One of the things I did with my morning and early afternoon. Congratulations to all of the Jubilarians, but especially to Sisters Ann Marie Gelles and M Aurora Perez. Seven Sisters celebrated Jubilees today for a total of 420 years of daily committed service as Sisters of the Holy Family. Sister Carole Pesce 75 years, Sister Marie Stafford 75 years, Sister M Aurora Perez 60 years, Sister Mary Lange 60 years, Sister M Sandra Ann Silva 60 years, Sister Ann Marie Gelles 50 years, and Sister Kathy Littrell 40 years. I cannot adequately say how inspiring such commitments are to me!
I am interested in learning later this month what the name of Annie's new Guide Dog will be. Thanks too to Father Gerald Coleman for a really excellent homily. I know he has been a friend to the Sisters of the Holy Family for some time; his homily showed a profound sense of who they are and it was great to hear him speaking a bit about Leo XIV's Encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas. Father is a Catholic moral theologian and the author of The Many Faces of Transgender as well as a more general work, Human Sexuality.
 |
| Sister Annamarie and Bishop Barber |
Sadly, as most readers here know, as vocations to religious life dwindle in the Church and the median age of congregational members rises, this is becoming a more common canonical arrangement for groups reaching "completion." Though the women of the congregations involved make the decisions for the future of their own congregational resources and charism, they rely on younger members of the collaborating congregation to fill canonical roles. My understanding is that Sister Annamarie Therese has been a great gift to the Sisters of the Holy Family. It was a joy to see her wearing their cross/logo today.
Posts
