Nazaria, Maria Katharina and Anna – October 14, 2018

It was a CELEBRATION today at our 10:30 Mass.  We witnessed Father Bill Sheahan, SJ, make his Final Vows in the Society of Jesus; we acknowledged the canonization of Saints Paul VI and Oscar Romero; and we said “thank you” and “good-bye” to Anna Livingston Adams, long-time parishioner and my partner in leading Children’s Liturgy of the Word for the past twenty-some years.

As Jesuit Provincial Father Ron Mercier, SJ, reminded us in his opening remarks, Paul VI and Oscar Romero were just two of the seven persons officially recognized as saints today.  The five others are Vincent Romano, Francesco Spinelli, Nunzio Sulprizio, and two women – Nazaria Ignacia March Mesa and Maria Katharina Kasper.

Romano (d. 1831) was a diocesan priest who was known for his simple way of life and his care for orphans. Spinelli (d. 1913) was also a diocesan priest and the founder of the Institute of the Sisters Adorers of the Most Holy Sacrament – an order of religious women who care for people with HIV, orphans, drug addicts and prisoners.  Sulprizio (d. 1836) was a lay man who worked as an apprentice blacksmith.  He suffered from poor health and died young – at age 19.  But he was known to others as a gentle and pious young man.  The women were both founders of religious communities.  Nazaria (d. 1943) founded the Missionary Crusaders of the Church.  Maria Katharina (d. 1898) founded the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ.

I lived and worked with some Poor Handmaids when I was in college.  Their love for God and for God’s people, especially the poor and the sick, helped shape who I am and what I do.  One thing about the Poor Handmaids (and the Jesuits, and most religious communities, if they’re paying attention to the Holy Spirit) is that they “recognize the needs of the times and adapt its ministries to these evolving needs.”

Pope Francis praised all seven saints as men and women who loved with an undivided heart.  That’s what we’re all called to do.

Our first reading today from the Book of Wisdom (7:7-11) was perfect for a day such as this:  “I prayed, and prudence was given me; I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.” As I reflected on what Father Bill, the seven new saints, and Miss Anna have in common it is the gift of wisdom: the ability to see things as they truly are in an open-minded manner…the ability to be “smart with the heart”…the ability to make good and generous choices.

I am so grateful to know both Father Bill and Miss Anna.  And I ask Paul VI, Oscar, Vincent, Francesco, Nunzio , Nazaria, and Maria Katharina to pray for all of us!