Mercyhurst recognizes Sister Natalie’s legacy

Mercyhurst recognizes Sister Natalie’s legacy

Ashley Carr, Staff writer

Sr. Natalie Rossi is the resident Sr. of Mercyhurst’s Campus Ministry.

Born and raised in a family of four boys and four girls, Sr. Natalie grew up in Grove City, Pennsylvania.

She was a teacher of second grade in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania before taking her vows as a Sr. of Mercy.
Sr. Natalie had not always planned to enter into the religious life, but after an encounter with her vivacious teaching supervisor, Sr. Judith, she started thinking about life as a sister for herself.

She had been considering an Order that focused on mission, but at the time the Erie Sr.s of Mercy were not considered a Mission order.
But she joined anyway.

Sr. Natalie says of the experience, “God works in strange ways for eventually I ended up on the Navajo Reservation.”
For seven years on the Navajo Reservation, she worked in Team Ministry.

In addition to her work on the reservation, she taught grades one through eight.

She also was instrumental in developing two Life Skills Programs in two prisons: The mens’ Albuquerque Jail, and the Erie County jail.
As a chaplain, she worked as the program director at the Women’s State Prison in Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania for 15 years.
At Mercyhurst, she loves spending time with the students who frequent the Campus Ministry Lounge.

Sr. Natalie works with the Campus Ministry student groups and other groups of sisters in the Erie area.
She loves talking to students.

“They are filled with the gift of God’s love if they would only believe it. They struggle so much for loving who God created them to be. I see the goodness even if they don’t,” Sr. Natalie said.

Sr. Natalie wishes for Mercyhurst students to become comfortable being themselves and accept others.

“Love yourself because that love will radiate to others. As humans we are not perfect, so know that God loves us with our imperfections. Take that love and love others. That is how the world changes.” Sr. Natalie said.