Monday, March 03, 2008

Encouraging Celebration


Cardinal Eagen celebrated the Bicentennial of the Archdiocese of New York with twelve hundred religious at St. Patrick's Cathedral yesterday afternoon. Along with two other sisters from our monastery we shared the honor of walking in the entrance profession down the long center aisle of the Cathedral with representatives of over 100 other orders and congregations living and serving in the Archdiocese of New York. It was glorious.

We walk up sunlit Fifth Avenue from Grand Central Station enjoying the sights and atmosphere that only New York City can generate. Window shopping was fun too.

From the Cathedral we hopped on a chartered bus filled with sisters. Out destination was a reception in honor of all the religious at Cathedral High School. This was a blessed opportunity to visit with many old friends. Spotting our red habit, many sisters came to us saying they remembered time spent in retreat at our monastery.

This was a long but most enjoyable, blessed and heart-warming day. Before the final blessing the Cardinal appealed to us to storm heaven with prayers for similarly good weather during Pope Benedict's visit to New York in the middle of April, especially on the 20th, the day set for his Mass at Yankee Stadium. I hope to be there.

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