After Dr. Joseph De Pietro passed in 2016, his wife, Anita Joan Di Pietro honored his memory with an endowment that benefits seminarians.CHARLOTTE — Wherever life took Dr. Joseph and Anita Joan Di Pietro, the Catholic community was always at its center. “No matter where we were, we always supported our Church, priests and seminarians,” said Anita Di Pietro.
After Joseph passed away on Feb. 14, 2016, Anita chose to honor him in a way that she knew would speak to his heart. She established the Di Pietro Family Foundation, from which she established an endowment in the diocesan foundation to support St. Joseph College Seminary in Mount Holly. That substantial gift has helped fund seminarian formation, sacred music and liturgy, art and architecture, cultural events and other similar programs at the seminary.
The couple came to Charlotte after traveling the world. Joseph Di Pietro was born in Messina, Italy, and came to the United States with his parents when he was 16. Anita Di Pietro was born in Baltimore and attended Catholic school from elementary grades through college. After they were married, Joseph’s career as a chemist kept them on the move, including an eight-year stint in Italy.
After his retirement, the couple was looking for a strong Catholic community. They were drawn to St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Charlotte and became vibrant members of the congregation.
“Joseph loved to cook for our priests, and we frequently entertained them at our house,” Anita Di Pietro recalled.
“I became interested in the seminary after joining the Charlotte Catholic Women’s Group,” she said. “The group supported seminarians with prayers and gift cards for Christmas and Easter.
Our new priests were asked to introduce themselves at our monthly meetings.”
That experience sparked a connection to the seminary and seminarians that she wanted to nurture.
“Mrs. Di Pietro has long been a friend and supporter of the seminary,” said Father Matthew Kauth, rector of the seminary. “Anita doesn’t just donate money, she comes to the seminary frequently bringing gifts and a hearty laugh. We are blessed to have her as a member of our seminary community.”
“She has contributed to the buildings necessary for formation but now has also, in honor of her husband Joseph, given us an endowment for the purposes of cultural and artistic enrichment of the seminary and the seminarians themselves,” Father Kauth said.
“An endowment fund is the gift that keeps giving,” Anita Di Pietro said. “I would encourage anyone who is able to establish an endowment fund.”
An endowment is a permanent fund, the principal of which is invested – not spent – that generates income to help pay for projects and programs specified by the donor. Endowments are tax deductible and help sustain the strength and viability of the diocese and its entities, paying for capital improvements, charitable outreach, education and parish operations.
“I find this a good way to donate,” she explained, noting that donors can designate where funds will go and what areas they can be used for, They have the security of knowing that funds are invested by the diocesan financial team and donors receive ongoing information about the fund’s performance from the development team.
“While we have many parishioners who are establishing endowments in their estate plans, more individuals like Anita are deciding to establish the endowment during life and then add to that endowment in their estate plan,” said Jim Kelley, diocesan development director. “The advantage of this is that people can see good things happening with the distributions from their endowment now and by doing that, they are encouraging more people to follow their example. We are grateful for Anita and all those who are establishing or adding to endowments in our foundation.”
As Anita Di Pietro explained, “We do have a responsibility to do what we can. We can’t just go to Sunday Mass and say, ‘Well, that’s it.’”
— Courtney McLaughlin
Fund an endowment
Interested in setting up – or adding to – an endowment to benefit your parish or Catholic school? You can establish an endowment in the Diocese of Charlotte Foundation by leaving a bequest in a will, a beneficiary designation from a retirement plan, a trust or annuity, or a gift of real estate, life insurance, cash or securities.
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.