Sanctity of Life Granting Fund
There are people in our lives that help us to be better versions of ourselves.
People who, because of their words, actions, and convictions we can imagine will actually become a saint. Marisa Petrella was one of those people.
On November 29, 2021, the community lost a dedicated servant leader and woman of great faith. Marisa was a Catholic Foundation Founders’ Circle member, board member, and a dear friend and advocate.
Marisa possessed a strong sense of service, a generous spirit, and completed a considerable amount of pro bono work throughout her career. In 2020, Marisa was honored by the Italian government as the recipient of an award recognizing her exceptional legal work for the Italian Consulate in Detroit. She was given the highest honor possible for a non-Italian citizen: Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia (Knight of the Order of the Italian Star).
Marisa Petrella actively volunteered and was a member of various other community boards of directors, including St. Regis Catholic Church, Mercy High School, Mother and Unborn Baby Care, and Orchestra Sono. Marisa loved God, her daughter and family, her church, her profession, Italian culture, music, and life.
All of us at the Catholic Foundation of Michigan ask you to remember Marisa and her family during this difficult time, as she is welcomed home into joyful, loving arms. Learn more about Marisa and her impact here: Marisa Petrella.
In honor of the life-giving spirit of Marisa’s memory, the Sanctity of Life Endowed Grant was established through the generosity of the Catholic Foundation staff and Board of Directors, to provide grant funding to support creative programs that build a holistic reverence for life.