Sister Celeste Pagliarulo SNDdeN

 Sister Celeste Pagliarulo (formerly Sister Marie Celeste)

We remember with gratitude the life of Sister Celeste Pagliarulo who was a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur for 78 years. She died at the age of 95 at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, CA.

Sister Celeste entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1949 after graduating from Notre Dame High School, Belmont. A talented elementary teacher for 30 years, she served in schools in Marysville, Carmel, Santa Barbara, Alameda, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Salinas, CA, and in Portland, OR, Honolulu, HI, and Federal Way, WA.

For her Masters in History for the University of San Francisco in 1968, she authored "The Restoration of Mission San Carlos Borromeo, Carmel, California, 1931-1967". Later, the Southern California Quarterly published two of her articles on the instrumental role of Harry Downie in the Carmel Mission restoration.

In 1984, Sister Celeste was invited to become the Hospitality Coordinator at the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur’s international headquarters in Rome. She supplemented her knowledge of basic Italian by studying her Italian-English dictionary, and became familiar enough with Rome bus routes that she could direct visitors around the city.

Upon her return to CA in 1987, she served in the Province Development Office and then as librarian at Moreland Notre Dame School in Watsonville. She also became an expert quilter, selling her creations to raise funds for Sisters in Latin America and Africa.

In 2005 Sister Celeste retired from active ministry and became a member of the Hermitage Arms Apartment community in San Jose. There she continued her involvement as a volunteer at O’Connor Hospital in San Jose and offered support in various other ways. Known for being gregarious, attentive to others, joyful, and kind, Sister Celeste enjoyed her life in community and stated that she was most grateful for the goodness and love of her Sisters.

Daughter of John and Elena Pagliarulo, sister of Paul Pagliarulo and Carol Sandell ,she is lovingly remembered by many nieces, nephews, friends, former students, co-workers, and Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated for Sister Celeste at 11:00 am on Tuesday, July 28, 2026 in the Chapel at the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur Province Center, 1520 Ralston Avenue, in Belmont, California. The burial will be held at Santa Clara Mission Cemetery, Tuesday, July 28 2026 at 2:30 pm.

Contributions in Sister Celeste’s memory may be made to Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, 1520 Ralston Ave, Belmont, CA 94002 or online at snddeneastwest.org. Further information about her life may be found at https://snddeneastwest.org/sister/sister-celeste-pagliarulo/