Lest We Forget
Sister Paulita Sisolak, CSJP (1929-2008)
In1929 Victoria Rachael Sisolak was born in Fords, New Jersey to John Ambrose Sisolak and Susan Borza. She proudly claimed that she "was the fourth of my wonderful parents' seven children."
Victoria entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace on March 6, 1948. She enjoyed telling people that she was the first to enter the community from her parish, Our Lady of Peace in Fords, NJ. Shortly after entering, she was given the name Sr. Paulita. Her entire professional life was devoted to the care of the sick. She received her nursing degree from Holy Name Hospital and her BSN degree from Seton Hall University. Paulita earned a Master's Degree in Culture and Creation Spirituality, and she was also a certified Massage Therapist. I remember when she was involved in Massage Therapy her motto was, "Have table, will travel."
Her nursing ministry took her to many places including Holy Name Hospital, Teaneck; St. Luke's Hospital, North Carolina; St. Joseph Home for the Blind, Jersey City; St. James Hospital, Newark; St. Joseph School for the Blind, Jersey City; and Woodbridge Health Department as a Public Health Nurse. For several years, Paulita worked at Horton Memorial Hospital in Middletown, New York, and for a time she was a Visiting Homemaker.
Her life as a nurse was busy, and she enjoyed every minute she served the sick. However, she did manage to do other things:
She was an avid watcher of the Animal Channel and regaled the Sisters with the various
habits and lifestyles of unusual animals;
She loved plants and flowers and carefully tended them during her time at Villa Marie Claire;
She was a knitter and needlepoint creator;
Paulita loved crossword puzzles, and she even framed and hung extra special ones;
Those who lived with Paulita remember her as a garage sale shopper, a book collector and a leader of song. She loved to sing!
On the occasion of her Golden Jubilee, Paulita wrote of the three greatest gifts in her life:
The Gift of Life
The Gift of Faith
The Gift of a Religious Vocation
She loved her Congregation and she loved her family. She spoke lovingly of her sisters Albina and Josephine and her nieces and nephews. Whenever she visited, she came back refreshed. At Villa Marie Claire she prayed everyday for some family member by name, and we all prayed for "baby Sarah."
More than anything, Paulita was a spiritual woman. God was first in her life, and in the sick and dying she saw the face of God. The Sisters remember Paulita's personal prayer book. . . One filled with her many favorite prayers, which she prayed faithfully.
During Paulita's latter years she did not enjoy good health, but so very often she bounced back. This last time, God saw that she had suffered enough and called her home to celebrate Easter in God's presence. What a reward for a life well lived!
Maureen Collins, CSJP