Category: Blog

This summer has been a very active one in our country, with the simultaneous celebration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, and the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament. While the Semiquincentennial festivities that took place in all 50 states were an opportunity for Americans to express their pride and gratitude for the many blessings we have and for the rich legacy of freedom we enjoy, it has been particularly gratifying to see America through the eyes of the millions of visitors here for the soccer tournaments. The news has reported that people from around the globe have discovered a United States much different from the one they learned about in their home country. They have been amazed by the size of our stores, that you can get free refills on soda, and that ranch dressing can be used to improve most any food. More importantly, they have found that Americans are far more open and friendly than they were led to believe. Many of these visiting soccer fans have noted that even with the many challenges we face as a nation, we still have a deep sense of optimism and hope for the future. It is part of the American DNA to believe that with conviction and hard work, anything is possible.

Mother Angeline, as an immigrant -born in Ireland, raised in Scotland, and formed as a religious in France, took immediately to this particularly American disposition. When she assumed her first assignment as a religious sister in the United States, she noted that the customs of the community for taking care of the aged were not those best suited for the American temperament. Americans were used to more independence and freedom, and Mother believed that they were entitled to a different style of care. Eventually, Mother and six companions felt called to start a new community – the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm – that would embrace this American mentality. Mother not only cared for Americans, she wholeheartedly embraced their can-do philosophy. She established new homes for the aged across the country, and she implemented innovative methods of care for the elderly, all the while staying true to her belief that her sisters should treat their residents as if they were Christ Himself.

In the Declaration of Independence, it states that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. The first of these rights is the right to life. From a Catholic perspective, we believe that because everyone is created in the image and likeness of God, they possess a dignity that is intrinsic to them. There is a clear complementarity between the Declaration of Independence and Catholic teaching in that we must regard our brothers and sisters with the deepest respect, and we must attend to their well-being, as best we can. When the rights of human beings are threatened, particularly the right to life, we have a moral obligation to act.
Mother Angeline, from an early age, felt a particular sensitivity to the burdens that the elderly carry, and carried a deep conviction that God wanted her to care for those who are often invisible and neglected in society. When the elderly are left to face the autumn of their lives alone and afraid, and when their value is questioned because they are no longer “productive”, this is an affront to the dignity that God has instilled in them. And this is why for her entire religious life, Mother Angeline exhorted her Sisters “to receive, feed, and care for the Aged with the same love and joy they would show in caring for the Lord Himself.”

As our country continues its birthday celebration throughout this year, may we never take for granted the freedoms we enjoy, and may we always make a special effort to protect the rights and dignity of our elderly.