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| November 2006
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ALUMNI PROFILE |
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Alumna Attains Knighthood for Charitable Works Hundreds of people were in attendance at St. Patrick’s Church in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., for the knighting of about 40 men and women, including Dame Wendy Massa, SIS/MA ’91. “It was a very humbling experience,” says Massa. Her eight-year-old daughter, Tatiana, sat patiently as she watched her parents receive the laity’s highest honor of knighthood from Archbishop Hughes of New Orleans. “She didn’t think she deserved it, but those are the type of people who deserve it the most,” says newly knighted Sir Michael Massa about his wife. It’s common to think of the Middle Ages, Camelot, and King Arthur’s Knights of the Roundtable when hearing that someone has been knighted, but the knighthood the Massas received isn't the same as that of the chivalric orders that Sir Elton John and Sir Lancelot belong to. Knighting by the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, which is the sort the Massas received, is an honor reserved for practicing Roman Catholics, and currently more than 20,000 knights and ladies have received the honor. The order was granted a legal seat in the Vatican by Pope John Paul II in 1996. The Massas, who live in Chicago, received a letter of nomination from the Southeastern Lieutenancy in New Orleans in November 2005. They weren’t expecting the nomination, says Dame Wendy. “It wasn’t even on my radar.” After receiving the nomination, they went through several steps before they could be approved for knighthood. The couple returned paperwork to the Southeastern Lieutenancy explaining the extent of their involvement with charities and the Catholic Church. These statements were approved by the local priest, bishop, the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, and then sent to Rome for the pope’s final approval. By February 2006, the Massas were notified that they had been approved for knighthood. On Sept. 24, 2006, the Sunday morning mass, homily, and knighting in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., culminated Dame Wendy’s life’s work. She and her husband were received into the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, joining the ranks of Prince Albert of Monaco and Godfrey of Bouillon, the first Crusade’s principal leader, who began the order in 1099. Only a high member of the Order can actually knight a person, who then becomes a member of the Order after knighthood. “It was a real honor to be selected,” says Dame Wendy. “It made me focus on what’s important in my life.” When she was writing about her background and the charitable works she’s done, Massa realized just how important her goodwill and volunteer work have been. She is able to see the direct affect of her and her husband’s efforts in their daughter. Tatiana is already very focused on others, says Massa. Last December, Tatiana invited her friends from school to a Christmas party, but instead of asking everyone to bring gifts to exchange, they were told to bring an item from the Anti-Cruelty Society’s wish list for donation. Aside from working in soup kitchens and donating funds to various groups, the Massas do pro bono work in their community. “I created a trust for a severely disabled child whose parents are concerned about her welfare,” says Dame Wendy. Her husband donates his time as a physician, seeing patients free of charge on Saturdays. “We just want to help the world get better,” she says. “We want to help groups and children who can’t stand up for themselves.” In Chicago, Dame Wendy is a member of the Business Conduct Committee of the self-governing Chicago Board Options Exchange. The committee is in charge of determining whether traders have violated Securities & Exchange Commission rules or the exchange’s own regulations. She has been a member of the bar since her 1995 graduation from the University of South Carolina School of Law. Although she enjoys her job, Dame Wendy looks forward to family vacations in Italy, where she hopes to someday retire. For nearly 16 years, she and her husband searched for an Italian villa to call their own. They found a 450-year-old, two-story villa in Amalfi, south of Rome, on the Mediterranean Sea. The family spent last Easter in their vacation home, which they named Villa de Tatiana, and were able to watch the local Good Friday processions. “I got goosebumps watching it,” she says. “It was very, very moving.” Now that this alumna has been knighted, she is expected to continue her good deeds and charity. “Now the real work begins... You have to start living a life in which you truly every day respect the fact you have been given this,” she says. Her goal: simply incorporate more good works into daily life. -Tara Shlimowitz '08 |
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