Sister Phyllis Scello

We commend to your charity the soul of our beloved
Sister Phyllis Scello
Who departed this life on January 5, 2021
In the sixty-fifth year of her religious life
Age: 80 years, 5 months, 30 days

Due to Covid restrictions there will be no funeral liturgy at Providence Heights. Burial will be private. A memorial liturgy will be held at a later time.

But those with insight shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament, and those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever. Daniel 12: 3

Phyllis Josephine Scello was the second child of Philip and Josephine (Majzer) Scello. The first-born in the family, her older brother, Philip, lived only a short time after he was born. Phyllis was very close to her younger sister, Rosemary, and Rosie’s 3 daughters, Anna, Lori and Theresa, and their families. Family was everything to her. After Rosie’s untimely death, her daughters looked to Phyllis as their second mother, a title that fit her very well.

After baby Philip died, it seemed that Mother and Dad promised God that if they were blessed with another child, they would dedicate that child to God. They never exerted any pressure, but Phyllis credits her family, especially her mother, for being her inspiration to enter religious life. “My mother was an extremely kind and devout, faith-filled woman,” she said. She also was impressed by the example of the Sisters of Divine Providence who taught her at St. Mary’s in McKeesport, especially her first and second grade teacher, Sister Paraclete Hess.

Sister Phyllis ministered for 46 years as an educator; she led many little children to justice for 26 years in the Pittsburgh and Greensburg Dioceses; and, she was a school principal in 3 different schools for a total of 20 years. She was well fortified with degrees from La Roche and Duquesne University. She knew the names of all her students and invested time in their families. When a need arose, she would put everything aside for a person who needed her. And, everyone was, “Honey.” Those who knew her described her as a lovely, kind person, a happy person. She described herself as a good listener, compassionate and loyal.

People were important to her. She was a “mother” to thousands of children. Phyllis never had a job; she had a ministry. It was a great joy for her to be a principal in a school and hire her former students as teachers, seeing how they had blossomed and developed a love for the ministry of teaching God's children. Phyllis was nourished by the ministry of education and found it most rewarding. Watching children grow, and develop good moral values enriched her life. And, when she was no longer an educator, Phyllis ministered as a patient attendant at Forbes Regional Hospital in Monroeville, another ministry that suited her well.

At the time of her golden jubilee, Phyllis said this of herself: “Daily, it is very important for me to make Providence more visible in our world. I try to raise awareness of how trusting in God's Providence touches our lives in every situation. I strongly believe that I must be a reflection of God's providential love, trust and care. By my very life, I pronounce to all, that I am ‘Living Providence.’”

Shine, Phyllis!

Birthday: July 7
Sr. Mary Traupman

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