Our
community has experienced a great joy – the “expansion of our
tents”- the spiritual theme of the community for this year has begun
in an important and historical manner. The Archbishop of Miami, Most
Reverend John Clement Favalora, invited our Congregation to staff
St. Mary's Cathedral School and Parish placing at our disposition
the convent on the Parish grounds.
On Sunday, August 5th, the
Rector of St. Mary’s Cathedral, Fr. Hogan, officially welcomed and
received our community into the Cathedral family. In a beautiful and
joy-filled Mass, in which the entire community was present, our
Mother Foundress presented the five sisters that are to begin their
service at the Cathedral to Fr. Hogan. Fr. Hogan asked our Mother if
the sisters were prepared to accept their mission at the
Cathedral, to which she replied decisively, “They are.” After her
acceptance, Fr. Hogan presented to the parishioners the five sisters that
will be living and working at the Cathedral – Sr. Carmen Maria, Sr.
Maria Teresa, Sr. Juana Maria, Sr. Teresa, and Sr. Michelle. The
priests and the community were joyful and grateful
for their presence. Afterwards, the priests of the Cathedral
expressed their gratitude and joy over the Marian presence our
sisters will be bringing to the cathedral and Fr. Hogan kindly gave
the sisters a welcome gift: a chalice and a paten which will be used
in the daily celebration of Holy Mass at the Cathedral's convent.
We are very grateful for their warm welcome! We are also
deeply thankful to the Sisters of St. Joseph who previously staffed
the Cathedral and have so generously given of their time to aid the
sisters in their new mission!
This is a beautiful moment that has visibly manifested the theme of
this year in our community: "Expand the Tent". It is prophetic and fitting that this
expansion has first begun in the Heart of the Church of our own
Archdiocese. We are honored at this opportunity to serve the petrine
principle and our
brothers and sisters in our community. We are overjoyed at the
Lord’s designs for our Congregation and for His providential
actions.
Sr. Michelle will be the vice-principal this year, while she is
trained by the current principal, Sr. Jane of the Sisters of St.
Joseph, to become the principal for the 2008-09 school year. Sr.
Carmen will be in charge of evangelization and adult religious
formation for the cathedral. Sr. Teresa will be the director of
religious education for the school and parish. Sr. Juana Maria will
continue to work for the archdiocese in the Office of Missions, and
Sr. Maria Teresa will continue her chaplaincy at Jackson Memorial
Hospital. Both do not have official positions within the Cathedral
itself, but respectively will be assisting in the different
Cathedral events and in the pastoral care of the sick of the parish.
We pray for the sisters who will be serving at the Cathedral that they may
be joyful witnesses of the love of the Pierced Hearts and form
hearts for a new civilization of love and life. We also pray that the Lord prepares our hearts for each
future “expansion of the tent” that He has lovingly designed for us.
Let's go out into the deep!
