Special to the Herald
Sister Marie Rosso / 1930-2026
Maryknoll Sister Marie Rosso, who spent decades in Hawaii as an educator and social advocate, died Feb. 8 at age 95. She was a Maryknoll sister for 75 years.
Sister Rosso was born Nov. 16, 1930, to Daniel and Anna Brennan Rosso in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; she was one of six children. One of her sisters joined the Maryknoll order as well — Sister Dolores Rosso was also an educator in Hawaii for many years.
After graduating from high school in Philadelphia, she entered the Maryknoll Sisters on Sept. 4, 1948, at the Venard in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. Sister Rosso pronounced her first vows on March 7, 1951, and her final vows on the same date in 1954. She received her bachelor of education degree from Maryknoll Teachers College in 1954.
Sister Rosso set out on her first mission the same year. She taught at schools in New York’s Chinatown and the Bronx for six years before being called to teach in Hawaii.
She arrived in 1960 and taught at St. Anthony School and St. John the Baptist School, both in Kalihi. She also spent several years serving as a teacher, principal and house superior in Likiep, an atoll in the Marshall Islands. In 1976 she became the regional superior.
In 1979, Sister Rosso joined the Hale Kane integrated prayer community of Kihei, Maui, to share ministry and prayer, detaching from material things and deepening her trust in God. She held administrative roles in Honolulu before her ministry allowed her to follow her passion for social work, supporting women in many ways.
Sister Rosso joined Walking with Women to assist women fleeing violence, as well as the Home for the Rebirth of Women and Sisters Offering Support, offering help to women leaving prostitution.
In 2000, she worked as the house manager at a transition house for abused women, operated by the United Church of Christ.
She also often gave homilies for the Dignity Honolulu faith community, in support of the gay and lesbian struggle for recognition. Sister Rosso received the St. John Award for this work in 2000.
By 2006, Sister Rosso was assigned to Monrovia, California, where she managed human resources for lay employees, while serving with the Interfaith Council of Monrovia, acting as secretary for the California Corporation and working with the finance committee. She returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center in Ossining, New York, in 2018, where she remained until her passing.
A wake for Sister Rosso was held Feb. 11 at the center’s Annunciation Chapel in Ossining, New York. A Mass of resurrection was said the following day in the chapel.
Sister Rose Lauren Earl / 1928-2025
Maryknoll Sister Rose Lauren Earl, known for her lovely, gentle personality, died Sept. 16, 2025, surrounded by Maryknoll sisters and aides. She was 96.
Sister Earl was born Wilma Joan Earl on Nov. 8, 1928. She studied accounting after graduating from high school in 1947 and entered the Maryknoll Sisters on Sept. 6, 1950, in Maryknoll, New York. She made her final vows on March 7, 1959, and earned a bachelor’s degree in education in 1960.
It was at this time when Sister Earl began her lifelong engagement in the Pacific islands, from Hawaii to Majuro in the Marshall Islands. She taught, served as a principal and set up a teacher-training program with lecturers from the University of Hawaii.
In 1978, she became involved with Natural Family Planning efforts, a ministry that would remain central to the rest of her life and work in Hawaii, as well as serving in various capacities in her original study area of accounting for the next 30 years.
In 2008, Sister Earl returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center to work in the Treasury Department until her retirement.
A wake for Sister Earl was held Sept. 22 in the Annunciation Chapel at the Maryknoll Sisters Center in Ossining, New York. A Mass of resurrection was held Sept. 23 in the Annunciation Chapel.
Sister Rose Patrick St. Aubin / 1928-2026
Maryknoll Sister Rose Patrick St. Aubin, who was known for her strength and immense love for people, died on Jan. 3 at age 97. She was a Maryknoll Sister for 80 years.
Dolores May St. Aubin was born on May 19, 1928. On Oct. 4, 1946, she entered the congregation at the Maryknoll Sisters Center in Ossining, New York, making her final vows on April 6, 1952, in Likiep, Marshall Islands. Sister St. Aubin studied at the Maryknoll Teachers College, later completing her bachelor’s degree at Chaminade University of Honolulu in 1978.
In 1950, Sister St. Aubin was called to the Marshall Islands of Micronesia for a brand-new Maryknoll mission. She started teaching first grade and began what would become her six-decade-long commitment to the people, church and education of the Marshall Islands.
Sister St. Aubin dedicated herself to education development, fulfilling an immense need for teacher training. She also took part in initiating the Outer Island Ministries in the remote atolls of Likiep, Jaluit, Arno and others.
In 2010, Sister St. Aubin returned to the Maryknoll Sisters Center, where she lived until her passing.
Sister St. Aubin’s wake was held Jan. 12 in the Annunciation Chapel of the Maryknoll Sisters Center. A Mass of Christian burial was said Jan. 13 in the Annunciation Chapel.