Sr. Rosemarie Greco, DW Featured in Litchfield.bz
Sr. Rosemarie Greco, DW has been featured in Litchfield.bz for her ministry in Litchfield, CT. We are delighted to share the article with you below:
(from Litchfield.bz)
COMMUNITY IN FOCUS: ROSEMARIE GRECO
By Joseph Montebello
She knew from the time she was in sixth grade that she wanted to be a nun. And Sister Rosemarie Greco followed that dream and made it come true.
“It came from having nuns as teachers,” Sister Rosemarie said. “The vision of them always stayed with me. I dated, went to college, but I knew that ultimately I wanted to do this.”
And so she did.
“My mother was opposed to my becoming a nun because she felt that they were under the thumb of the priest. But she began to see that the community was educating nuns and she began to have a change of heart. My parents sent me to Loyola University to study music but I still felt strongly about what I wanted to do with my life and my mother began to understand what I was so passionate about.”
Sister Rosemarie came to Litchfield in 1963 to be a part of Wisdom House, which was founded in 1949 by the Daughters of Wisdom as a training center for women embarking on religious life of prayer and service.
“I was doing doctoral studies at the University of Dayton at the time,” she said. “There was a position open at Wisdom House for a director. I was also applying for another job with the Bishop of Cincinnati. But I soon realized that if I took the latter I would be under the bishop’s thumb. I knew it would bring headaches that I couldn’t navigate. At Wisdom House there was more freedom and the Daughters of Wisdom understood what I wanted to do.”
With the advent of Vatican Two, changes were instituted and in 1967 Wisdom House transitioned from a Catholic novitiate for the Daughters of Wisdom to an interfaith retreat and conference center.
“Since it is still under the auspices of the archdiocese, I was careful of what programs I proposed,” Sister Rosemarie said. “Since I had a theology background, I knew what would work and what wouldn’t.”
When Sister Rosemarie arrived at Wisdom House, there was only one other sister from the Daughters of Wisdom community there. She saw the potential and knew what had to be done to make it a viable center.
“When Sister Jo-Ann Iannotti arrived we began changing the programming and developing an art gallery,” she said. “We brought well-known speakers like Julia Cameron, bestselling author of The Artist’s Way, and found a whole new audience. The book’s publisher was amazed at how many books we sold!”
In 1990, Sister Rosemarie became the executive director of Wisdom House and turned it into a center that has become an integral part of the Litchfield community with an extraordinary roster of events and programs. She retired as executive director in 2017, but has not slowed down or taken the opportunity to rest and relax. She is now even more active within the community through her involvement with numerous organizations. She is a board member of the Litchfield Housing Trust, League of Women Voters of Litchfield County, Friends of Topsmead State Forest and the Litchfield Land Trust. Additionally, she is a member of Litchfield Area Business Association; Catholic Social Justice Trafficking Task Force, Archdiocese of Hartford; and is a supply preacher at several Christian churches. She has written three spiritual books as Wisdom House publications. Sister Rosemarie still plays the piano (as she has since childhood) and has composed Liturgical music for the Daughters of Wisdom.
And as an aid to spreading information and offering spiritual news and outlets, she is an ardent Facebook fan.
“I find it’s an outlet for me to post things about social justice, what is going on spiritually and a way for me to share information.”
She is an optimist who believes that Litchfield is a very special place and does her utmost to contribute to that reputation.
“Having lived here for so long, I have seen the town’s struggles to maintain its rural character and still move forward,” she said. “There are so many wonderful people to talk to and connect with. Even if you don’t always agree, you can discuss things rationally and still respect each other’s beliefs.”