Holy Cross Sister Elizabeth May Raffo, a native of Washington, D.C. who entered her order more than 70 years ago, died July 3 at Saint Mary’s Convent, Notre Dame, Indiana. She was 90 years old.
She was born on Oct. 29, 1932 to Aloysius Raffo and Ruth (Waters) Raffo. Her father was a pressman at the Washington Post newspaper. Elizabeth, known as “Betty,” grew up as a member of St. Francis de Sales Parish, while attending Holy Name Parish School. A younger brother, Ronald, her only sibling, now lives with his wife in Fort Myers, Florida.
Becoming familiar with the Sisters of the Holy Cross while she was a student at St. Patrick’s Academy, Washington, Raffo began considering a religious vocation. After graduation from high school, she worked for a year in a government office before entering the Congregation in 1952. She received the religious name, Sister Ronald Mary at the time of her initial profession of vows in 1955. When the option became available in the late 1960s, she returned to her baptismal name.
For the first 14 years of her ministry, she was an elementary school teacher for primary grades in the following schools: St. Mary’s School, Alexandria, Virginia; St. Paul the Apostle School, New York City; and Blessed Sacrament School, Washington, D.C. During summers she earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Dunbarton College, Washington, D.C. She had the reputation of being an excellent teacher who encouraged each student to achieve his or her potential.
She was also an involved in her local community and the Congregation.
From 1969 to 2002, she continued her educational ministry serving in Maryland schools as a principal and as a classroom teacher, often simultaneously. Six years serving at Holy Cross School in Garrett Park were followed by 10 years at St. Hugh School in Greenbelt. While at Saint Hugh School she ministered to the youth groups of the parish. As part of her role, she played the guitar for their liturgies and accompanying them on retreats to Catoctin Mountain Park. Sister Elizabeth loved music and singing throughout her life.
With her Congregation’s permission, she left Saint Hugh in 1985 to care for her parents who needed care, especially her father, who no longer had the use of his legs. After the death of her father four years later, she was appointed principal at St. Bernard’s School in Riverdale, Maryland, where she served until 1997. Her last four years in elementary education were at St. Mary’s School in Landover Hills, Maryland.
In the summer of 1975 Sister Elizabeth was selected to participate with other Sisters of the Holy Cross in a program called the Moreau Institute. This study of community history and the life of the Congregation’s founder, Blessed Basil Anthony Moreau, included a pilgrimage to sites in France, Italy and Israel. Sister Elizabeth also enjoyed vacations with her good friend, Sister Vivian Mary Mastromatteo, CSC, and visits to her brother’s family in Florida.
Due to health concerns, she moved to Saint Angela Hall in Kensington, Maryland, in 2002, where she became an active member of the community continuing to serve others. During these years she was able to visit her mother frequently in a nearby nursing home until her mother’s death. Sister Elizabeth retired to Saint Mary’s, Notre Dame, Indiana, in 2013, where she devoted herself to the ministry of prayer.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Sister Elizabeth’s name may be made to the Sisters of the Holy Cross Ministry with the Poor Fund at https://www.cscsisters.org .
