Sister Gloria Rosales, SSND
June 19, 1924 – December 4, 2020
Maria Elvira Rosales was born several weeks ahead of schedule, the first child of Eleuterio (Ely) Rosales and Guadalupe (Lupe) Rico, both born in Mexico. She was born in Chicago, close to China Town, and her grandmother delivered her at home there. Later, three other girls were born to the couple, Gloria, Ophelia and Cecilia. They lived, as she recalled, “in the middle of an Italian neighborhood, and grew to love spaghetti along with our Mexican dishes. From time to time, we would run to China Town for Chop Suey and thus cultivated multi-cultural taste buds.”
As recounted in her autobiography, she was only two years old at the time of the Eucharistic Congress in Chicago, but “My mother always tells how I went all day without a whimper even though they were unable to buy food,” which had all sold out.
Maria Elvira’s mother had a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin, and dedicated her firstborn to her. For the next few years, she was always dressed in blue in honor of Our Lady.
Maria Elvira attended Sancta Maria Incoronata School in Chicago, eager to attend the first day, and bewildered by the crying of the other students. School was important to her family, and every day after class she taught her parents the English she had learned in school. She also studied Italian there for two years and began study of piano.
Thus began a life dedicated to education, especially to education of the most needy. Maria Elvira was a “convent junior” (aspirant) at the Academy of Our Lady. When she was about to enter the candidature, her mother arranged a trip for her to Mexico as a graduation gift. Maria Elvira entered the School Sisters of Notre Dame in the Milwaukee motherhouse in 1940. She was received into the novitiate two years later, receiving the name Sister Gloria. She was professed there in 1943, and took her final vows in 1949.
Gloria served as primary, Kindergarten and Early Childhood teacher at Holy Trinity, Milwaukee; St. Ambrose, Chicago; and Holy Cross, Milwaukee; as well as at St. George, Kenosha, Wisconsin; St. Joseph, Escanaba, Michigan; and St. Margaret of Scotland, Chicago. She then served as administrator at St. Mary, Sycamore, Illinois. In 1971, she became a counselor at the state school at Maryville, Decatur, Illinois, and worked in Special Education at the Nipper School in Park Ridge, Illinois, from 1973-1988.
After a year of sabbatical, she became coordinator of Federal Programs for Remediation and Educational Support in Miami Springs, Florida while caring for her aging mother. She wrote,
“The first few years in Florida I would check on my mother once a week. Now (1994) I am doing it three times a week, for her memory is failing. She still lives alone. A wonderful friend, who lives next door to her, keeps an eye on her when I am not around. My ministry keeps me on the road all day and going to my mother adds to the mileage, for she lives 30 miles away.”
From 1996-2007, she worked as librarian and tutor at St. Francis Xavier School in Miami. As she wrote in her autobiography:
“I was most grateful for the diversity of activities in my background. My experiences have included teaching piano, Spanish, CCD, and the Dr. Schott Math; being the coordinator of guidance and counseling; working with television; working with various grade levels; being master teacher for the Archdiocesan (Chicago) Teacher Training Program; being a reading consultant; being a band moderator; teaching in small and large schools, teaching in various situations such as non-graded, self-contained, double-shift, and departmental.”
Sister Gloria held a B.S. in Education and two M.A. degrees, in Educational Guidance and Counseling and in Speech and Communication Arts. She was also a pioneer in the closed-circuit television studio at St. Margaret of Scotland School, as early as 1963, under the guidance of Sister Helene Montz, principal.
Gloria was an avid writer. Her autobiography, updated in 1994, is six pages long, detailing her many areas of service. In addition, she wrote a long letter to Sister Julie Wiegard in December, 1992, explaining her experiences during Hurricane Andrew while living in Florida. The hurricane hit in August, but by December, Gloria was writing that “Things have not been the same since. We are on the edge of the devastated area and are still very much involved with recovery. We had a lot of damage on the outside, but inside the house there was no breakage. We had to go without power for nine days.” She goes on to detail the service given by herself and many Sister volunteers from other parts of the country, who went to Florida to help.
Gloria retired to Marian Village in Homer Glen, Illinois, in 2007, and in 2020, she moved to Resurrection Life Center in Chicago, where she died on December 4, 2020, of COVID-19.
A memorial service was held prior to her burial, in the chapel at Holy Sepulchre, Alsip, Illinois, on Tuesday, December 15, led by Sisters Rose Cecile Espinos and Lorrita Verhey. There will be a Memorial Mass for Gloria at a later date. May she rest in peace.
