Sophie Wasilewski entered this world on July 30, 1934, the youngest of five children born to Josephine and Stanislaus Wasilewski. Sophie attended St. Joseph Elementary School, where she was taught by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. She began high school at the local public school, but as a sophomore she transferred to Nazareth Academy in Torresdale, PA.
At the age of 16, she entered the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth on January 8, 1950. As a novice, she was given the name, Sister Rita. Upon profession of her final vows on August 12, 1958, she added the mystery – of the Sacred Heart of Jesus - to her name.
Sister Rita earned her bachelor’s degree in education from Holy Family University in Philadelphia, PA and was sent to teach second grade in Our Lady of Czestochowa School, Brooklyn, New York. In August of 1954, she was transferred to Holy Cross Parish, Maspeth, New York. In 1964, Sister Rita was transferred to Little Flower Children Services in Wading River, N. Y. because the campus church needed an organist.
In 1968, Sister Rita left Little Flower to study for a master’s degree in social work at S. Louis University in Missouri. Upon graduation in 1970, Sister returned to Little Flower where she remained for two short years. Sister was transferred to live in Monroe, CT and worked for Catholic Charities in Bridgeport. During that time, Sister worked as a marriage and family counselor.
From Connecticut, she moved to Pennsylvania where she would serve as administrator at St. Mary’s Villa for Children in Ambler. Sister Rita then found her way back to Little Flower in 1992, remaining for twenty seven years in various roles – Child Care Worker, Social Worker in the Foster Care Program, Administrator for the Spiritual Development Program and Administrator of the Cottage Environment Department.
She retired to Monroe, CT, to join her Sisters at Immaculate Heart of Mary convent on September 4, 2019. Whether through visits, phone calls, or emails, Sister stayed connected with her family, friends, co-workers and former students.
As her health diminished and her energy waned, she chose hospice care. Sister Rita passed peacefully at 9:20am on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, and we continue to celebrate the vibrant life she lived and the many ways she enriched our lives with her friendship, wisdom, compassion and love.
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