Brigida—called Birdie—Pacelli did something she loves and does to perfection. She threw a party in November with a little help from her friends. It was at the Santa Clara home where she and her husband, Bay Area native Jim Pacelli, have lived for more than three decades.
Pacelli has a wide, inclusive social circle, and she invited everybody. It was an opportunity to socialize and, at the same time, enrich the lives of those less advantaged. It was a fundraiser to benefit a village church seven thousand miles away in a country of 7,641 islands that most of Pacelli’s guests will never visit—the Philippines, where she was born, raised and graduated from college.
As a long-time member—often in leadership roles—of the Catalá Club of Santa Clara University and Soroptimist International of Santa Clara Silicon Valley, Pacelli has chaired many fundraisers benefitting local families and individuals.
“Birdie’s out there! She always got something going,” said Campbell resident Glenda Rasmussen, a friend from the Catalá Club.
“I’ve been blessed. I consider my life in the U.S. fruitful,” said Pacelli, who worked most recently at IBM, taking early retirement five years ago. “I have met the most wonderful folks through these clubs. It gives me satisfaction to volunteer as I feel rewarded each time I give back through my club’s work.”
The November fundraiser, however, was personal. It was Pacelli’s biennial jewelry sale party benefitting Nuestra Señora Del Carmen (Our Lady of Carmel), a small Catholic Filipino church that is especially dear to her.
Her late brother, Eddie Fiel, built the church in the 1980s on land donated by their maternal grandparents. It is in a rural farming community in the municipality of Zaragoza in Central Luzon, where Pacelli—one of six children— has many relatives. She last visited in October of 2023.
The roof of 35-year-old Nuestra Señora Del Carmen leaks. Pacelli will use the proceeds from the sale of jewelry—much of it handmade by her and featuring different types of pearls, to replace the damaged church ceiling. One prior project was installing a fence in 2022.
“I am most grateful that I have supportive friends with big hearts,” said Pacelli.
“The real backbone of this church are the people who come together to be closer to God. They keep this church going,” said Pacelli. “Their attitude is an embodiment of the Filipino spirit of ‘bayanihan’ – working together.”
Pacelli doesn’t miss a trick when it comes to hospitality and friendliness. Rod Diridon, Sr., had only to cross the street for her party.
“She’s the ideal neighbor,” said Diridon. “She’s always looking for ways to make her neighbors happy.”
He recalled the time Pacelli painted decorative designs on small rocks and covertly, like a secret Santa, put them in neighbors’ yards.
“She’s the superstar of neighborhood progressive dinners,” he added. “She even remembers our birthdays. She’s very special!”
“It’s a lot of fun helping others with Birdie,” said Milpitas resident, Cynthia Hanz, who has known Pacelli for 28 years, working with her at Silicon Graphics (SGI), where Pacelli was a financial analyst. “She’s a wonderful friend and has a lot of philanthropic causes.”
“I want to be part of Birdie’s mission,” said former SGI co-worker Proscy Cruz from Sunnyvale. “It’s important to keep a friendship going and keep in touch.”
Neither generosity nor love have boundaries or borders for Pacelli. Her life exemplifies that generosity and love—what some would call charity—are contagious and can offset need and give hope.
“It’s an honor to be an American and a blessing to be bicultural. To be able to give back one small step at a time is a gift. I am lucky to have this opportunity and use my talent to do so,” said Pacelli.
“Nothing beats the feeling of helping, even in one small step at a time.”
