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Photo by
Sr. Jean Raspolich, mpf
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Archbishop Walsh
 ister Ninetta's dream of a successful mission came true when she met Bishop Thomas Joseph Walsh. Born is Parker's Landing, Pennsylvania, he was ordained a priest in 1900, and soon became Chancellor of the Diocese of Buffalo. On May 10, 1918, Pope Benedict XV appointed him Bishop of Trenton. Aware of his interest in the Italian immigrants in Buffalo, Sister Ninetta sought his help for the struggling Religious Community in Trenton. Within three days of his installation, Sister Ninetta and her companions arrived at the residence of the Bishop to request an appointment.
While waiting for the secretary, they saw the young Bishop in ecclesiastical robes descending the staircase. He noticed the two Sisters and went directly toward them, speaking in Italian: "Siete voi le Maestre Pie Filippini, le Suore Italiane?" (Are you the Religious Teachers Filippini, the Italian Sisters?) Bishop Walsh took pride in recalling that the first congratulatory telegram he received was from them, and graciously led them to the reception room where they conversed for several hours. Sister Ninetta had prepared a memorandum on their rules, their foundress, and the history of the Institute.
Toward the end of the discussion, Bishop Walsh asked them about their living conditions. When he heard that they had to carry their chairs from one room to another, he immediately handed Sister Ninetta a bill and said: 'Buy a few chairs as soon as possible.' The bill was folded in such a way that she could see only a zero. She recalled having seen a zero on a ten-dollar bill, but this one was different. As the Bishop continued speaking, she fumbled with the bill, curious to know the meaning of that zero.
The suspense was unbearable! After receiving the Bishop's blessing, and bidding him good- bye, she unfolded the bill. When they left the residence, she looked. Yes, she had guessed, It was not a ten-dollar bill -it was a one-hundred dollar bill which she had never before seen! Instead of walking that day, the Sisters celebrated by taking the trolley car home! Deeply impressed by her enthusiasm, Bishop Walsh found in Ninetta the providential solution to his own dream of spiritual and educational assistance for the Italian immigrants of his diocese. Just as Saint Lucy collaborated with Cardinal Barbarigo in the inception of a new work in the Church of Montefiascone, Mother Ninetta, together with Bishop Walsh, labored to build the City of God in the New World.
  ishop Walsh pledged himself to found a Motherhouse for the Sisters. On September 15, 1920, feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, he set out for an appointment with James Cox Brady, a prominent New York financier who, at that time, was not a Roman Catholic. The Bishop explained his earls and hopes for the advancement of the Religious Teachers Filippini. Mr. Brady responded with unequaled generosity - the sum of $50,000 for The immediate purchase of the beautiful Fiske estate, which was named Villa Victoria in memory of his wife, Victoria Mary Perry Brady. Located seven miles northwest of Trenton on the banks of the Delaware, the property is considered an historic landmark because it includes the original home of John Scudder, in whose honor Scudder's Falls was named. The house was built before 1770, and has been occupied since pre-Revolutionary days. Today it is a Spiritual Center surrounded by beautiful shrubbery and inspirational shrines where the Religious Teachers Filippini conduct retreats and seminars for the general public.
Bishop Walsh's transfer in 1928 from Trenton to Newark brought both joy and sorrow to the Religious Teachers. However, he soon undertook to transfer the Motherhouse to his diocese. He acquired Tower Hill, the picturesque Gillespie estate on the outskirts of Morristown for $125,000 and named it 'Villa Lucia.' On February 16, 1930, Villa Lucia became the center for all activities, while Villa Victoria continued to serve for the training of young ladies aspiring to the sisterhood. Spiritual development and scholastic achievement joined forces in the gradual growth of the Religious Community.
On January 27, 1940, at the end of a concert in honor of Archbishop Walsh's 40th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood, Sister Ninetta announced that 'Villa Lucia' would henceforth be called 'ViIla Walsh.' When Archbishop Walsh died on June 6, 1952, the diocesan newspaper of the Newark Archdiocese, the Advocate, called him 'an apostle of Catholic education and of charity, who saw the need for Italian Sisters to educate the growing Italian population. He sponsored the Religious Teachers Filippini and has been proudly recognized as their American founder. He was a man of strong faith, broad vision, keen intellect, generous heart, and inflexible will.
Archbishop Thomas Joseph Walsh lived his motto, "Funda Nos in Pace." The story of the collaboration of Archbishop Walsh, first archbishop and metropolitan of the Province of Newark, with Mother Ninetta recalls their tremendous achievement and profound humility. Today their efforts have spread to other missions and other lands.
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