Sister Mary Alicia Lanni, O.P., 92, and a Sister of St. Dominic, Amityville, L.I., for 72 years, died Oct. 22.
She was the first religious to come from St. Kilian’s parish, Farmingdale, L.I. She received the habit and her religious name, Sister Mary Alicia, in 1941. She taught at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Lindenhurst, L.I., 1942-52; St. Francis of Assisi, Astoria, 1952-57; Our Lady of Solace, Coney Island, 1957-65; Corpus Christi, Woodside, 1965-69; and Sacred Heart, Cambria Heights, 1969-71.
From 1971 to 1972, she was part of the House of Prayer in Beacon, N.Y., and from 1972 to 1974, she resided in Emmaus House of Prayer in St. Joseph’s, New York.
She acted as a nurse’s aide in the Infirmary of Queen of the Rosary Motherhouse, 1974-75. She then moved to Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish, Lindenhurst, 1975-79, where she organized the widows and widowers of the parish, named the Alician Guild in her honor. She also began a summer Bible school for pre-school children.
Her next prayer experience was at Magnificat House, Manhasset, L.I., 1979-81. She also was a religious education teacher at St. Martin parish, Amityville, 1981-83.
She was a member of the pastoral service team at Consolation Nursing Home, 1985 to 1990.
After several years of ministering to the sick and elderly, she retired due to poor health but continued to be engaged in secretarial duties in the Development Office at the Motherhouse in Amityville.
She is survived by her sister, Mildred Corwin of Farmingdale. Burial was in Amityville.
Sister Apollonia Morelli, O.S.F., 97, died in Assisi House, Aston, Pa., on Oct. 21.
Born as Anna Morelli in Brooklyn, she moved to Jersey City, N.J., where she was a member of St. Aedan parish and a graduate of St. Dominic Academy.
In 1931, she entered the Franciscan Sisters of Ringwood, a congregation that later merged with the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, and professed her first vows in 1933.
Sister Apollonia ministered for 39 years in the Archdiocese of Newark and 20 years in the Diocese of Paterson.
She also ministered for 12 years in the Diocese of Brooklyn, serving in parish ministry at Holy Family parish, Flatlands, 1941-42, 1955-59 and 1971-72. She taught at St. Benedict School, Bedford-Stuyvesant, 1952-55, and was principal there from 1960 to 1963.
A Mass of Christian Burial was held in Our Lady of Angels Convent Chapel, Aston. Burial was in Ringwood, N.J.
She is survived by her sister, Rose Schulz.
Vincentian Father Roman Gorowski, C.M., a member of the Congregation of the Mission for 47 years, died Oct. 25.
Born in Tarnow, Poland, his early ministry was spent in Poland and parishes in Connecticut.
Locally, he served first as a parochial vicar and later as pastor and superior of St. Stanislaus Kostka parish in Greenpoint from 1989 until 2003.
In 2005, he was chosen as the provincial of the New England Province. After finishing his term, he returned to St. Stanislaus as an assistant until 2008.
Due to health problems, he moved to the DePaul Provincial House earlier this year.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Michael Church, Derby, Conn., Oct. 31. Burial was set to follow in his native Tarnow, Poland.
Jesuit Father Terrence Toland, who as president of St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, welcomed the admission of women to the school, died of heart failure Oct. 18. He was 90 years old.
A funeral Mass was planned for Oct. 28 at St. Matthias Church in Bala Cynwyd, Pa.
A priest for 61 years, Father Toland served as an educator and administrator mainly in Philadelphia and Baltimore.
