Dear ICMICA friends and leaders,

I have received a communication from Kevin Ahern and Fr Antoine Sondag, the former International Chaplain of the ICMICA Pax Romana about the sad news that Rosemary GOLDIE, a member of the Pax Romana since 1939 whoparticipated in the historical “founding meetings” 1946-1947 which saw, under the umbrella title Pax Romana, the creation of the student movement (IMCS) and the professional-intellectual movement (ICMICA), has passed away at her age 94 at the Little Sisters of the Poor, Randwick on Sunday evening 27 February 2010.

As many of you know her very well, she had her first encounters with Pax Romana in 1939, at the same time as Louisa and her husband Ed Kirchner (IMCS President, 1939), have given her time at the new ICMICA secretariat located in Fribourg (Switzerland), where an English-speaking staff member was badly needed under the guidance of the newly elected General Secretary, Ramon Sugranyes de Franch.

She has played a key role in supporting the movements globally, very actively participated in the “historical” Pax Romana meetings and greatly contributed as a delegate of Pax Romana to cooperate fully with the Holy See to prepare the first Congress of the Lay Apostolate, organized on the initiative of Vittorino Veronese, president of Italian Catholic Action Movement and Vice-president of ICMICA, Rosemary Goldie got involved in the COPECIAL: the secretariat, in Rome, which had the duty to prepare the three Congresses for the Lay Apostolate in 1951, 57 and 67, and which will give birth to the Pontifical Council for Laity.

Some of us have had the privilege and the great pleasure of meeting her at the Pontifical Council for Laity during her dedicated service to the Laity and to the Church, listening her passionate story telling about interesting histories of the movement and the formation of the Pontifical Council for Laity, for which our movement of Pax Romana greatly contributed in person of her self, and learning about the mission of our movements to the promotion of Laity into the Church through her rich experiences.

I personally experienced and benefited her found memory of movement’s early life from the International meetings of both movements to which she had been a principal artisan and a very faithful participant. I first met Rosemary Goldie in 1988 at the office of the Pontifical Council for Laity ICMICA, with other International Team members of the IMCS at that time and Fr Francois Lapierre, who became later the bishop of the Saint-Hyacinthe Diocese in Quebec , Canada .

She will be surely missed by both movements of Pax Romana and her family. I am also confident that she will continue to guide and support our movement from heaven.

So Friends, please keep her in your thoughts, prayers and heart. May Rosemary GOLDIE rest in eternal Peace of our Lord!

In solidarity with Rosemary GOLDIE's family 

Peace of Christ,

Laurence KWARK
Secretary General
Pax Romana ICMICA/MIIC
3 rue de Varembé,  4 étage/4th floor
CP 161, 1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland
Tel/Fax: +41 22 823 0707 / +41 22 823 0708




Email: lkwark@paxromana.int.ch & lkwark@yahoo.com

The tribute to Rosemary GOLDIE written by Fr Antoine SONDAG and the Press release of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference are attached.

Here are some links for the Tribute to her published by Michael Costigan with a lovely photo:
http://www.sydney.catholic.org.au/news/features/2010/201031_1891.shtml

Tribute from Joseph Komonchak:
http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/blog/?p=7047

Here are also three editions of CathNews: other tribute to Rosemary Goldie published by CathNews Australia :
http://www.cathnewsasia.com/2010/03/02/first-vatican-woman-official-dead-at-94/
http://cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=19684
http://cathnewsusa.com/article.aspx?aeid=19701