By Anne DiBernardo - Florida Catholic
Photographer: ANNE DIBERNARDO | FC
St. Brendan High School principal Jose "Pepe" Rodelgo-Bueno poses with staff members, from left: Katrina Ramos, director of Finance, Lilliam Kirschner-Sanchez, director of Guidance, and Ivette Alvarez, director of Counseling.
FORT LAUDERDALE | By happy coincidence, the Miami Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women honored St. Brendan High School’s principal, Jose “Pepe” Rodelgo-Bueno, on the 15th anniversary of Msgr. Luigi Giussani’s death.
The priest, whose cause for canonization opened 2012, founded the fraternity of Communion and Liberation to which Rodelgo-Bueno belongs. Noting the synchronicity, he seized the opportunity to invite everyone to attend a Mass in memory of Msgr. Giussani that evening at St. Mary Cathedral.
Pope John Paul II told Msgr. Giussani that he must send his “kids” out to the whole world. He would later send the future pope, Benedict XVI, to celebrate Msgr. Giussani’s funeral in Milan, explained Rodelgo-Bueno, who identified as “one of his kids.”
Rodelgo-Bueno spoke during the MACCW’s 21st annual Scholarship Fund Luncheon, held Feb. 22, where he was honored for making a difference in Catholic education.
“The call of a Catholic school is how we live our faith and show our faith with our students,” said Rodelgo-Bueno.
He reflected on some of the events that influenced his spiritual formation and ultimately led to his vocation as a Communion and Liberation missionary in Madrid, Spain, where he was born and raised.
Even though he was not religious at the time, he accepted an invitation to attend a Communion and Liberation meeting because the girls were pretty. He credits the foresight of his girlfriend, whom he thought he was going to marry, for perceiving his vocation before he did because she used to tell him that he loved God more than he loved her.
Although his older brother was not supportive of his decision to join the religious community and used to make fun of him, when he became sick, he asked Rodelgo-Bueno to call a priest. His brother died four days later in his arms.
“I decided I needed to tell the whole world about the change that happened in my brother and that everybody can change,” Rodelgo-Bueno said.
His commitment to Communion and Liberation calls him to live a vocation of “total dedication to God while living in the world.”
“When you follow God, you don’t lose father, mother, brother, sister, you receive 100 more. That is my experience at St. Brendan with those people and a life lived to the fullest. It is 100 times more beautiful,” he said.
Rodelgo-Bueno taught at the university level in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from 2002 until moving permanently to Miami in 2006. He worked for the archdiocesan Department of Schools until being named principal of St. Brendan in 2012. Fluent in English, Spanish, French and Italian, he has authored two books, the last being “The Teachers Will Save U.S.”
He was awarded the Cross of Merit by the King of Spain and holds a doctorate in economics, with specialization in education, from the State University of Madrid, as well as a post doctorate in educational leadership from Florida International University.
The MACCW Scholarship Fund helps eighth grade girls attending Catholic elementary schools in the archdiocese to continue their education at a Catholic high school. It was established in 1996 and since its inception has awarded over $281,000 in scholarships to 64 deserving young ladies.
For more information on the fund and how to apply, email Mary Weber at [email protected].
