By Christina Galeone
CFP Correspondent
When Marilyn Vallejo and her husband moved to Massachusetts from Delaware around seven years ago, they quickly found a church that they loved. But when they joined in the festivities at that church’s annual Family Festival a few years later, Mrs. Vallejo was surprised to find another community that she would also grow to love. And she found it because of an intriguing apron.
Evelyn Baroni was wearing an apron imprinted with the words “Daughters of Isabella” at the St. Mary Parish event in Shrewsbury. Since Mrs. Vallejo’s mother was born in the Province of Isabella in the Philippines, she recalled being immediately struck with curiosity about the group she had never heard of. After learning about the Daughters of Isabella Adelphae Circle 1089 from Ms. Baroni, she joined the group.
Now that she and her husband are moving back to Delaware, Mrs. Vallejo has stepped down from being the chapter’s regent (leader). But her deep appreciation and love for the chapter and organization remains.
Founded in 1897 in New Haven, Connecticut, the first chapter of the Daughters of Isabella was established as an auxiliary to the Rev. John Russell Council of the Knights of Columbus. According to the organization’s website, www.daughtersofisabella.org, it began “for the purpose of uniting all Catholic women in a sisterhood to achieve the following aims: to know one another better; to extend our circle of friends; to centralize all our resources to better help one another; and to be a greater force to contend with in the pursuit of good in our society.” The website also states that the organization that’s open to all Catholic women 16 and older has over 30,000 members from the United States and Canada. Its motto is “Unity, Friendship and Charity.”
The Adelphae Circle 1089 meets at 6 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month from September through May at St. Mary Parish. Most of the hour-long meetings include prayer (sometimes the rosary), a recitation of the “Pledge of Allegiance,” a somewhat formal discussion of group business, and socializing over baked goods. The women participate in a Yankee Swap nearly every Christmas. And the May meeting includes a dinner and is preceded by a Mass for the deceased members of the group. There have also been multiple-chapter spiritual retreats.
Charity and compassion are important values to the 25-member group, which includes members from St. Mary Parish, St. Mary of the Hills Parish in Boylston and St. Anne Parish in Shrewsbury. And they pray for women, family and the right to life.
“In October, we have a Penny Sale,” Mrs. Vallejo said of a fun raffle event. “It’s huge! We all donate; it’s all coming from the Daughters. We raise money. Then, we use the money for our sharing.”
Mrs. Vallejo said that the group regularly gives money to St. Anne’s food pantry and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. It also donates baby clothes and supplies to single pregnant women, funds to a sponsored child in need and Halloween candy to kids at Friendly House. And it has helped support the recent Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance Walk for the Homeless, a medical mission to Central America and a Project Just Because school supplies drive. In recent years, the group has also given a Catholic Service Award to a St. Mary School 8th grade student who exemplifies Catholic values.
But the group’s kindness isn’t limited to those outside the group. “They’re very generous women – friendly, loving,” Mrs. Vallejo shared. “They just care for one another.”
During the worst months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mrs. Vallejo tried to have a Mass said for the Daughters of Isabella every Tuesday. Although the group had to stop meeting in person, the women did what they could to maintain the sisterhood.
“We had Zoom meetings, and not everyone was able to attend,” Mrs. Vallejo said. “But it was good to see each other. For Christmas, we showed our decorations; that was so neat. I thought that was special.”
As she and her husband prepare to move, Mrs. Vallejo said she will miss the group that she’s grown to love as much as St. Mary Parish. But she hopes that – like she did at the festival – more women will discover the Daughters of Isabella.
“For me, I’ve been so struck by how wonderful these women are,” she beamed. “You do not hide your light under a bushel. They’re wonderful women!”
– For more information about the group, please contact St. Mary Parish Office at 508-845-6341.