Eleanor Rose Rotondo

Eleanor Rose Rotondo, formerly Eleanor Rose Picariello, was born in Brighton, Massachusetts on March 2, 1935, to Patsy and Rose Picariello. She passed away on December 19, 2025, in Sunrise, Florida. She was predeceased by her parents; her brother, John Picariello, and wife, Marge Picariello; and sister, Camille Passamonti, and husband, Gino Passamonti. She is survived by her sister, Anna Fiorentino (predeceased by her husband, John Fiorentino); brother, Robert Picariello; sister, Patricia Borrello (predeceased by her husband, Roger); daughter, Elisa Brandon; son, Gregory Rotondo; grandson, Brandon DuPont; and granddaughter, Grace Rotondo.

She attained a Theater degree at Boston University, where she met her future husband, Guy Rotondo. She pursued a career in singing and acting but set those pursuits aside to raise their 2 children, Elisa and Gregory. While raising her children, she supported them as a piano and singing instructor, while maintaining a stable and loving home. She lived simply and privately, guiding her children with patience, discipline, and care until they reached adulthood. Once her children were grown, Eleanor turned more fully to her longstanding spiritual call, deepening her commitment to prayer, study, and service within the Catholic faith—a path that would come to define the later years of her life.

Eleanor Rotondo was deeply devoted to her Catholic faith and the Carmelite spiritual tradition. On November 18, 1990, she received the Carmelite scapular, formally entering the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCDS) and embracing the vocation of a Lay Carmelite. She was later appointed the first president of the Mary Queen of Carmel Community, a Secular Discalced Carmelite community established by lay members seeking to live the contemplative and apostolic spirit of Carmel in daily life. Under her leadership during the community’s formative years, the group matured into a canonically established fellowship rooted in prayer, study, and mutual support, meeting regularly for the Liturgy of the Hours, Mass, and reflection on the writings of the Carmelite saints and Doctors of the Church. The Mary Queen of Carmel Community continues its mission of contemplative prayer and outreach, including the creation and distribution of Carmelite scapulars. Eleanor treasured her vocation as a Lay Carmelite as an enduring expression of her faith. In later years, the progression of Parkinson’s disease limited her ability to attend church regularly and, at times, to receive the Sacraments; nevertheless, her devotion to prayer never waned and remained steadfast even when she was bedridden in her final months.