Maria Pedulla has devoted her life to education for the sake of bringing people closer to God. Raised by Irish-American parents and taught by predominantly Irish Catholic nuns and priests, she had a hunger for religious education that compelled her to return to school in her 40’s, after raising her children, to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Fordham University, Bronx, NY, in 1985. From there, she continued on, earning a Master’s degree in Religious Education from St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, NY a few years later. Throughout her life, she was involved in pro-life causes, from mother-baby bonding in La Leche League, which she founded in Westchester County, NY in the 1960’s, to parish groups, crisis pregnancy centers, civil protests at abortion clinics, and many other similar activities. Since her move to Indiana in 2001, she has been involved in numerous parish ministries throughout the Diocese of Gary, working as a volunteer nearly daily for the good of others. Maria, whose husband Dr. Joseph Pedulla passed away in 2011, is the proud mother of 4, grandmother of 20, and great-grandmother of 8.