CHARLOTTE — Carmen Rossitch and her husband Gene lived the American dream after fleeing Cuba in 1962. They worked hard in their careers while raising a family, and they dedicated their time, talent and treasure to the building up the Church in western North Carolina.
The Rossitches and their three children were forced to leave Cuba when Fidel Castro rose to power. They found a new home in Miami, where Gene worked two jobs seven days a week.
Then Carmen, who has a doctorate in math and physics, heard from a friend about a teaching position available at Winston-Salem State University.
Believing that North Carolina offered them both better job opportunities and a good place to raise their family, Carmen accepted the job and the family headed northward to Winston-Salem, where they happily put down roots.
The Rossitches’ family grew to include two more sons. Carmen taught math at Winston-Salem State for 37 years, and Gene, who had worked as a certified public accountant in Cuba, spent 30 years with Wachovia Bank (now Wells Fargo) managing international operations and foreign exchange groups. Gene passed away in 2011.
For decades, the family was active at Our Lady of Mercy Church and the five Rossitch children attended Our Lady of Mercy School and Bishop McGuinness High School.
Carmen Rossitch now lives at Maryfield at Pennybyrn in High Point but speaks fondly of her time in Winston-Salem at Our Lady of Mercy Parish and why she and Gene wanted to give back to the Church through the establishment of three endowments: the Eugene and Carmen Rossitch Endowment Fund for Seminarian Education; the Rossitch Family Endowment Fund; and the Reverend Enrique Mendez Fund.
She explains that it was very important for them to give back and support Our Lady of Mercy Parish. “My kids all went to school there. We were involved in everything when we were young. It’s a great church. We love the people there.”
The Eugene and Carmen Rossitch Endowment Fund for Seminarian Education was established in 2006 and ensures the continued support of seminarians’ education in the diocese. The diocese now has 41 young men in various stages of formation, a successful indication of the diocese’s growth and emphasis on religious vocations.
“I think we always tried to do things for the Catholic Church, and seminarian education is one of our projects. I think we should all try to do this,” she says.
“More people like the Rossitches are establishing endowments during their lifetime and then adding to them later in their wills and estate giving plans,” noted Jim Kelley, diocesan development director. “And like the Rossitches, people with multiple interests are setting up endowments to further those particular interests in building up the Church.”
Create an endowment
Interested in setting up an endowment? Establish an endowment in the Diocese of Charlotte Foundation by leaving a bequest in a will, a beneficiary designation from a retirement plan, a gift of real estate, a gift of life insurance, cash or securities sufficient to set up an endowment, or a life income arrangement such as a trust or annuity. For details, contact Gina Rhodes at 704-370-3364 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter