Remembered for her unwavering dedication to her students, Sister Placid Zinicola, a native Staten Islander and a member of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist for 75 years, died Thursday in Mount St. John Convent, Purchase, N.Y.
Born one of 14 siblings in Port Richmond, from an early age she was taught by the Sisters of St. John the Baptist.
In 1936, Sister Placid was a member of the first graduating class of St. John Villa Academy High School. She earned a bachelor of science degree in education and a master's degree in administration and supervision from Seton Hall University. She was given her religious habit in 1937 and made her First Profession of Vows the following year.
Sister Placid's ministry in education began in 1938 at St. John Villa Academy High School, where she taught for 24 years. In 1962 she was transferred to Mount St. John Academy in Gladstone, N.J., where she taught and assisted in the school office. In 1966, she was assigned to Alphonsus College, Woodcliff Lake, N.J., as college registrar. During her tenure there she also held positions of leadership in the American Province.
She returned to St. John Villa Academy in 1974, serving as vice principal until 2011.
"Like her name, Sister's demeanor was placid and brought calmness to the frenetic activities of a school office," said Sister Lois Darold, CSJB, who was St. John Villa's principal at that time. "The source of her peacefulness was the Chapel, where, after school, she spent hours in prayer, remembering the needs of the families and students who had crossed her path that day."
"What a beautiful person Sister Placid was," said Villa alumna Cathy Liotta Coghlan. "She cared so lovingly for all of us who walked the halls of Villa, and now we all have a special angel watching us from above."
Sister Placid moved to the Community's Retirement Convent in Purchase in 2012.
She is survived by her sisters, Rita Zinicola and Louise Oates.
A memorial mass for Sister Placid, time pending, will be celebrated Oct. 27 as part of St. John Villa's Alumnae Reunion. The funeral was Friday, with a mass in Mount St. John Convent Chapel, followed by burial in Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Hawthorne, N.Y.
