The Words of the Vitale Family
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The Words of the Vitale Family |
Ralph Vitale, 60, passed away at 12:45 pm on March 18th at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, RI after a long struggle with diabetes and complications related to the illness.
Ralph joined Unification Church in the summer of 1974 in Providence. He spent three years on national MFT. In the late 1970's Ralph worked on restoration of the New Yorker Hotel Grand Ballroom and the Manhattan Center. He was also involved in the construction work at East Garden.
Ralph totally loved Home Church. His favorite phrase was "Good Home Church!" and every spare moment he had, he went to do Home Church work in his area of Long Island City, NY.
Ralph was Blessed with Irish sister, Angela Day, in Madison Square Garden in 1982 as part of the 2075 couple Blessing. Shortly after, when the IOWC providence began, he joined a mobile team traveling the Western states including Montana, Idaho, and eastward to Minnesota, finally entering the Dakotas. He became a city leader in Devil's Lake, North Dakota, working with ministers and later a city leader in Rapid City, South Dakota, working with Native Americans and ministers. In 1986, he became a city leader in Council Bluffs, Iowa teaching CAUSA to veterans groups, and later went to Iowa City and for a brief period in 1987, served as interim state leader there.
In 1988, Ralph accompanied his wife to her hometown in Ireland. He loved it there, and tried every chance he got to share about the Principle with his in-laws. His insistence on paying a visit to the local Catholic priest caused quite a stir in the town because people were concerned that this American who couldn't stop talking about the Unification Principle wa s going to try to convert their priest. As it turned out, he thoroughly enjoyed the visit, because, as he later said, nobody had ever come to visit him.
After returning from Ireland, and spending a few more years in Iowa, Ralph and his wife moved to Rhode Island in 1992 to participate in the hometown providence. He began a personal campaign to visit 120 churches, giving out True Father's speeches.
Also, in 1992, he went to Ngosi, Burundi for the 40 day IEP missionary program. He met someone whom he thought was an angel, because this person showed up when he needed some help.
For the past 20 years, Ralph and his wife Angela, have lived and worked in Providence, RI.
Our brother, Ralph was a sincere man of faith who loved God and Country. He was also an air-force veteran and will be getting military honors at the cemetery.
Visitation will be held Thursday, 4-7 p.m. (with a Unification-style memorial service from 6:00 pm on) with a funeral on Friday at 10 am from the Pontarelli-Marino Funeral Home, 971 Branch Avenue, Providence, RI. 02904 A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. in St. Anthony Church, 1413 Mineral Spring Avenue, North Providence, RI, 02904 followed by burial with Military Honors in St. Ann Cemetery, Cranston, RI. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Diabetes Association, P. O. Box 13067, Alexandria, VA 22312-9067