Catherine (DiPalo) Furlani

Kay Furlani, was a child of God, a woman of great faith with an unquenchable desire to live the Beatitudes as witnessed by her lifelong work.  A woman capable of great sacrifice.

Kay married Joseph Furlani on November 5, 1960.  They were married for 46 years when he passed away.  With a compassionate and loving heart she cared for Joe to his death.  Kay is survived by her four children and their spouses:  Christopher and his wife Donna, Vincent and his wife Dana, Joseph, and Jennifer and her husband Isaac; eight grandchildren: Amy, Nicole, Alison, Alexis, Anthony, Nicholas, Joshua and Jessica; and one great-granddaughter, Colette.  Through the years, Kay has cared for and helped her children and grandchildren with a generous and a loving heart, always there to assist when there was a need.

Kay wanted to make the world a better place.   She began her work in the Church as a member of the first Parish Council at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in So. Ozone Park.  She went on to volunteer and teach in their Religious Education Program and founded and was director of their Summer Bible School.

 After moving to Suffern, Kay continued to be involved in Church ministry.  Before going to the Office of Human Concerns, she worked as the Director of Religious Education and Family ministry in several parishes. Kay served as an Eucharistic Minister of Holy Communion.   She worked for the Archdiocese of Newark, Newark, New Jersey, as the Director of the Office of Human Concerns.  She was responsible for training, supporting and providing resources to parish social ministries in 240 parishes.

Kay was always passionate about social justice issues and was an activist for Bread for the World, a not-for-profit charity whose objective is to end world hunger.  She served on the Public Policy Committee of the New Jersey Catholic Conference.  Her concern for the poor and underprivileged led her to travel to Cuernavaca, Mexico, Dominican Republic and Haiti.  As Diocesan Director for Catholic Relief Services in the Archdiocese of Newark, she traveled to Kenya.   Her work in these places helped build the spirits of the underprivileged.  Kay taught all of us to love people and not judge them by their race or religion, but by their hearts and character.

Kay served as a Pastoral Associate for Family Ministry at St. Catherine Church in Glen Rock, New Jersey, as well as a Pastoral Associate for Catechetics at Immaculate Conception Church, Mahwah, New Jersey.  She was also a Parish Visitor at the International Office of Renew, Plainfield, New Jersey.

Kay’s volunteer work was very important to her.  She served on the Board of Directors for the Roundtable Association of Diocesan Social Action Directors; and was Secretary of the Board of Directors at Bread for the World.  Kay was a founding member of the Parish Justice and Peace Ministry as well as an active member of the St. Francis Environment Ministry and a member of the Community Garden Ministry at the Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.  As a member of the Community Garden Ministry, Kay organized the distribution of produce to the Martin Luther King Center in Spring Valley.

Kay was a lifelong learner and seeker.  She participated in charismatic and interfaith prayer groups.  She often led and facilitated workshops and discussion groups in the areas that were close to her heart: feeding the poor, working towards the common good, and non-violent communication  to name a few.  Recently, Kay learned of a group named Braver Angels, a citizens’ organization uniting red and blue Americans in a working alliance to depolarize America, a cause close to her heart.  She was passionate about the Synod, Pope Francis' initiative for the Catholic Church to collaboratively chart its path in the modern era, emphasizing listening, discernment and mission. 

Kay led four pilgrimages to the Holy Land, which were always well-planned and spiritually centered.  They provided people with the opportunity to enhance their spiritual life and their relationship with God.   Many people benefitted from these pilgrimages and share some unforgettable memories.

During the pandemic Kay brought people together via Zoom to celebrate an Agape Liturgy, which enabled the participants to pray together and share their faith in a meaningful way. The Agape Liturgy continues today as part of Kay’s Legacy.

A counselor, a teacher, a leader, a friend, a sister, an aunt, a grandma, a great grandma, a mom, and more

We know God has welcomed Kay into the afterlife and reunited her with her husband Joe and her loved ones who made the journey before her.  

She will be greatly missed …

Visitation will be held on Tuesday from 2 PM – 8 PM at Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River, NJ. A funeral mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at 11 AM at Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River, NJ. The funeral mass will be live streamed. Interment will follow at Ascension Cemetery in Airmont, NY.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: Bread for the World P.O. Box 96416, Washington, DC 20090-6416 or Villa Marie Claire 12 W. Saddle River Rd. Saddle River, NJ 07458