reside. Sister Florence Ann was very close to her family. When she entered, she responded “no” to the question,” In case of sickness or death in the family, would your services be required”. Yet when the need arose, she was there to help. When her mother had cancer, she went to her parents’ home every day and shopped and cooked for them. When her father was 98 or 99, he was making lamps for her niece, Diane’s four children. One day, Diane received a call from Aunt Florence asking- “Do all your children have lamps now? Apparently her father was calling her to run to the hardware store to buy the parts. Later, when her sister, Teresa, was ill, sister took care of her until her death. When, Sister received the flag at her sister’s burial, she gave it to her nephew, Peter. Diane told me that her husband told her that around 9am on Friday, June 8, he was sitting on the deck out back. All of a sudden this big beautiful deer came trotting in front of him. It stopped and stared at him for awhile and then walked away. They have lived there since 1976 and he saw a deer on the property once when they moved in. Diane said: “Aunt Florence loved my husband and always said to give him a hug for her. I think that was her hug!” In her novitiate, Sister was a very dedicated person, a perfectionist and did everything very quietly. As a gifted seamstress, I am told that she was Sister Cassilda’s “right hand girl”. Those who knew Sister Cassilda, know that that was a high tribute. One of her band members noted that she was “not boisterous like the rest of us”. While the majority of her ministry was in education, she was a missionary for 5 years, serving as dietician at Griffin Memorial Hospital (now Providence Kodiak Hospital) in Kodiak, Alaska from 1946 to 1951. In the early 50’s, when she taught at Bishop Conroy School, her students loved her gentle smile and the parents were impressed by her ability to impart knowledge. Sister was a member of the faculty at Immaculate Conception School in Eden, NY for 16 years. I would like to share with you part of an evaluation done by the principal in 1995, as I think it evidences what this quiet, prayerful woman did throughout her life. “During her many years as Librarian, Sister has helped students to know the joy of reading. As our Library Media Specialist she was one of the first librarians to establish an active video program in a diocesan elementary school. She served as the diocesan representative to the Educational Program Board of WNED-TV (the public broadcasting channel) for seven years. She then continued to review programs. Another of sister’s assets is her mechanical ability (which she probably learned from her father) enables her to make many of the repairs needed on the library’s various machines. She is never too busy to aid a teacher who is planning a celebration of the Eucharist or a paraliturgy with her class. Saying “no” is not a word in her vocabulary.” On the lighter side, while at Immaculate Conception, the school was having a live-turkey Thanksgiving raffle and the turkey was located halfway between the Principal’s office and the library. Every time Sister heard the startling sound of “Gobble, Gobble”, she jumped. She and all had many laughs about the turkey. On January 30, 1988, Sister Florence Ann received the Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Award for meritorious service in education. At that time, she was Assistant Principal and Librarian at Immaculate Conception School. The Pastor said of her, “Sister Florence Ann is a great asset to our school. She is a most caring person and shows this through doing little, caring things for the faculty and students.” Yes, and she continued doing caring things. When the HAA convent was closing, she kept everyone in good spirits with her dry sense of humor. She put a sign on the hood of the stove in the kitchen counting off the days until closing. She also put yellow roses on the food shopping list. When the shopper did not return with the roses, she was quick to tell me when I arrived. That evening, I returned with the roses and she and the shopper delighted in the joy that they brought at a difficult time. Sister Florence Ann took the time to introduce Sudoku to one of our sisters. Yes, and at the Motherhouse, she saved medals, prayer cards, pamphlets on how to pray the rosary that included the newer mysteries for Sister Eileen’s college students. She also helped Sister Mary Alma to fill out her meal menus. All this she did very quietly. Today we remember Sister Florence Ann – an avid Buffalo Bills fan, thoughtful, compassionate, diligent, thorough and giving enjoyment with her dry sense of humor. Would you believe that she and Sister Mary Theophane once frenched Sister Mary Loyola’s bed when at Our Lady of the Assumption in Strafford, PA? Sister had great devotion to the Sacred Heart. May she enjoy the celebration of that feast this Friday in the presence of the Sacred Heart. Sister’s life reminds me of the passage in the Book of Kings where we don’t find God in the fire, but in the quiet. Sister found God in her quietness. So as we leave this Chapel today, we ask ourselves, where are we looking for God? Are we caring about the little things? Do we remember to laugh and quietly enjoy life? Sister Florence Ann, may you now enjoy what you were searching for when you asked to enter the Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart in 1939: “ All, I have to say is, that it is a feeling I strongly feel to be with God; to work for Him and with Him.” Thank you Sister Florence Ann, for your years with us. May you enjoy being with your God this day and always. Sister Marlene G. Butler, GNSH President
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Sister Florence Ann Cammarata, GNSH

Reflections sent by e-mail and read by Sister's niece, Diane

June 11, 2007

from Florence's sister, Mary Horvath from Vero Beach, Florida:

I remember visiting Sister Florence and wanting to see what she was wearing under her habit, but she wouldn't hear of it. So being the mischief-maker, I just took my foot and kicked up her hem so I could see. Needless to say, she wasn't very happy about it. She was very proud of her habit and meticulous in caring for it.

Another visit that stands out in my mind involved an assembly of some kind with Mother Superior. Florence did a skit in which she played a banjo and sang "Momma don't allow no banjo playing in here. I don't care what Momma don't allow. I'm gonna play the banjo anyhow. Momma don't allow no banjo playing in here." (Diane's aside – sounds like Sister Florence, doesn't it?)

Being the good Catholic that she was, Florence loved Bingo. But she must have been playing without the Holy Spirit because she rarely won. That didn't stop her from playing, though.

Florence was artistic, and when she worked in the classroom, her blackboards and bulletin boards were lovely.

Florence was thoughtful and remembered her family at special times. Just a few weeks ago, the husband of one of her nieces was ordained a deacon. As sick as she was, Florence sent a beautiful card with money enclosed and a note that said, "I want to be part of your calling." She surely will be as she intercedes in heaven for the new Deacon and for all of us.

From sister Florence Ann's nephew, Peter:

In a short period of time, a little over a year, the Cammarata clan of Holy Angels Parish in Buffalo, NY has dwindled down to one. My dad, Ralph, passed away in March of 2006, my Aunt Frances past away this spring, and now our dear Aunt Florence has left us.

An obituary appeared in the Buffalo News this morning, to advise her friends back here that she had passed and to remind them of her endeavors in education through the years. It listed the chronology of her devotion to her “trade” and the places she had been, so the people she had touched through the years can reminisce and remember. I cut it out to keep as a memento.

Aunt Florence…Sister Florence Ann…Sister St. Michael was all about mementos. Her worldly possessions were few, but she didn’t horde the few things she had, she often chose to pass them on to others. The dictionary defines a memento as a keepsake, or a reminder of the past. I need to tell you about some of the mementos she gave me.

My first recollection of some one-on-one time with Aunt Florence dates back about 45 years ago. We were sitting on the swing, under the grape arbor at gramma and grandpa’s house on a humid summer day. I was in my shorts and t-shirt sweating profusely, and Aunt Florence was sitting opposite me in her full habit, cool as a cucumber. She said she had a little gift for me; so out from underneath yards of material, from a secret pocket I later in life referred as the “vault”, came my first set of rosary beads. They were my first official memento. They were blue plastic and little-boy proof. As if they were a toy, I asked her how they worked.

Later on in life, about the time I was graduating from eighth grade and making my confirmation, she gave me a book mark. This memento was made of leather and embossed with a gold border and emblems. The emblems weren’t significant, but the “Made In Italy” stamp was prominent on the front. I always figured she was using it as a symbol of the importance of remembering the family heritage and her father the shoemaker. Maybe she just wanted me to have a bookmark, and I was reading more into it then there really was, but none-the-less I still use it today. She was very proud of her Cammarata heritage and she seemed pleased that I was carrying on the name.

I’m also the proud owner of a couple vintage maps of Alaska. Aunt Florence spent part of her “tour of duty”, as she once called it, in Alaska. “Nowhere else in the world may there be found such natural scenic grandeur on so magnificent a scale” boasted the one map. As far as these mementos are concerned, she really preferred Buffalo. She took a particular liking to Buffalo history, as did my father, as did I, as did my kids. So it goes.

On April 25, 1992, Holy Angels Parish celebrated the 140^th anniversary of the parish. I ended up with a brochure from the event to add to my memento collection. One of the pages of the brochure was about vocations, and it listed the “names of men and women from families of Holy Name Parish whose commitment to the works of the Lord have led them to vocations of ultimate service in His name”. Aunt Florence was one of an incredible twenty-five women from the parish who became Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart. I was one of the few public schools kids who knew what GNSH meant after those names, and I was proud of it. That same anniversary brochure was entitled “A Legacy of Service…A Triumph of Faith”. Please think about that when you think about my aunt.

So if you go back to the dictionary, the Middle English historical definition of a “memento” is a commemoration of the living or the dead. My most prized memento from Aunt Florence is the Maryknoll Missal that she received in 1967 to commemorate the Silver Anniversary of her religious profession. It has a leather cover embossed with gold, just like my bookmark. I don’t profess to know the significance of the green, black, yellow, white and red ribbons that disappear into the pages; but I can picture Aunt Florence running her arthritic fingers through them again and again for comfort. Tucked inside the missal is the card that she passed out to anniversary well-wishers that reads “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior”.

On behalf of your many nieces and nephews Aunt Florence, I offer these words as a simple tribute… a memento…from us to you.

Peter M. Cammarata

6/11/07

Reflections on the Life of

Sister Florence Ann Cammarata

June 12, 2007

Today, we celebrate the life of Sister Florence Ann Cammarata, Sister St. Michael, Aunt Florence. Sister was born on August 3, 1920. It is interesting to note that she was baptized on August 24, 1920, just exactly one year before the date of the foundation of the Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart. Her baptism took place in Holy Cross Parish in Buffalo where some of our sisters now reside.

Sister Florence Ann was very close to her family. When she entered, she responded “no” to the question,” In case of sickness or death in the family, would your services be required”. Yet when the need arose, she was there to help. When her mother had cancer, she went to her parents’ home every day and shopped and cooked for them. When her father was 98 or 99, he was making lamps for her niece, Diane’s four children. One day, Diane received a call from Aunt Florence asking- “Do all your children have lamps now? Apparently her father was calling her to run to the hardware store to buy the parts. Later, when her sister, Teresa, was ill, sister took care of her until her death. When, Sister received the flag at her sister’s burial, she gave it to her nephew, Peter.

Diane told me that her husband told her that around 9am on Friday, June 8, he was sitting on the deck out back. All of a sudden this big beautiful deer came trotting in front of him. It stopped and stared at him for awhile and then walked away. They have lived there since 1976 and he saw a deer on the property once when they moved in. Diane said: “Aunt Florence loved my husband and always said to give him a hug for her. I think that was her hug!”

In her novitiate, Sister was a very dedicated person, a perfectionist and did everything very quietly. As a gifted seamstress, I am told that she was Sister Cassilda’s “right hand girl”. Those who knew Sister Cassilda, know that that was a high tribute. One of her band members noted that she was “not boisterous like the rest of us”.

While the majority of her ministry was in education, she was a missionary for 5 years, serving as dietician at Griffin Memorial Hospital (now Providence Kodiak Hospital) in Kodiak, Alaska from 1946 to 1951.

In the early 50’s, when she taught at Bishop Conroy School, her students loved her gentle smile and the parents were impressed by her ability to impart knowledge.

Sister was a member of the faculty at Immaculate Conception School in Eden, NY for 16 years. I would like to share with you part of an evaluation done by the principal in 1995, as I think it evidences what this quiet, prayerful woman did throughout her life.

“During her many years as Librarian, Sister has helped students to know the joy of reading. As our Library Media Specialist she was one of the first librarians to establish an active video program in a diocesan elementary school. She served as the diocesan representative to the Educational Program Board of WNED-TV (the public broadcasting channel) for seven years. She then continued to review programs.

Another of sister’s assets is her mechanical ability (which she probably learned from her father) enables her to make many of the repairs needed on the library’s various machines.

She is never too busy to aid a teacher who is planning a celebration of the Eucharist or a paraliturgy with her class. Saying “no” is not a word in her vocabulary.”

On the lighter side, while at Immaculate Conception, the school was having a live-turkey Thanksgiving raffle and the turkey was located halfway between the Principal’s office and the library. Every time Sister heard the startling sound of “Gobble, Gobble”, she jumped. She and all had many laughs about the turkey.

On January 30, 1988, Sister Florence Ann received the Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Award for meritorious service in education. At that time, she was Assistant Principal and Librarian at Immaculate Conception School. The Pastor said of her, “Sister Florence Ann is a great asset to our school. She is a most caring person and shows this through doing little, caring things for the faculty and students.”

Yes, and she continued doing caring things. When the HAA convent was closing, she kept everyone in good spirits with her dry sense of humor. She put a sign on the hood of the stove in the kitchen counting off the days until closing. She also put yellow roses on the food shopping list. When the shopper did not return with the roses, she was quick to tell me when I arrived. That evening, I returned with the roses and she and the shopper delighted in the joy that they brought at a difficult time. Sister Florence Ann took the time to introduce Sudoku to one of our sisters.

Yes, and at the Motherhouse, she saved medals, prayer cards, pamphlets on how to pray the rosary that included the newer mysteries for Sister Eileen’s college students. She also helped Sister Mary Alma to fill out her meal menus. All this she did very quietly.

Today we remember Sister Florence Ann – an avid Buffalo Bills fan, thoughtful, compassionate, diligent, thorough and giving enjoyment with her dry sense of humor. Would you believe that she and Sister Mary Theophane once frenched Sister Mary Loyola’s bed when at Our Lady of the Assumption in Strafford, PA?

Sister had great devotion to the Sacred Heart. May she enjoy the celebration of that feast this Friday in the presence of the Sacred Heart.

Sister’s life reminds me of the passage in the Book of Kings where we don’t find God in the fire, but in the quiet. Sister found God in her quietness. So as we leave this Chapel today, we ask ourselves, where are we looking for God? Are we caring about the little things? Do we remember to laugh and quietly enjoy life?

Sister Florence Ann, may you now enjoy what you were searching for when you asked to enter the Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart in 1939: “ All, I have to say is, that it is a feeling I strongly feel to be with God; to work for Him and with Him.” Thank you Sister Florence Ann, for your years with us. May you enjoy being with your God this day and always.

Sister Marlene G. Butler, GNSH

President

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