Sister Grace touched and changed the lives of thousands by her presence, support and work.
Sister Grace Anne was born July 2, 1926, in Mount Vernon, New York, one of five children —three daughters and two sons— of James and Alfonsina Farinari Troisi. Grace attended elementary and junior high school in Mount Vernon and Saint Gabriel High School in New Rochelle before entering the Sisters of Charity of New York on September 8, 1944.
Sister Grace earned a BA in English from the College of Mount Saint Vincent and an MA in English from Fordham University, both in the Bronx. She later received an Ed. D from Teachers College Columbia University in Community and School Relations. She received New York State certification in Administration and Supervision.
Sister Grace’s ministry spanned sixty-two years, the first nineteen in elementary and high school classrooms. On the elementary level she taught at Our Lady of Angels, Bronx, Saint Vincent, Harbour Island, Bahamas, and Saint Gabriel, Queens. She taught Religion, English, Reading Skills, Chemistry and Latin on the high school level at Saint Peter, Staten Island, and Saint Barnabas, the Bronx.
Sister Grace’s love of the poor focused her education choices and ministry direction of the next forty-three years toward the promotion of community relations, staff development and strategic planning in the not-for-profit and for-profit sectors, implementing Management by Objectives in schools, hospitals, community centers, and religious congregations, and the development of leadership skills for living in a multi-cultural world with youth and young adults. In 1981, she founded New Dimensions in Leadership, Inc., an organization she directed for over twenty-five years, providing training in racial and ethnic understanding and conflict resolution.
Sister Grace continued her love of teaching on the college level, conducting courses at the College of Mount Saint Vincent, Fordham University School of Social Work and City College Graduate Education Department and in-service courses for the United Federation of Teachers. She published a training manual, I’m a Leader, You’re a Leader, which she used in the workshops she conducted. In 1991, she was recognized for thirty years of fostering racial understanding and interaction among inner-city youth with the first John V. Lindsay Prize for Race and Ethnic Relations. On that occasion she noted, “The problems are absolutely solvable. If people understood each other’s cultures, they would be able to work through their biases.”
Sister Grace touched and changed the lives of thousands by her presence, support and work. Life Experience and Faith Sharing Associates (LEFSA), a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Charity, for whom she offered teambuilding and life skills workshops, was particularly close to her heart. In 2013, she retired from active ministry and in 2018 moved to Saint Patrick’s Home, the Bronx, where she remained until her death on June 17, 2020.
Sister Grace, we rejoice with you now as you are welcomed into the love and kindness of God by your family, friends, those whom you served and Sisters of Charity who have gone before you. Rest in peace.
Date of Death
June 17, 2020
Age
93
Prayer Service, Memorial Mass, and burial of cremains at Mount Saint Vincent at a later date.
Missions
Archdiocese of New York
- Our Lady of Angels, Bronx, 1946–51, Teacher, Grades 1,5
- St. Peter HS, Staten Island, 1956–60, Teacher, 9,10, Rel., Latin, Eng. Chem.
- St. Barnabas HS, Bronx, 1960–65, Teacher, Eng., Math, Reading Skills
- NY Foundling, Manhattan, 1965–66, Investigator, Poverty Programs, 1973–80, Project Basement, Team Building
- Storefront Community Services, Manhattan, 1966–70, Director
- Teachers College, 1967–73, Project Asst. Teacher
- East Harlem Public Schools, Manhattan, 1973–75, Director of Organization Development
- Economic Development Council of NY Public Sch, 1977–80, Consultant/Trainer: High School Renewal
- Misericordia Hospital, Bronx, 1980–82, Director of Training
- Franciscan Handmaids of Mary/Francis. Srs.of Peace, 1981–85, Organizational Planning, Life Planning
- New Dimensions in Leadership, Bronx, 1981–2005, Founder & Director
- Church Women United, 1982, Workshop Coordinator
- Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, 1985–87, Training Supervisors, Cross Cultural Relations
- City College Graduate Education Dept., 1985–99, Adjunct Prof., Organization Dev. Spvsr, Admin. Interns
- Northside Center Clinic, 1987–89, Teambuilding Program
- Fordham School of Social Work, Bronx, 1991–99, Adjunct: Oppression of Diverse Populations
- Youth Leadership for a Multicultural World, 1991–2008, Coordinator
- Lavelle School for the Blind, 1993–95, Staff and Board Training
- Life Experience & Faith Sharing Associates, Manhattan, 1995–2013, Teambuilding and Workshops
- NYC Public Schools Districts 10, 6, 1997–2001, Consultant/Trainer for Leadership Teams
- Grace Outreach, Bronx, 199–2004, Workshops in Comm. & Self-Dev.
- Bronx and Yonkers Schools & Agencies, 2004–08, Consultation & Staff Trainer
- College of Mt. St. Vincent, Bronx, 1994–2013, Adjunct Prof., Cross-Cultural Communication
God rest you, Sister Grace. An amazing career; a sterling soul. R.I.P. You touched so many lives.
I remember Sister Grace when I went to SBH and graduated in 1965! A true sister of Charity! Rest with the Angels Sister! A true servant of God
Happy Birthday, Grace. You were aptly named, a towering figure of grace, kindness and love. What you taught me has resonated in the things I do and in the way I interact with the world. You were my idol and I didn’t tell you enough. I hope you knew, I think you did. The world is indelibly marked with your goodness, and I am humbled by having known you. I love you and will see you in heaven.
I graduated from SG’s in NR, as well………..cannot believe I never knew or met her RIP
She was a light in my life.
I named my daughter Grace, after her.
Thank you for sharing such a beautiful sentiment. God bless.
I met Sister Grace at a gathering at the Dunwoodie Seminary back in the early 70s She,Connie Anestis Bruce Ritter and I sat together ready to step out into an active world and do the work of bringing change into peoples hearts by our loving presence in their midst. We had a long and energizing relationship with each other and became one of my most loving friends. She joined me in my work and I in hers, walking among the people wherever we were and trying to bring hope and caring to an indifferent and even hostile wold. We loved our work and she was tireless. Her passing at this time reminds me of the journey all of us take and then go on to the next part. I sit in sadness but know that that day will come when we will just pick up where we left off. Until we meet again, Grace, remember me as I do you. Edward
I shall miss you! You were so instrumental in my life and without you my life would not be as successful Thank you for being there for me and you have inspired me to be there for someone else!!
Your influence, teachings ,and inspiration changed my life forever.
I cannot ever thank you enough, and I consider you one of the
greatest blessings God has given me in this life !! Prayers for your
Heavenly reunion with the hundreds of souls you loved and touched.
The backstory of New York Foundling’s Community Services in West Harlem includes Grace as a brilliant networker who in 1972, encouraged young, community leaders to trust that Foundling’s Sister Cecilia Schneider would support innovative, neighborhood-based family services. That partnership was solidified and supported by Grace’s training and insight and was but one of her many successful community building endeavors that made a significant difference in the lives of hundreds of New Yorkers struggling out of poverty. Grace was a grassroots whisperer and the gospel in motion. She was Charity strong and wise. I am forever grateful to her.