Sister Gertrude Boracca, SNDdeN was raised in Aromas, California, amidst the serenity of an apple orchard, by her parents, Emily and Manuel, and older brother, Bill. Her childhood was marked by poignant memories, such as her father’s act of kindness, handing apples to soldiers aboard trains passing through the orchard during the tumultuous times of World War II.
She attended Watsonville High School, in Watsonville, California, and after graduation, intending to become a P.E. teacher, she enrolled at Hartnell College in Salinas, California.
During her time at Hartnell, Sister Gertrude crossed paths with two remarkable individuals, Sisters Mary Wilfred, SNDdeN and June Canoles, SNDdeN. Their influence was profound, as they introduced her to the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and guided her towards a life of service. It was their encouragement that led her to take up the role of coaching the seventh and eighth grade girls at Palma School in Salinas, a job that would shape her future.
As Sister Gertie worked with the Palma girls, she had no idea that Sister June had commented to another Sister, “that girl has a vocation.” The Sisters began to loan her books and invited her to picnic with the girls at the novitiate in Saratoga, California. Sister Gertie remembers, “I saw the novices outside playing ball. They seemed so happy together, which got me thinking I’d like to be part of a group like that. I made an appointment to visit and talk with their Provincial.”
Sister Gertie entered the novitiate in 1954 and, for 20 years, she enjoyed teaching the children in the Notre Dame elementary schools from Los Angeles to Portland, Oregon. She spent the summer months preparing the children of the migrant workers for the reception of their First Holy Communion.
Sister Gertrude earned a degree in religious education and became the Director of Religious Education at Madonna del Sasso Parish in Salinas. She later coordinated the religious education programs for the Monterey Diocese while serving on the staff at Notre Dame House of Prayer in Carmel, California
Sister Gertrude served for several years as Pastoral Care Director at Notre Dame Villa and at Our Lady of Fatima Villa, in Saratoga and for 20 years as a massage therapist at the Sisters of the Holy Family Care Center in Mission San Jose. There she cared for the Sisters who were seriously ill. They trusted her as she listened to them, usually while massaging their hands or feet or occasionally a full massage. When a good friend and co-worker became ill with cancer, Sister Gertie accompanied her friend through diagnosis and treatment and, finally, into hospice care. Touched by this experience, she became a certified massage therapist, began volunteering in hospice care, and created a business focused on the elderly and women.
Sister Gertrude is extremely devoted to her guardian angel, and all angels, who safely and miraculously protected her during a hit-and-run car accident. The car rolled 3 times down a ravine, and came to a stop upright, her lunch bag on the passenger’s seat where she had placed it. She heard a group of people asking her if she was o.k. She asked them if she was in heaven! The car was totaled, she didn’t even have a scratch! She knows it was her Guardian Angel who saved her.
Sister Gertrude is now retired and receiving care at Palm Villas Memory Care facility. She continues to witness the goodness of our Good God through her kindness and gentle ways, referring to everyone as “honey”.