The 41st Anniversary of Venerable Mary Angeline Teresa’s Entrance into Eternal Life
On January 21, 2025, the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm and invited guests gathered at Saint Teresa’s Motherhouse Chapel to commemorate the 41st anniversary of Venerable Mary Angeline Teresa’s entrance into eternal life.
The principal celebrant and homilist was The Most Reverend Earl K. Fernandes, Bishop of the Diocese of Columbus, OH, with Very Reverend Mario Esposito, O.Carm. as the Master of Ceremonies. The invited members of the clergy were Rev. James Donlon, Rev. James Miara, and Rev. James Hess, O.Carm. Brother J.B. Duc Nguyen, O.Carm., Mr. J.B. Truong An Nguyen and Mr. Matthew Wise, the Carmelite Brothers of the Saint Elias Province, assisted in the liturgy.
Among the invited guests were the McCrory family, the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, staff members of the Avila Institute of Gerontology, and the Carmelite System. The celebration concluded with a special reception. It was a beautiful day to remember and honor the life and legacy of Mother Angeline, who exemplified a deep love and devotion to our residents through her acts of kindness.
Excerpts from Bishop Fernandes’ homily:
“…when I was in between medical school and the seminary, I lived in Cincinnati…. I would work at St. Margaret Hall where the Carmelite Sisters were. I saw the love and the care that they gave to all those who were residents there… what is this care all about? It’s about affirming the dignity of each and every person. No matter how old or young, no matter how able bodied or disabled or ill you might be, we have to show reverence for the human person. For the human person is made in God’s image and likeness…
We could think in a worldly way and say, well these old people, these sick people – they’re just using up resources. They’re keeping us from being efficient. And in some societies, that’s what people say. And we are moving more and more toward what the Pope calls a throwaway culture. But you Sisters and you who support the Sisters with your prayers and your gifts, and your sacrificial offerings, you refuse to throw people away. You stand beside them; you hold their hands, and you stay strong.
We can afford to fail in many things, but not in kindness and certainly not in charity…
My dear sisters, my brothers, this is our task to be kinder than kindness. To love one another with true heartfelt compassion. To share God’s love with the sick and the infirm and those who suffer from a terrible poverty of loneliness to bring about a revolution of tenderness…
God called Mother Angeline McCrory from Ireland to Scotland, to France to New York to build something to bear fruit that will remain. And you are the fruit of her labor. Christ has planted the seed. He planted a seed of great love in her heart, and it continues to bloom and grow and so it continues to live in your vocations, faithfully committed to Christ, the true spouse of our souls. Continue to put on the garment of love, which is the bond of perfection. And you will see you will change our world.”