Sister Mary Dominic Ravotti, 94, died Wednesday, September 18, 2019, in the 70th year of her religious life as a Sister of St. Joseph. The daughter of Domenick and Theresa Fassio, Sister Mary Dominic entered the Congregation from St. Catherine Parish in Leechburg, PA.
For nearly 30 years, she served as a teacher in the Dioceses of Pittsburgh, Greensburg and Miami, including a nine-year tenure at Blessed Sacrament in Natrona Heights (1975-1979, 1986-1991). She ministered the next eight years at St. Mary in Kittanning, first as a teacher (1991-1994) and then as pastoral associate (1995-1999). In a farewell tribute to Sister Mary Dominic, the pastor at St. Mary wrote: “If any help was needed, Sister Mary (Dominic) was on the spot, working quietly and not wanting to be recognized. Her warm smile, gentleness and kindness were always with her.”
Sister Mary Dominic’s gracious and unassuming demeanor belied her sense of adventure. At the urging of her brother, a Navy pilot, Sister Mary Dominic earned a pilot’s license in hopes of facilitating her travel through the remote, dense jungles of Borba, Brazil, where she served as a missionary from 1967 to 1975. While training on a Piper Cub at Leechburg Airport, she lightheartedly told a reporter, “I’m having a terrific time. It’s all going very well except for the landing.” While she lobbied intensely for the Brazilian government to build a landing strip near the mission site, it never came to be during her stay.
In 1979, Sister Mary Dominic expressed a deep desire to return to missionary work as a teacher, and, subsequently, served in Liberia, Africa, from 1979-1982. Prior to leaving, she mused, “Children are the same all over the world. Working with them doesn’t really take much of an adjustment.” When Sister Mary Dominic moved to the Motherhouse in 1999, she joined the outdoor maintenance and transportation staff.
One of 13 siblings, Sister Mary Dominic is survived by one sister, Sadie (Nino) Trunzo of Leechburg, PA, nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews, the Associates and the Sisters of St. Joseph. Friends will be received Sunday, September 22, from 1 p.m. to the close of the Prayer Vigil and Monday, September 23, from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Joseph. Prayer Vigil will be Sunday, September 22, at 6 p.m. at the Motherhouse. Mass of Christian Burial will be offered Monday, September 23, at 4 p.m. in the Chapel. Burial will follow in the Sisters’ Cemetery on the Motherhouse grounds. Donations in the name of Sister Mary Dominic may be sent to the Sisters of St. Joseph Memorial Fund, Development Office, 1020 State St., Baden, PA, 15005.