Rosemary Goldie, RIP
March 3, 2010, 8:08 am
Posted by Joseph A. Komonchak
I have just learned the sad news of the death of Rosemary Goldie at the age of 94. Actively involved in international associations promoting the lay apostolate, she was the first woman to hold a significant position in the Roman Curia. She was one of the lay auditors at the Second Vatican Council. I met her at several symposia in Italy and admired her wisdom and the charity she radiated. Her body was tiny (she couldn’t have been more than 5′ tall nor weighed 90 lbs–I think of her as a sparrow or chickadee), but she had a steel backbone and a heart and mind that never hesitated to speak the truth. In 1998 she published an autobiography, From a Roman Window. Here is the tribute published by the Archdiocese of Sydney.
Thanks for the information. A remarkable person!
Her work is carried on throughout the world. A small but significant proof of this is the work of Dr. Donna Orsuto. Originally from Ohio, she is the Co-founder and Director of the Lay Centre at Foyer Unitas in Rome. It was founded in 1986 as a place for lay students from around the world to live and study in Rome. While seminarians and religious usually have the financial and lodging support of their communities while studying in Rome, the lay student generally has none of that. Dr. Orsuto discovered this through personal experience many years ago and set out to provide a place where these students can find affordable lodging, community and an inviting surrounding of not only Catholics but also students from other faith traditions, Christian and non-Christian alike.
Its mission is to provide a program of lay formation based on the four pillars of Christian formation identified by the Church: spiritual, intellectual, human and pastoral.
For a good video, see: http://www.romereports.com/palio/modules.php?t=Lay-Center-offers-students-more-than-a-place-to-sleep&name=News&file=article&newlang=english&sid=1705
The Centre’s website is at http://www.laycentre.org/