On June 7, 2025, a Mass of Thanksgiving was held to celebrate religious jubilees of our Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm. Father Gerard Gordon, Principal Celebrant and Homilist, along with Reverend James Hess, O.Carm. as con celebrant. Very Reverend Mario Esposito, O.Carm. was the Master of Ceremonies with the Carmelite Brothers from Saint Elias Province assisting at the liturgy. It was wonderful to share the day with families and friends, as well as with our Carmelite Sisters who traveled near and far to celebrate. Three of the Jubilarians could not be present for the celebrations and were especially remembered. Mass was followed by a reception and social gathering at Carmel Hall.
Passages from Father Gordon’s homily:
“St. Paul writes ‘Do nothing out of selfishness or vain glory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interest but for others.’ Saint Paul must have had the Carmelite Sisters in his mind, looking far into the future when he wrote those words, because they speak directly to the good works that I and countless others have witnessed.
What makes this service possible, of course, is humility. Service is not possible without humility… St. Gregory of Nyssa tells us that of all the virtues, humility is the doorway to all the others. No other virtue is possible without humility…Humility is the mother of service… I’m thinking back on the life of our jubilarians here today. Cumulatively, you represent hundreds of years of service.
Every one of you jubilarians is here today because you have faithfully lived this commitment to God’s love for the vulnerable and the weak, those most loved by Christ himself… We’re not capable of thanking you sisters sufficiently for all you did. Only God has that capacity to reward you for all you’ve done, and that is called Heaven. And so, we are simply here to say our feeble thank you as we acknowledge and celebrate you very publicly. Thank you for all you have done for us, but most importantly, for the thousands of unknowns you have helped, held, and guided to Heaven, whose hands you have placed into the hands of God. Those countless ones who live now in Heaven and whose names we will never know, but they are known to God and to you.”
Not Pictured: Sr. M. Patrick of the Assumption Traynor (75 years), Sr. M. Kevin Patricia of St. Joseph O’Brien (70 years), Sr. Maureen de Lourdes McDonough (60 years)