The Effects of the Salesian Sisters or
 Excerpted from The Yes lantic City. After establishing community and for our commu- her companions, Sr. Raphael
Lives On: One Hundred Years a few more footholds in the nity's youth. Spizzirri and Sr. Ottavia Ros-
of Service in the United States, Northeast region, the Sisters si, took up residence in the
by the Salesian Sisters of quickly expanded their mis- Mission to Tampa Sunshine State.
Saint John Bosco sion westward and on into the Mother Pollini, a woman of As a means of getting ac-


 The Salesian Sisters of St.
John Bosco first set foot on
American soil one hundred
years ago, as four Sisters
sailed from Genoa, Italy into


South.
 In the one hundred years
that have passed since they
first arrived in America, the
Sisters have impacted a count-
less number of lives all across


prayer, responded to the invi-
tation to begin the mission of
the Salesian Sisters in Flori-
da. Not the perfume of orange
groves nor the graceful dance
of lofty palms, but souls drew


Class photo next to the "Cigar Factory Convent"


Ellis Island on July 10, 1908.
Though the beginning was
rough, and their first home
in Paterson, New Jersey was
without proper furnishings
or a proper roof, the Sisters
persevered and worked their
way toward a better life for
themselves and for those they
sought to help.
 They eventually moved out
of their- dismal apartment and
found another home in Pater-
son in the form of a handsome
manor that was to become
known as the Morris House.
Next came one school within
Paterson city limits and then
another just outside, in At-


the nation, from small towns
like Ellwood City, PA, Palm-
dale, CA and Laredo, TX to
big cities such as San Fran-
cisco, New Orleans and San
Antonio. Their influence is im-
measurable, far too wide to
be mapped. Therefore, what
follows in celebration of their
Centennial is not the complete
Salesian Sisters' history, but
only a snapshot of those who
have been touched by their
efforts locally. As the Sisters
celebrate their first full century
spent serving the Church and
spreading their faith, we take
the time to show thanks for
all that they have done for our


the Sisters to the sands of
Florida's Gulf Coast.
 The summons came from
Father Richard Pittini, who
pleaded for Sisters to work
among the Italian and His-
panic immigrants at the Sale-
sian parish of Saint Joseph's
in Tampa. Some 1,100 miles
lay between Tampa and the
Provincial Center in New Jer-
sey! In Depression-era travel
terms, that meant three days
by boat, then seven hours by
train. But Messengers of the
Word have always gauged dis-
tance by other standards...
and so, on September 8,
1930, Sr. Cecilia Lanzio and


quainted, the Sisters imme-
diately began house-to-house
visits and soon gathered sev-
eral adults and dozens of chil-
dren for religious instruction
and recreational activities.
Sr. Helen Mazurek became fa-
mous for her work with adults
who needed to learn the
truths of the faith in prepara-
tion for marriage. She offered
detailed instructions for the
celebration of the Sacrament
of Matrimony, complete with
a wedding cake and a lavish
party!
 The first lodging for the
Sisters was an abandoned,
former cigar factory on the
corner of Spruce and Somer-
set avenues. It was this "ci-
gar factory convent" that also
served as a parish social cen-
ter where plays, skits and par-
ish entertainments were first
held. The Sisters entertained
the children with games and
simple instruction during the
day, and visited the families in
the evenings. The cigar factory
also offered hospitality to fam-
ilies on weekends, with meet-
ings, games and instructions.
 The Sisters endured many
hardships in that building. At
times it seemed like an open
house for homeless insects
and rodents of the neighbor-
hood! And they often had
open -umbrellas over their
heads as they went to bed on


GETAWAY
TRAVEL
 OF TAMPA


i Tampa
rainy nights. It is said that
the Bishop once came to cel-
ebrate Mass and it rained so
hard that he got wet when he
was at the altar! Needless to
say, he was soon in favor of a
new convent. He. commented,
"Jesus was born in a stable,
but He didn't live there for 20
years!"
 In 1934, there were 150
 children in school and, of
 these, 100 were in the kin-
 dergarten and first grade.
 The others were scattered
 throughout the remaining
 grades. The school building
 was purchased from the Sis-
 ters of the Holy Names for
 $4,000.
 The little seed, planted in
 the soul of Tampa, took a long
 time to grow, and even though
 it seemed it might wither
 away, the tenacity of the pas-
 tors, Sisters and good parish-
 ioners, who watered it with
 prayer, patience and faith,
 succeeded in making Saint
 Joseph Parish and School one
 of the finest and one of the
 lasting educational institu-
 tions in Tampa.

 On to Ybor
 It was religious education
 that had first brought the
 Salesian Sisters into contact
 with another, highly recep-
 tive group of Catholics in a
 Tampa neighborhood called
 Ybor City. Most Holy Names
 Parish, in fact, was one of the
 catechetical centers serviced
 from Saint Joseph Convent.
 (Continued to page 17)


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