July 16, 2012 - Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown

Page 4 The Catholic Register, July 16, 2012
THE CATHOLIC
REGISTER
SERVING THE DIOCESE OF
ALTOONA - JOHNSTOWN
Published Bi - weekly at
Logan Boulevard
Hollidaysburg PA 16648
Phone (814) 695 - 7563
FAX (814) 695 - 7517
Subscriptions: $8.00 Parish Based
$18.00 Individual
Periodical Class Postage Paid At
Altoona PA and other mailing offices.
Postmaster send change of address to:
925 South Logan Boulevard
(USPS 094 - 280)
Member Publication Of
The Catholic Press Association
Publisher:
Most Reverend Bishop
Mark L. Bartchak
Editor:
Rev. Msgr. Timothy P. Stein
Manager:
Bruce A. Tomaselli
Secretary:
Frances M. Logrando
Another
Perspective
By Monsignor Timothy P. Stein
Worthy Of Veneration
And Of Imitation
Point Of View
Jesus and His mother were
invited to a wedding celebration
in Cana and they went. You,
whether single or married,
vowed or ordained, are invited
to a wedding celebration in Loretto.
Hopefully, you, too, will
go!
We don’t know who the
bride and groom were in Cana,
but Jesus’ presence there was
never forgotten. When the bride
and groom were in need, Jesus
provided for them abundantly.
They were so blessed by His
presence.
You’re wondering if Jesus
will be at the celebration in Loretto
on Sunday, July 29? Yes,
of course.
So what is happening on
July 29 at 7:00 p.m. at the Shrine
of Our Lady of the Alleghenies
in Loretto? It is a Mass honoring
married couples from all
over the Diocese. Our shepherd,
Bishop Mark, will be presiding
at the liturgy, and everyone is
invited to pray with and for our
married couples.
Jesus will be there. You
will hear him speaking to your
heart and the hearts of all present
in His Word - - the Holy
Scriptures. You will know Him
in the bread and wine through
which He gives His whole entire
self to us. You will meet Jesus
in the priest and in the people.
These are the ones who cherish
and nurture the life of God given
to them in Baptism, and follow
His way of love.
And Jesus will be there in a
special way in the married couples
present. That could be you
or your siblings, parents, cousins,
friends, or fellow parishioners.
For in this Sacrament of
Marriage, husband and wife, in
their love, mirror the love that
Jesus has for His Bride, the
Church. The stronger the love
between spouses, the better able
we are to catch a glimpse of Jesus.
Yes, Jesus will be there.
Will you? Come, because every
Mass is a banquet of love
between Jesus, the Bridegroom,
and we, His people, His bride.
Go now and mark your calendars
for Sunday, July 29 at
7:00 p.m. at the Shrine of Our
Lady of the Alleghenies next
to the Basilica of Saint Michael
The
Bureau Drawer
By Susan Stith
Come To The Wedding Feast
In Loretto
the Archangel in Loretto. Invite
friends and relatives. Consider
this an informal anniversary celebration,
even if the actual anniversary
date is months away!
Invite your dear ones to come
along. Come early and picnic
on the beautiful lawn, or visit the
historic Prince Gallitzin Chapel
House (open Sundays 1:00 to
6:00 p.m.).
Bring a lawn chair. If it
rains, Mass will be in the Basilica.
Refreshments are available
afterwards compliments of
World Wide Marriage Encounter.
The news that Mother Mary Angeline Teresa McCrory, foundress
of the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm has been
found to have lived a life of heroic virtue and been granted the title
“Venerable” is particularly welcome here in the Diocese of Altoona
– Johnstown.
For almost 50 years, since the day when Mother Angeline
Teresa came herself to Hollidaysburg to be present for the opening
of Garvey Manor, her spiritual daughters have served lovingly
here, among us. Many of us in this local Church have known on
a personal level, the tender loving care that the Carmelite Sisters
provide on a daily basis to the residents of Garvey Manor, and to
the families of the residents. My Grandfather Ferramini was cared
for at Garvey Manor for almost six years; I was able to see and experience
for myself the difference that the Carmelite Sisters make
in the lives of the elderly.
I had the privilege of recently spending a pleasant Friday afternoon
with the five Carmelite Sisters now serving at Garvey Manor
and Our Lady of the Alleghenies Residence, adjacent to the Diocesan
Administration Center. We met to talk about Mother Angeline
Teresa. The gracious, hospitable Sisters spoke with love of their
foundress, recalling her as a simple, humble woman of God, a loyal
daughter of the Church, someone who always put the needs of
others before her own.
The Sisters spoke of Mother Angeline’s devotion to her Carmelite
vocation. Many years ago, I was invited to give a day of
reflection to the Sisters at Garvey Manor, and in doing some research
for my talks to the community, I learned that the white mantle
that the Carmelite Sisters wear at Mass honors the tradition that
the first Carmelite was the Old Testament prophet, Elijah. Wearing
the white mantle reminds the Carmelites that theirs is a prophetic
vocation. And when it comes to the care of the aged and the infirm,
Mother Angeline Teresa and her Sisters have truly been prophets!
Mother Angeline Teresa was formed in the religious life by the
Little Sisters of the Poor. That French – founded community had,
during the early days of Mother’s religious life, a strong devotion to
the customs and traditions of the Motherhouse. Mother Angeline
Teresa saw clearly that those customs would have to be adapted
when caring for elderly people in the United States. Her vision
of what homes for the aged could and should be like led her to
found her Carmelite community, where residents (never “inmates”
or “patients”) would live in a homelike environment, treated by the
Sisters as members of their own families, with an emphasis on loving
hospitality for everyone who passed through the doors of one
of their homes.
Mother Angeline was both prophet and pioneer in the care of
the elderly. Many of the things that she incorporated into her homes
are now legislated as being required means of care by federal and
state regulatory agencies. This great woman of faith made a difference,
not only for the aged people of her own time, but for the
elderly who live in her homes - - and other care homes - - today.
But what makes Mother Angeline Teresa worthy of veneration
is not her pioneering, prophetic stance for quality care for the elderly
and the ill. What makes her worthy of veneration is that in the
midst of that very active apostolate she remained a woman of faith,
a woman of prayer, a woman in love with God and with God’s holy
people. She is a woman worthy of imitation and emulation. If our
prayer is as fruitful in good works as was hers, we will have helped
her memory live on, and like her will have done much to build up
the Kingdom of God.