---

In the parish center of St. Anthony’s Church in Schenectady, Sister Maria Rosa Querini, MPV, navigates through a sea of people.

Dozens of loved ones mill around the room, grabbing snacks and coffee, swapping stories and pulling up photos from memories past. All the while, everybody waits and watches for a free moment with Sister Maria Rosa. It’s hard to catch her, as parishioners, priests and friends (who, at this point, are really her family) are all eager to greet the beloved woman whom countless came out to celebrate. 

And maybe Sister Maria Rosa didn’t originally want a birthday party, but it’s not every day a matriarch of the community turns 90. 

“She is a dedicated, indefatigable worker,” Father Richard Carlino, pastor of St. Anthony’s, told The Evangelist. “A very spiritual person; very human, like all of us.”

“I don’t want to be 90, but I don’t have no choice,” Sister Maria Rosa laughed. 

Just a few days after her actual birthday on June 18, dozens gathered on June 22 for a special Mass dedicated to Sister Maria Rosa, including a surprise guest: Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger, who led the service. 

Father Carlino, who organized the party, delivered a heartfelt homily, thanking Sister Maria Rosa for her years of service, and ended with the church singing “Happy Birthday.” 

“She’s a living saint,” he said. “In my view, she’s a living saint.”

She’ll humbly deny it, but it’s a description fitting for Sister Maria Rosa. For years, she’s been a pillar of the Schenectady community and a crucial member of St. Anthony’s Church. Even at 90, she is still leading the parish in their annual bake sales, church dinners and fundraisers — including the annual Festa celebration that draws nearly 40,000 people every year. 

“It is a lot of work, but it’s a work of love,” Sister Maria Rosa said.

Sister Maria Rosa Querini receives communion from Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger, a special guest at her birthday Mass. (Cindy Schultz photo)

 Guests gather in St. Anthony's parish center for Sister Maria Rosa's party. She takes a photo with Paul and Anna Knapick, who both had Sister Maria Rosa as their kindergarten teacher. (Cindy Schultz photo)

Born Maria Rosa Querini in Udine, Italy — in northeastern Italy — she was one of the youngest of 11 children. At 17, she entered the convent and professed to the Venerini Sisters in 1957.

Not long after, her superior wanted to send a few sisters to a mission in the United States. Sister Maria Rosa was originally supposed to go with two other women, but ended up going alone. She served in a few locations before arriving in Schenectady in the fall of 1967. 

For years, she taught kindergarten and Italian at St. Anthony’s School. In 1985, the late Father Dominic Ingemie, pastor, thought Sister Maria Rosa would be helpful to the parish as an administrator. She left the classroom and entered parish life, a place that grew leaps and bounds from her work. 

She made her way quickly into the hearts of the parish as well. Father Carlino was only 37 when he first arrived at St. Anthony’s in 1987, and for years, Sister Maria Rosa translated all his homilies in Italian for Mass, which had a large Italian immigrant population at the time. 

“She’s always been a mentor to me,” he said. 

She was always looking out for others at the parish. She visited the sick in the hospital or nursing homes, and anytime a parishioner died, she would bring over homemade soup to their family. 

A lot of her memorable work is with the parish’s annual Festa. The parish always did bake sales and fundraisers, but as the youngest growing up, Sister Maria Rosa never practiced making her family’s traditional meals. It was the ladies of St. Anthony who taught her the recipes when she first arrived, and she continues them today. 

Sister Maria Rosa works her table at the 2025 Festa. (Provided photo)

Just days before the Festa, which was held June 6-8, Sister Maria Rosa worked alongside the team of volunteers who tirelessly prepared all the food served over the three-day event. Around her, a sea of dedicated women worked in an assembly line inside St. Anthony’s church center, putting together pounds of pasta salad and frosting cookies. 

In the kitchen, dishes were scrubbed, and the smell of freshly baked bread engulfed the surrounding rooms. Preparations for the Festa start in September, cooking and freezing a variety of dishes. As summer approaches, the group starts to meet up a few days a week. 

“They are so faithful,” Sister Maria Rosa said.

The Festa itself is the best way to describe the family feeling that exists at St. Anthony’s. There’s laughter and yelling, smiles and frustration. It’s impossible to prepare 3,000 cookies and 210 pounds of cannoli filling (yes, they really did that) and not get annoyed with each other at some point. But the love is there, always. 

“This is such a small community of neighbors,” said Gerri Caso, parishioner and volunteer. “I love to come back and help because I get to see people I grew up with, and now they’re all in their 60s and 70s, and that’s when I see everybody, it’s at the Festa.”

Sister Maria Rosa was honored at the Festa this year with a New York State Assembly Citation recognizing her nearly 60 years of service and leadership to the community.

And on the day of her party — seeing Sister Maria Rosa smiling, surrounded by the loved ones of her life — there seemed no better way to celebrate her than with a day of faith, family and some delicious food. 

Added Father Carlino: “From my bias, in the Roman Catholic world, you’ll never find another Sister Maria Rosa.”

---