Mother Lucille Cutrone, founding member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal, peacefully passed on October 27 at age 77. She was surrounded by the love and prayers of her sisters at the Convent of San Damiano in the Bronx, New York, where she resided. She had been recently diagnosed with AML Leukemia.
The wake for Mother Lucille will be held at St. Adalbert Church (420 East 156th St., Bronx, NY 10455) on Sunday, Nov. 3 from 2-9 p.m. with a prayer vigil beginning at 6:30 p.m. which will include Solemn Vespers, eulogies, and the Holy Rosary. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated by Cardinal Timothy Dolan at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral on Monday, Nov. 4 at 10 a.m. Go to www.franciscansisterscfr.com for more information about possible livestreaming. She will be laid to rest at Saint Raymond’s Cemetery in the Bronx, New York.
Born Lucille Angela Cutrone on August 7, 1947, to Frank and Filomena Cutrone, she grew up in Brooklyn where the religious sisters who taught her first inspired her religious vocation. It wasn’t until much later, though, that Divine Providence would lead her to be a part of the beginning of a new religious community in 1988.
She was invested Sister Lucille of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on August 2, 1989 and professed temporary vows two years later. Though the fledgling Community was enduring a period of great instability even at the time of her perpetual vows, Sister Lucille remained clear and undaunted. On August 22, 1995, with the support of only one other temporary professed sister and a postulant, Sister Lucille professed final vows with great certainty at St. Adalbert Church, Bronx, NY. “I never questioned it. I knew it was the will of God.”
Never could she have imagined what would become of her faithfulness. Today the CFR Sisters have five convents in three countries, serving the poor through outreaches such as a soup kitchen, an overnight shelter, food and clothing pantries, and a drop-in center. Some of their works of evangelization include parish missions, retreats, youth and young adult ministry, school visits, peaceful pro-life witness, and leading people of all ages in Eucharistic Adoration. Mother Lucille imparted to her sisters her own deep compassion for the poor and suffering. She was greatly loved by many who would otherwise have considered themselves alone in the world – these were the people toward whom Mother Lucille gravitated. She encouraged all to entrust themselves to the Blessed Virgin Mary and was never without a Miraculous Medal for those to whom she ministered. “Stay close to the Blessed Mother,” she would say. Her desire for all to come to know the love and mercy of Jesus, especially through the Sacraments of the Church, was a driving force in her life.
Mother Lucille served as the first General Servant of the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal from 1995-2018. Simultaneously she served in every level of formation, most notably as Novice Directress until 2008 and Temporary Professed Directress until 2014. After beginning in the South Bronx, she opened five convents: Bronx, New York; East Harlem, New York; Leeds, England; Drogheda, Ireland; and Atlantic City, New Jersey. Mother Lucille was also a member of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR), served as an Advisor to their Board, and participated faithfully in their annual National Assembly and other programs in support of religious life in the United States.
Mother Lucille is survived by her religious community of 33 sisters; her brother Jack Cutrone; her sister Marie (Frank) Braccia; her brother Vito Cutrone; her sister-in-law Michele Cutrone; five nieces and three nephews, and seven grand-nieces and nephews, all who were very beloved by her. She was pre-deceased by Fr. Andrew Apostoli, CFR, the founder of the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal; her parents, Frank and Filomena Cutrone; and her brother, Angelo “Lee” Cutrone.
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