Born June 11, 1938, Sister Dolores died on January 28 at St. Columbkille Convent in Los Angeles, lovingly cared for by family members and her Notre Dame community.
During her last few weeks she received many visitors. Steady streams of young and old came to thank her for "saving their lives." Sister Dolores is the one who had helped them find food, shelter, medical care and assisted them in the arduous citizenship process. Msgr. Timothy Dyer says of Sister, "She brought Christ to the neighborhood."
As a teenager, Dolores attended Notre Dame High School, San Jose, before entering the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1960. She studied history and Spanish, receiving her BA from College of Notre Dame in Belmont and her MAT from Stanford. She taught at Notre Dame High School in Belmont, Mora High School in Watsonville, Conaty High School in Los Angeles, and Holy Family School in Pearl Harbor, and served as a pastoral assistant for five years in Kaltag, Alaska. In 2010, she celebrated 50 years as a Sister of Notre Dame. That same year she was honored by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for her significant contributions "to the spiritual enrichment of the lives of African-American Catholics."
Sister Dolores will be remembered for her compassion, warmth, patience and humor.
Sister Dolores was preceded in death by her parents, Elmo and Ernesta Pardini. She is survived by her sisters Loreene Giansiracusa of Los Gatos, Loretta (Sr. Daniel Joseph, MM), her brothers Daniel Pardini, of Chico, and Richard (Sharon) Pardini, of San Jose.
