Mary Jo Moran is a resident at Saint Patrick’s Residence in Naperville, IL. With her permission, Mary Jo has graciously permitted the Carmelite Sisters to share photographs and an excerpt from a recent letter she sent to Pope Leo XIV. A true advocate for seniors, Mary Jo embodies the compassionate spirit of the Venerable Mary Angeline Teresa, O. Carm. through her steadfast commitment to supporting her peers and all individuals in need of care as they age.
Excerpt from letter written by Mary Jo to Pope Leo XIV
…Jesus forecast this kind of miracle in Cana when he changed the water into wine. Referred to as the first miracle in His public life, it entailed changing the primary elements of water into the primary elements of wine.
I would like to suggest another example of this kind of miracle. My example is the Venerable Mary Angeline Teresa McCrory, (1893—1984) the foundress of the Carmelite Sisters of the Aged and Infirm (9/3/29) out of Germantown NY, the first American congregation of religious women dedicated solely to the care of the elderly. I would propose that she be elevated from Venerable (6/28/2012) to Blessed because of the systemic miracle she enabled in the care of the aged and infirmed elderly in the United States and Ireland and which is now practiced throughout the world. She abandoned the institutional and custodial care of the elderly to a model emphasizing dignity and person-centered care where elderly people are treated with love and respect. She attended not only to the physical needs of her homes’ residents but also their spiritual and emotional needs. For example, elderly couples could share a room which was a departure from the traditional way of separating men and women. She established a new standard for nursing care that promotes the belief that love makes a difference in the world. She celebrated American holidays with the residents and encouraged their freedom and independence; she also recognized that the middle class and not just the poor often needed someone to care for them as they aged and became less able…..