What's Happening

December 5, 2017, St. Joseph, Michigan – After a 73-year wait, Sister Mary Ann Rybarczyk, OP, and her family will lay her brother to rest on Monday, December 11, 2017, with full military honors. 

Naval Reserve Aviation Radioman 2nd Class Albert Peter “Bud” Rybarczyk had been missing in action since September 8, 1944, when the naval plane in which he was flying was shot and went down into the sea. A member of the Navy Torpedo Squadron Eighteen (VT-18), on the U.S.S. Intrepid, he was on a bombing mission against the Japanese positions on Babelthuap Island, Palau. His remains were discovered on August 16, 2017.

The remains will be flown to Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Thursday, December 7. The wake for Petty Officer Rybarczyk will be from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Sunday, December 10, 2017 and the funeral Mass at 1:00 p.m. Monday, December 11, 2017, at St. Joseph Church, 220 Church Street, St. Joseph, Michigan. He will be buried with his family at Resurrection Cemetery in St. Joseph, the family’s hometown. 

The services will be special, Sister Mary Ann said, with 11 Navy men from throughout the United States in attendance. 

The funeral rituals will bring closure to a 73-year journey for the Rybarczyk family. Sister Mary Ann said her brother joined the Navy shortly after graduating from high school and served as a radio man. She was about 12 years old at the time. When her brother died, he left behind his mother, two sisters, and a brother. His father had died when Sister Mary Ann was about 4 years old.

“The military came and delivered the letter, saying they’re sorry, but your son is missing in action,” Sister Mary Ann recalled. His brother was part of a three-man crew bombing an ammunition dump when their plane was struck. “They knew where the plane went down but they couldn’t immediately find any bodies,” she explained. After a year, her brother was declared deceased.

Sister Mary Ann recalled her brother’s deep concern for his family. He had told his mother that he’d taken out the biggest life insurance possible to take care of her for the rest of her life. The insurance money allowed the family to buy a small house and enabled her mother to quit her job to take care of her children full-time. “I remember coming home from school,” she said. “It was so nice to have my mother there. Bud took good care of her.” 

Sister Mary Ann credited members of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency for their efforts in finding her brother. “They never give up on looking for the MIAs and POWs,” she said. “They just keep looking and looking.” In the meantime, she said, the Navy kept a file on her with her DNA to help in identifying the remains of her brother.

Sister Mary Ann said the years since her brother’s death have been a period of waiting. “You just keep waiting and waiting for somebody to be knocking at the door with answers,” she said. “It’s been so long ago. You’re talking 70-some years ago when this happened.” 

While receiving the body will be hard, Sister Mary Ann said, her family is grateful that he was finally recovered after so many years. “Everyone in the family is so happy that they’ve found him so we’ll be able to have him here at home.”

November 30, 2017, San Turce, Puerto Rico – Sister Donna Markham, OP, President and CEO of Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), presented $3 million to help the local relief agency, Caritas, in its efforts to aid people affected by Hurricane Maria. During her visit, she took the opportunity to tour the devastation left by the hurricane.

“The situation is extremely dire,” especially for people who lived in wooden houses, which were destroyed, Sister Donna said. Along with the massive devastation, the ongoing power outage makes it impossible for people to cook. 

“We’re trying to provide people with camping stoves, generators, water, and food – anything that will help them to survive.” She also believes that much of CCUSA’s funds will be spent to help find safe housing for the elderly and others who are vulnerable.

Sister Donna explained that, while she had traveled to Puerto Rico alone, case managers, disaster coordinators, and other CCUSA staff were already on the ground. CCUSA is the official disaster relief agency of the U.S. Catholic Church. 

CCUSA also worked with other organizations to offer support to the people of Puerto Rico. Home Depot helped with a grant to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to assist with rebuilding. The Houston Astros loaned CCUSA an airplane to fly supplies to Puerto Rico. “People have been very generous,” Sister Donna noted.

Sister Donna also hoped to visit the Virgin Islands, which was even harder hit than Puerto Rico. CCUSA has given the relief effort of the Virgin Islands $2 million in donations. In addition, $7 million in donations was given to the relief efforts in Houston and Corpus Christi, Texas, and $6 million for efforts in Florida.

CCUSA has received much public support for its relief efforts, as well as its ongoing efforts to fight poverty and to “serve people in need, with special concern for those who are the poorest and most vulnerable in society,” according to its website. The organization recently received a donation of $1,500 from students at Blessed Sacrament School in Alexandria, Virginia, for relief efforts in Puerto Rico.

CCUSA has also received national recognition from NASDAQ. Charles C. Cornelio, Chair of the CCUSA Board of Trustees, was invited to ring the opening bell on Giving Tuesday, November 28.