Wake Forest Magazine, December 2004 - Past Issues - Wake Forest ...

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E S S A Y As the afternoon lingered on, it felt like we could stay forever. But there was one place we had to visit while in Reggio—the church of Father Gaetano. When is it open? A cousin laughed and explained, “For Catanoso, it’s always open! It’s our church!” So it is. The Sisters of St. Veronica of the Holy Face, from the order of nuns my cousin founded, were stunned to meet their first American Catanosos, and only too eager to show us around. “His example and his virtue are so strong,” Sister Fely told me. “It lives with us still.” Little by little, through relics, photographs and a wall exhibit dedicated to telling the story of this remarkable priest, my cousin’s life began to take shape. While my grandfather was finding his way in America, Gaetano and his nuns were hiking into the poor, isolated mountain villages of Calabria. He felt closest to those who had the least and he reached out wherever he found them, even if they were dying in hospitals, or locked away in prison. Rarely thinking of himself, he lived in squalor but was never without hope. That was the gift he shared with so many. The priests and nuns who served with Gaetano were convinced of his saintliness. They began the process of Catholic veneration shortly after his death in 1963. In the 1980s, a 24 WAKE FOREST MAGAZINE Word flitted across the Atlantic to my family that a Catanoso had been beatified by the pope…. A near saint in the family tree? My goodness. How did this happen? The Catanoso family reunited in Italy. nun from his order, believed by doctors to be dying from lung disease, recovered completely after touching his tomb and praying to Gaetano so that she could continue his work. Thus, the first miracle was established and recognized by the Vatican. A second miracle, the one required for canonization, saw a woman from near his village of Chorio rising from what was declared an irreversible coma. It was verified a few years ago. While talk of miracles and sainthood is shrouded in so much Catholic mysticism, the church’s main criteria for canonization are rooted firmly in this world. You must live a life of heroic virtue where faith and good works are forever inseparable. We’re not talking about winged angels, but rather those people the pope deems devoted friends and servants of God. Yes, that’s my cousin, I realized. It was a lot to absorb in one day, not just the saint, but everything, from the time that Pina took my face in her hands. As I stood with Gaetano’s nuns in the church where his remains still lay, I couldn’t help but think about my grandfather and the decision he made a century ago to leave this place. I guess you could say it divided the family. But now it felt more like he took the seed of all this family’s native goodness and planted it on another continent to flourish. My head was spinning a bit when Sister Alma broke my trance to tell me, “You are very fortunate to have the surname Catanoso.” I suppose I’ve always felt that way. But never more than at that moment. Justin Catanoso (MALS ’93) is visiting lecturer in journalism who has taught writing and editing at Wake Forest since 1993. He is also executive editor of The Business Journal in Greensboro, North Carolina.
1950s Armstead William Dallas (’51) and his wife, Jewell, have been married 58 years. They have three children, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Will Lewis (’51) and his wife, Patricia, have celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary. They live in Greensboro, NC. Ralph A. Walker (’58, JD ’63) is director for the administrative office of the Courts in North Carolina. 1960s Sidney S. Eagles Jr. (’61, JD ’64) is with Smith Moore LLP in Raleigh, NC, and is the former N.C. Court of Appeals chief judge. He has been elected to the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association to serve as one of two representatives of the Council of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. Betty-Bruce Howard Hoover (’61) and members of the Class of 1961, who met as freshmen in section B of Lois Johnson Dormitory, had a mini-reunion in Pineville, NC. Also attending were Peggy Lee Bowen, Janelle Smith Bunn, Jeane Daniel Dennis, JoEllen Brooks Godfrey, Jane Greer Hill, Mary Jean Hunt Jordan, Libby Shaw Kennedy, Nancy Tuttle May, Ann Hedgpeth Thornton and Phyllis Johnson Young. Jesse J. Croom (’62) published a bicentennial history, Faithful and Free, of First Baptist Church in Ahoskie, NC. Ervin “Mac” Funderburk (’63) retired after 41 years in public and private mental health and family services. He has established a limited private practice, A Balanced Life LLC. He and his wife, Evelyn, have one grandson, Gavin (2 1/2), and live in Statesville, NC. Kay Doenges Lord (’64), executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County, is retiring this month. When she joined Habitat in 1997, the agency had just completed its 70th house; in the seven years since then, 127 houses have been built. CLASS OF ’61 SECTION B OF JOHNSON HALL Leon Spencer (’65) is the first dean of the School of Ministry for the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina. He and his wife, Karen, live in Greensboro, NC. Gary Hamrah (’66) retired in 2001 and moved to Cornelius, NC. He has published his first book, How to Achieve Personal and Financial Success Without Hard Work (AuthorHouse). Will Ray (’66) is vice president of external affairs for the Scripps Research Institute, which includes Scripps Florida and the headquarters in La Jolla, CA. W. Shuford “Ford” Smith (’66, MAEd ’72) and his wife, Mara, had their first children’s book, ABC All-American Riddles, published and had photos in “North Carolina 24/7.” Their newest venture, party packages and wine lists, can be found at www.entertainwithstyle.com. Grey Ballard ('06), left, and Amir Lowery ('05), right, talk with Mike Ford ('72). www.wfu.edu/alumni DECEMBER 2004 25
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