Rita Patti supports Ursulines for foundation she received

Rita Patti has known the Ursuline Sisters since the Sisters taught her at St. Romuald Elementary School in Hardinsburg, Ky.

But it was a call from her aunt – Ursuline Sister Mary Angela Matthews – to her parents in 1978 that expanded Rita’s world of the Ursulines. Sister Mary Angela returned to the Mount that fall to become principal of Mount Saint Joseph Academy.

“Grandma Matthews had passed away in November 1977 and Sister Mary Angela had a new job at the Mount for Fall 1978,” Rita said. “She wanted family close by and asked if my sister Rosanne would consider going to the Mount for her senior year of high school. Yes, she wanted to go. I was around the other side of the wall in the living room listening. I poked my head into the kitchen and asked, ‘Can I go?’ And before I knew it, I was packing a foot locker with uniforms and possessions for my freshman year at the Academy. I was on an adventure!”

Rita’s mother, Martha Ann Matthews, attended the Academy, a year behind her friend, the future Sister Mary Angela. She married Sister Mary Angela’s brother, Claud.

“My aunt joined the Ursulines. My mother followed her. One stayed, one left, yet each followed the path God chose for them,” Rita said.

Like her mother, Rita loved her time at the Academy. “During the school year, I helped in the dairy with Sister Ann Victoria Wasylina. Many knew of my mother and saw the resemblance. They would tell me fun stories about when she was in school,” Rita said. “I played on the MSJ basketball team and loved swimming class and math. I love to sing thanks to Sister Mary Henning and have finally gotten a bit proficient with my writing skills over the years. Thank you, Sister Pat Rhoten. My classmates – Rhonda, Alicia, Diane, Beatriz, Lisa, Maria, Shawn, and the list goes on – I remember having great fun and laughs with them as we made our way through the first two years of high school.”

Rita transferred to her hometown Breckinridge County High School during her junior year, where she continued playing basketball on a team that made the state tournament her senior year. But she’s never forgotten the impact that the Sisters had on her life.

Today, Rita is enjoying retirement in Colorado with Steve, her husband of 35 years. Each year they make significant donations to support Ursuline ministries.

“The Mount gave me such a strong foothold in life and I feel it is important to support the Sisters’ good work,” she said. “I know I’ve benefited from their kindness and feel strongly that in giving, one receives.”

Rita and Steve have two children, Rebekah and Nick. Steve’s career made it possible for the family to live and travel overseas, and their children had the opportunity to tour Europe with their high school choirs, visiting the Sistine Chapel in Rome and St. Petersburg, Russia. One of Rita’s life-changing places to visit was the Holy Land, where she said her natural competitiveness was put to rest and she found a peace she had not known before.

Despite all of her travels, visiting Maple Mount is still special to her.

“My time at Mount Saint Joseph was and still is the foundation on which I continue to build on,” Rita said. “When I visit there, it feels like I come home.”

When she calls Maple Mount, she always ends her conversations with, “Say hi to all my friends at the Mount!” Those include Sister Joyce Marie Cecil, who was a dear friend of Sister Mary Angela.

“When I was young, she would visit our farm with Sister Mary Angela, bringing reading and workbooks … spending time with us one on one,” Rita said. “She was a great elementary teacher and made school fun.”

Both Rita’s mother and Sister Mary Angela are deceased. Rita recalled how much joy and happiness her Mom felt when she brought her to visit the Mount. “I cherish and miss those times,” she said.

Have the Ursuline Sisters influenced your life? If you would like to learn more about how you can support them, contact Carol Braden-Clarke at 270-229-2008.