[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 141 (Monday, September 8, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1714-E1715]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 A TRIBUTE TO MARY ANN ROBBIANO, RECIPIENT OF THE ST. MADELEINE SOPHIE 
                                 AWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 8, 2008

  Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mrs. Mary Ann 
Robbiano, a dear friend and a recipient of the prestigious St. 
Madeleine Sophie Award from Sacred Heart Schools. Established in the 
year 2000, the St. Madeleine Sophie Award honors individuals in the 
Sacred Heart community who have made a sustained and significant 
contribution to the Schools and embody the Goals and Criteria of a 
Sacred Heart education. The individuals honored are selected by a 
committee comprised of the senior administrative team in conjunction 
with the Chair of the Board of Trustees and are honored at a reception 
and at the Mass of the Holy Spirit, the first all-school liturgy of the 
school year. The recipients will be VIP guests at various SHS events 
throughout the year and featured in their alumni magazine, The Heart of 
the Matter, for their commitment to the mission of Sacred Heart 
education.
  Mary Anne Robbiano was chosen along with three other distinguished 
recipients to be recognized with the Award for her dedication to the 
Goals and Criteria of Sacred Heart Schools. Mother of three adult 
children, Kay (SHP 1972), Paul, and Angie (SHP 1976), Mrs. Robbiano 
began her relationship with Sacred Hearts Schools when her oldest 
daughter entered kindergarten in 1960. She was the school nurse from 
1968 until 1976, and dealt with many different problems and situations 
including comforting homesick, boarders, tending to skinned knees, 
broken bones, colds and flues. Each child was treated as if she were 
her own daughter. Oakwood, the home for the retired Religious of the 
Sacred Heart, was built in 1976 and Mrs. Robbiano was asked to be

[[Page E1715]]

the Director of Nursing at the Oakwood Infirmary. Her philosophy was to 
treat each woman with respect and dignity. Since her retirement in 
1990, she remains dedicated to Oakwood by volunteering her time to the 
nuns through the Oakwood Auxiliary and the Children of Mary. She and 
her husband Paul celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with a Mass 
at the Oakwood Chapel in September 2007.
  Madam Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me 
in honoring Mrs. Mary Ann Robbiano as she is given the St. Madeleine 
Sophie Award. Through her countless contributions to her family and 
friends, and most especially the Sacred Heart community, she has more 
than earned this Award. Her hard work and commitment to excellence are 
a lasting legacy at Sacred Heart Schools and live on in the life of 
every student who has come through its distinguished halls. Her deep 
faith and the practice of it have inspired everyone who knows her. Our 
community and our country have been bettered because of Mary Ann 
Robbiano and I consider it a privilege to know her and honor her.

                          ____________________