Vicki Marasciullo was born and raised in Maspeth, NY, and was a member of Holy Cross Parish, where she attended Holy Cross Elementary School and was introduced to the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. She joined in 2004 and has been an associate since then in different capacities. She was married in 1977 to her childhood sweetheart for 43 years until he passed in 2021. She was blessed with two children and three grandchildren who continue to grace her life every day in ways only the Spirit could put in place.
In her youth, Vicki dreamed of becoming a sister. She tried over the years before realizing her life’s true calling was to be a wife, mother, grandmother, and everything else that she is. She currently lives in Florida and is retired after owning several businesses working alongside her husband and family.
“There is something to be said about realizing your authentic self. It’s a process in life that takes us on a journey that is unimaginable. Who could ever know where the Spirit will lead us? I am so grateful to have followed my heart and all my dreams, which have brought me to today. Here I am, an Associate of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, continuing my relationship with the most amazing women who I call the sisters of my heart. They have been so much more than that. I’ve been introduced to people who share my same values in faith and life and can be part of something bigger than myself, making me a much stronger and better person. Because of all this, my life now continues to revolve around my family, which includes the sisters, associates, and the people God has placed in my life.”
My life is deeply rooted in the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth from my youth. It would be so easy to ramble on and on about all the memories and reasons I love them so much. However, focusing on being an associate and the importance of that for me is what you asked for, so I hope I am able to deliver something worthwhile.
During one of my many visits with the sisters, I met Sister Michele Bremer, who shared with me after a conversation that I should consider meeting with Sister Victoria and speaking to her about a program called the Associates of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. This was new to me, but it sounded like the perfect fit for my journey in life and connection I have with the sisters. After meeting with Sister Victoria, a sister I already knew, and the time she spent with me sharing what the Association was all about, we both realized it was something I was meant to be part of. Then came the challenge. “OK, exactly what do I do with this? How do I do this? What does it require of me? Can I do this?” I expressed this to Sister and she shared some books with me. After further conversations during my time there, I went home and shared all this with my husband. He said right away, “Well you always talk about them, and you are a part of them, so it sounds like a perfect fit. But I don’t know how you’re going to do it since we live in Florida, and we have businesses that require your attention and naturally a family.”
There were obstacles that stood in front of me, and they were very real. However, knowing as one does something is missing in your life — regardless of what you are doing or what you have going on in your present life — always leaves an uncomfortable emptiness even though you are totally happy with your life as it is. Little did I know in reading what Sister Victoria gave me and recalling our conversations, I was already doing what the Associates do without physically being a part of them. My life was and is all about family. Not only my own, but families as a whole. I was not by any means a religious person per se, but a person deeply rooted in my religious faith. The emptiness was filled by saying “yes” to Sister, who continued to share via email and mail what I needed to do to become the whole person I was meant to be.
The Association accepted me based on all we shared, and I immediately felt a sense of belonging again, keeping in my mind my life wasn’t lacking anything or so I thought. In my trips to visit with the sisters and all the sharing I’ve done with many of them, I saw this was a gift I’ve been offered to continue my faith life and connection to the sisters I so dearly loved. Knowing their mission was all about families and everyone within the family was very inspiring to me. After all, they all come from families no different from mine, which none of us think about. Their experiences growing up in their families have given them plenty to share with me. Accepting their personal call to become a part of the community of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth was the icing on the cake. We never realize being a sister makes them stand out in the world and people are attracted to their beautiful, kind, loving faces and their patience to listen, so we dump all our hurt and frustrations in their laps and walk away feeling so much better and relieved from our stresses. But what about the sisters who absorbed all that those people shared? We think, “Well, they are not married and don’t have children or grandchildren, so how could they truly know how we feel?” But the exact opposite is true since they were once and still are part of their own families and now have their vocation in the family of Nazareth.
So, they take it a step further and pray for all that has been shared with them and continue to keep in touch with those who choose to make sure they are OK. They truly are handmaidens of the Lord and people love their presence as well as need their presence in their lives. As an associate, an appendage of the sisters so to say, after spending time with them and sharing with them and others who wish to do the same, we too can be part of all they do in whatever way God has gifted us with our own talents. Surely you realize spending time with any one of the sisters leaves you differently from before the encounter — and it happens every time. The Holy Spirit is working through them to enrich us with wisdom and understanding of our individual purpose in life. After Sister Victoria’s passing, the Association was placed in other sisters’ hands and each of them have taken their role with their own personal wisdom forward to enrich us. We’ve been abundantly blessed by that.
I don’t have the opportunity to attend meetings as I’d like to because of distance, but that doesn’t make me feel any less a part of you. The emails I receive and the sisters’ newsletter keep me up to date on what is going on in your lives in Nazareth — and there’s always their website. I was deeply touched meeting you and the sweet lady who was at Sister Virginella’s funeral as well as the lady considering being part of the Association. All that offered me a sense of continuance in my mission and their mission to deepen our faith, to be a part of something bigger than ourselves individually, to be a part of the sisters’ community and therefore to be our best selves. Believe me when I say, looking in your eyes it is obvious to me — and I’m sure not just me — you and the others couldn’t have been more right in accepting your commitment to the sisters’ charism. Attending meetings, sharing cake and coffee, and talking with the sisters and yourselves deepen your connection to Nazareth. It is community living at its finest.
I have been profoundly changed by my affiliation with this amazing Association and the sisters. It has given me richer life skills to offer my family as well as myself and others. It is simply a matter of being true to your baptismal vows, reaching out to the sisters, and walking away with the wealth of knowledge you receive from any interaction with them, however small they may seem. Even in small things, we realize later the impact it had on us. It is we who help keep their presence known outside in the world we live in. Imagine how you first felt. Then imagine how you are making others feel. Allow yourselves the privilege the Lord has afforded all of you just by taking the time to be there and listen to the sisters and each other. I know you are few in numbers as are the sisters. But using their example, you can clearly see small numbers don’t mean anything when it comes to the lives you change. I guess that is where “Be Still and Know” comes in handy!
I pray daily using the associates prayer book. Knowing we are praying for each other gives me peace and gratitude knowing I am bigger than myself because of you.
The Association of the Holy Family of Nazareth is for all of us, men and women. We all need each other and the sisters, especially now at this time in our lives. I only pray we can each make their presence known realizing not everyone will listen but knowing that’s OK. We just need to keep going as with everything in life and because of life.
God bless you and all of you.
I remain faithfully yours in Nazareth.
Peace,
Vicki Marasciullo
