GREENSBORO — St. Pius X Principal Antonette Aguilera experienced Mother’s Day a little early on Friday, when her mother, Domenica Cowan, came for a visit during Grandparents' Day.
“I think Antonette is doing a wonderful job, and I am so proud of her,” Cowan said. “I have two good daughters. Each one of them has such beautiful qualities. The Lord truly blessed me.”
During her stay, Cowan was also able to spend time with her grandchildren – Aguilera's son, John, an 8th grader, and her other grandson.
Cowan loves the feeling she gets every time she steps on the campus of St. Pius X, explaining how it matches the ideals of their hometown of Reggio Calabria, Italy.
“We came from a traditional Italian family, and this school matches so well with Antonette. When she was little, she learned tradition and her Catholic faith. She went to school with the nuns, and this place brings it all together,” Cowan said.
A mother knows best, and Aguilera agrees the Catholic school she attended as a youth in Los Angeles reminds her a lot of St. Pius X.
Yet, instead of mirroring her childhood memories at St. Pius the X, she takes direction from a different inspiration – the late Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, former pastor of the parish.
“We make sure Monsignor’s vision for this school is always alive and well,” Aguilera said. “A beautiful campus, a spiritual place—that is what I am trying to create. If I can accomplish that, I feel like I am doing a good thing.”
— Lisa M. Geraci