Category: Anniversary

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Venerable Mary Angeline Teresa: Anniversary Celebrations

The Carmelite Sisters celebrated Venerable Mary Angeline Teresa McCrory’s 37th anniversary of death and 128th anniversary of her birth on January 21, 2021. The Eucharistic liturgy was offered by Very Rev. Mario Esposito, O.Carm. Vice-Postulator of her Cause for Beatification and Canonization.  The event was held at St. Teresa’s Motherhouse in Germantown, New York.  It was attended by the Avila Sisters and was streamed LIVE to the public. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions and public safety guidelines, the McCrory family was not able to attend the celebration. It was with great anticipation and joy that the story of our Venerable Foundress was shown by EWTN on the same day in a program called “They Might Be Saints.”  It is our hope and prayer that God will grant our great desire to have this woman, courageous in adversity, be numbered among the Saints of the Catholic Church and give glory to Carmel and the Universal Church!

Father Mario’s Homily

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Celebrating MAT 36th Anniversary

On January 21, 2020, the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm celebrated the 36th death anniversary of their beloved Foundress, Venerable Mary Angeline Teresa McCrory. Mother Angeline Teresa died on January 21, 1984, the same day of her birthday. The liturgy was held at Saint Teresa’s Motherhouse chapel with Very Reverend Mario Esposito, O.Carm. as the principal celebrant.  The event was attended by invited members of the clergy, friends of the Congregation, invited guests from D’Youville Life and Wellness Center, members of the McCrory family, Avila Sisters, Postulant and Novices.  The Carmelite Pre-Novices of the Saint Elias Province were present, and the Novices of both American Provinces, from Middletown, as well.

The theme of this year’s anniversary is “Venerable Mary Angeline Teresa, Model of Fidelity.”  Enjoy the photos of the day.

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Celebrating 25 Years

by Mother Mark Louis Anne, O.Carm.

How quickly time passes as we go about our daily routines. It has been five years already since Pope Benedict declared Mother Angeline Venerable. The date was June 28, 2012, and I remember receiving the news as we were about to begin a meeting of the New York Catholic Providers group held at the Terence Cardinal Cooke nursing facility in Manhattan. There is more than a little irony in the fact that we were not far from where Mother Angeline began the Congregation and were in a facility named for a Cardinal from New York City who himself is a candidate for sainthood. That day was the culmination of a long and involved process beginning with the creation of the Mother Angeline Society (originally the Teresian Society) in 1987, the petitioning of Bishop Hubbard in 1989 to begin a Cause for Mother for sainthood, and finally the actual opening of the Cause on the Diocesan level on August 15, 1992 – twenty-five years ago.

Very Reverend Mario Esposito O.Carm. became the Postulator of the Cause after the death of Rev. Jude Mead, C.P. who laid the groundwork for all that needed to be done. Bishop Hubbard then appointed a Diocesan Tribunal to hear the testimonies of many who knew Mother. These testimonies, her writings and other pertinent material were then assembled by Sr. M. Teresa Stephen, O.Carm. and her dedicated group of volunteers. They followed the strict procedure of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and sent over 12,000 pages to Rome in a crate so large a Sister could sit inside! We are delighted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Opening of the Cause on the Diocesan Level and look back in awe on all that has been accomplished. We continue to make Mother’s story better known through print and social media and teach her mission and philosophy to all involved in our ministry with the elderly. Now if we could just have a miracle attributed to Mother, our process would move to the next step. We pray this will happen soon.

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87th Year Anniversary of Foundation day

 

In 1929, Mother Mary Angeline Teresa pioneered a different approach to the care of the elderly and infirm. In addition to fulfilling physical and spiritual needs, she stressed the importance of a home-like atmosphere that encouraged residents to maintain their personal sense of dignity and independence. To that end Mother Angeline founded a new religious community – the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm. With six other Sisters she set about making her vision a reality. From this relatively new beginning the work of the Congregation flourished and the Community was invited to work in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and as far west as Iowa. We currently serve in 20 facilities in the United States and Ireland. Mother Angeline Teresa’s philosophy of care is the keystone of the Carmelite commitment. The Sisters labor to make each Carmelite Home a genuine haven of love and Christian joy, serving each guest as if ministering to Our Lord Himself. Through their lives of prayer and in concert with the dedicated men and women who share their commitment to serve the elderly, the Carmelite Sisters share the Gospel message with the people of God and bring His love and healing to the Aged entrusted to their care. We are grateful to God for the continued grace of being able to minister to our beloved residents.  In these times of vocational and healthcare challenges, we continue to hope and pray, that the work began 87 years ago will continue to bear fruit and flourish for the greater glory of God and His Church!

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32nd Anniversary of Mother Angeline Teresa

“Apostle of Mercy to the Aged”  This theme was chosen in order to highlight the mercy which Mother Angeline demonstrated in her loving and generous care of the elderly, the vulnerable, and the infirm. As the Church celebrates the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, it seemed natural to recall the mercy which characterized the virtues of Venerable Mary Angeline Teresa, shown in the charity, magnanimity and forgiveness that marked her living and her ministry.

On January 21, 2016, the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm celebrated the life of Venerable Mary Angeline Teresa and the 32nd anniversary of her passing to eternal life with a Eucharistic celebration held at Saint Teresa’s Motherhouse. The Most Reverend Brendan Comiskey, Bishop Emeritus of Ferns, Ireland, was the celebrant and homilist along with four members of the clergy who joined the celebration. Also present were members of the McCrory family, invited guests of the Carmelite Sisters, Carmelite friars and their novices.

Bishop Comiskey shared an encouraging insight in his homily on the centrality of mercy in the life of the Venerable. The ‘secret’ of Venerable Mary Angeline Teresa, according to the Bishop, was her having made the Word of God the source and inspiration for her life, vocation, and mission. Furthermore, it is not enough to think of her exemplary life with grand admiration, but more importantly, to contemplate the goodness of God who accomplished great things in her and through her.