Saint Josephine of the Bronx

Saint Josephine of the Bronx

My Aunt Jo was a genuine saint. She lived to love and care for others. Never married, she worked in a paper box factory somewhere around 14th St. in Manhattan and lived alone in a furnished room in the Bronx. My aunt was an angel for the entire extended family. She spent her free time and used her meager earnings to help any family members who were going through tough times.

Deacon Lex and Aunt Jo at the Bronx Zoo (circa 1957)

Aunt Jo contracted Polio as a young woman; as a consequence, she struggled to walk, dragging her right foot with an exhausting limp. On weekdays she rose before dawn, walked several blocks to the train station and rode a crowded subway car to a sweltering factory where she stood for 10 hours on an assembly line folding cardboard and putting together paper boxes. At the end of the workday, she would walk to and ride the subway back to her furnished room. She ate a small supper and often fell asleep reading the Daily News. Each weekday was a repeat of the last.

Aunt Jo would use the weekends to visit and be lovingly present for any sibling or nephew in the family who may have been lonely or in need. My Aunt Jo would often spend time with me. She introduced me to the joys and wonders of books. When I was very little, she would read to me: wonderful swashbuckling adventure stories. She helped me learn to read and gave me wonderful books. After I was able to read on my own, Aunt Jo would buy me books and I would devour them and read out loud to her.

My fondest childhood memories were my frequent Saturday afternoons with my Aunt Jo. She would take me to the Bronx Zoo, to the Museum of Natural History, to parks and movies. She and I would usually end our day together eating at the pizza place on Kingsbridge Road in the Bronx.

Aunt Jo was a pure and loving soul. She never projected self-pity, anger, or meanness. Because she was so kind and selfless, she would sometimes be the brunt of frustration and criticism from others.

Aunt Jo died in 1967. She has been a lifetime role model for me. She exhibited what I consider to be the qualities of a genuine saint. She deeply loved and was present for others. She let God’s love flow through her to everyone with whom she interacted.

As a Catholic deacon, I have baptized hundreds of children over the past 30 years. In my homily I always mention that by our baptism, we are each all called to be saints. And I explain that a ‘saint’ is not some remote, untouchable person, some plaster figure on a pedestal in a church building. Rather, a true saint is a flesh and blood human being, a person who struggles and has good days and bad days. But what makes them a saint is their unconditional love for others. They genuinely come outside of themselves to love and be present for others; and they never give up on that love. And then I share my Aunt Jo as an example.

Now think of your own life and any Aunt Jos or Uncle Joes that you may have been blessed to know and love. Think of those loving souls who loved you, who were role models and taught you to love and care for others. Today, as we make our way to a new work and academic year in the Fall, let us gratefully remember those saints who helped bring us to this moment in time; and let us be mindful that each of us is called to be a genuine saint for our world.

With love, Deacon Lex

deaconlex@nullgmail.com

Lex Ferrauiola is a husband, father, grandfather and a Catholic deacon serving as a pastoral minister and hospital chaplain within the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey. His newest book, All Shall Be Well: Finding God Among the Pots and the Pans is available now.