We commend to your charity the soul of our beloved
Sister Assumpta Capaccio
who departed this life on February 7, 2012
in the sixty-fifth year of her religious life
Age: 86 years, 10 months, 13 days
Funeral: Friday, February 10, 2012, at 3:30 p.m.
The arrangements are as follows: Viewing in the Community Room at Providence Heights on Thursday, February 9, 2012 from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. and on Friday, February 10 from noon-3 p.m. Wake Service in the Community Room on Thursday, February 9 at 7 p.m. Mass of Resurrection on Friday, February 10 at 3:30 p.m. in the Mother of Divine Providence Chapel at Providence Heights.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose. [Ps. 23]
Rachael Capaccio was the youngest of four children born to John and Rachael (Bracco) Capaccio and baptized at the Italian Church of St. Peter in Pittsburgh. Rachael’s mother died soon after she was born. What a tragedy for her, and for her two sisters and brother!
After entering the Sisters of Divine Providence, Rachael was given the name Sister Assumpta and from her earliest days of preparation as a Sister, she gave herself simply and generously in service to others, primarily to her Sisters in community. She loved all she learned about prayer, relishing the experience of community as she shared prayer in common with her Sisters. Encouraged by the name she was given, Sister Assumpta dedicated herself to Mary, making Mary’s fiat her own and the Hail Mary her favorite prayer.
In her first years in ministry, Sister Assumpta served in various convents and for five years in Divine Providence and Braddock hospitals. For more than fifty years, she gave herself daily in faithful service in housekeeping, in the laundry, and as a positive presence on the telephone and in welcoming guests at the front entrance of Providence Heights. Every young Sister who entered the community during those years when she served as laundress had the opportunity to learn from Sister Assumpta. The community entrusted new members to her, knowing that her humble example and dedicated service modeled the spirit of a Sister of Divine Providence.
Strengthened by the God of Providence, enjoying times throughout her days of being led beside restful waters, Sister Assumpta was guided in right paths and refreshed in soul for the sake of her Lord and Shepherd. As she grew in her relationship with the God of Providence, she knew that who she was and everything she did flowed from her prayer and service. She served others, using her gifts without needing special attention, allowing the love, gentleness, and compassion of Jesus flow through her to others.
What Sister Assumpta appreciated most about the community was the sharing “of our joys and prayers together,” and the knowledge that she was always accepted for herself; “our community is willing to accept me as I am.” She spent her retired years patiently, enjoying her visitors, and whenever possible, joining her Sisters in community in the chapel for the Eucharistic liturgy and daily prayer. She slipped away from the community quietly, without fanfare or notice, reaching for the day she had long awaited: You spread the table before me,… Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come.
Feastday: August 15
by Sister Mary Francis Fletcher
If you would like to make a gift to the Sisters of Divine Providence in memory of Sister Assumpta, visit our donation page.