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Honoring the Blessed Mother of the Americas and All Nations

Story by Joe Pisani

More than 800 people representing 12 countries came together for the fourth annual Mary of the Americas celebration in a display of faith, unity and cultural pride. There was prayer, there was pageantry and there was a festival of Latin American food.

The archdiocesan celebration for the Blessed Mother Mary of the Americas and all Nations was held at the Shrine of Maria Reina de la Paz at St. Lawrence O’Toole Church in Hartford on Oct. 4 and will be held here in years to come.

It began with an international rosary in English, Spanish and Brazilian, which was followed by Mass in honor of the Blessed Virgin with Archbishop Christopher J. Coyne as the principal celebrant.

“It is wonderful for us to gather under the devotion of our Blessed Mother because she always points us toward her Son,” the archbishop told the packed church.

Father Alexander Avendano, rector of the shrine, gave the homily and petitions were presented for people of the Americas and the Caribbean.

The delegations wore colorful traditional dress of their countries. Before Mass, they processed into the shrine, singing their national anthems and waving flags of their native countries, while carrying images of the Blessed Mother, which they venerate under her different titles.

They sang and they clapped as their voices filled the shrine in a joyous display of pageantry.

As the celebration moves indoors, each participating group processes into the church with a representative image of the Blessed Mother and the flag of their country with their national anthem playing the background. Archbishop Christopher J. Coyne blesses the images of Our Lady as they are presented to him. PHOTO BY AARON JOSEPH

The delegation representing the United States of America entered as the Star Spangled Banner was sung and carried an image of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.

For Father Avendano, it was more than a cultural celebration; it was a demonstration of the compassion of “momma Mary,” for Latinos far from their homes and their biological mothers who turn to the mother of Jesus for hope and consolation.

“Some are separated from their mothers and cannot return to see them, maybe because of immigration situations or because they have lost their mothers and cannot grieve properly or say goodbye,” Father Avendano says. “So there is pain in the people’s hearts, and this event lets them know that mama Mary assures them she is here for people, especially for suffering people and for orphaned people. Although they cannot see their natural mothers, their supernatural mother is here for them no matter what happens. This celebration is a message of compassion and companionship and love.”

The priest, who comes from Colombia and was appointed rector of the shrine in August, says “mama Mary is the reason for my priesthood, the reason for my work, the reason for my existence. She is everything and more, and Jesus is OK with that. On this day, we honor her, our cultures and our ancestors as well.”

At the conclusion, he thanked Archbishop Coyne for celebrating Mass at the event. “We know you are here for us, and we appreciate that so much.”

Following Mass, participants enjoy a wide variety of foods available from all participating cultures. PHOTO BY AARON JOSEPH

Among those represented were St. George Church in Bridgeport (Mexico – Our Lady of Guadalupe); St. Mary Church in New Britain (Chile – Our Lady of Mount Carmel); North American Martyrs Parish in East Hartford (El Salvador – Our Lady of Peace); St. Augustine Church in Hartford (Guatemala – Our Lady of the Rosary); and The Shrine of Maria Reina de la Paz in Hartford (Honduras – Our Lady of Suyapa) (Peru – Our Lady of Mercy) (Colombia – Our Lady of Chiquinquirá) (United States – Immaculate Conception) (Costa Rica – Our Lady of the Angels) (Dominican Republic – Our Lady of High Grace) (Puerto Rico – Our Lady of Divine Providence) (Cuba – Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre).

Mass was followed by a festival of food and displays of different cultures.

Is Your Car Cleaner Than Your Soul?

Story by Joe Pisani

Winter, spring, summer or fall, you know where you can find me … at the car wash. It’s an obsession ever since I got one of those executive membership plans that costs a small fortune every month for a wash, a wax, wheel cleaning and vacuuming, the whole enchilada.

My family thinks I’m a little crazy, and they may be right. But cleanliness is next to godliness, as they say, and that applies to cars too.

Before, my wife always said I washed my car only once a year … whether it needed it or not. So now, I’m washing it four times a month, whether it needs it or not.

A few weeks ago, someone said, “You should go to confession as much as you go to that car wash.” Ouch. For the record, I try to go to confession at least once a month and sometimes more as the occasion requires.

The car wash has become an easy target. Another time, one of my daughters snarled, “You should spend as much time with your grandkids as you do at that car wash. To which I responded: “I would if my grandkids knew how to wash a car, so get out the pails, the hoses and the sponges.”

But their sarcasm hit home, and I got to thinking: “If I spent as much time in Eucharistic Adoration as I do at the car wash, I’d be a totally different person.”

Several years ago, I signed up for perpetual adoration and went from 1 to 2 a.m. Saturday morning, a time when they couldn’t get anyone else to go.

After a week of work, it wasn’t easy dragging myself out of bed and driving to the adoration chapel during a crazy time of night, when there always was a lot traffic on the roads because the bars were closing.

Very often, police had pulled over motorists for drunken driving, and it made my trip to church a bit harrowing.

However, I escaped all that insanity once I opened the door to the adoration chapel. A profound peace came over me when I saw Eucharistic Jesus, resplendent in the golden monstrance, waiting for our weekly encounter.

If I had a bad week — which I usually did — Jesus was there to listen. If I was anxious about a family crisis, I knew I could count on him to hear me out, especially if I thought I had been wronged … or if I had wronged someone else.

He’s a compassionate, patient and loving listener, and those are extremely rare traits in our world, where most people are more inclined to babble about their latest conquest and success, rather than listen to you share your pain.

St. Teresa of Calcutta was known for the hours she spent in front of the Blessed Sacrament. She rose at 4:30 every morning, and by 5 a.m. she was at Mass. Then, she had an hour of Eucharistic Adoration to prepare for the day’s work, caring for the sick and the dying. In the afternoon, she spent more time before the Blessed Sacrament.

She valued those moments because she knew Jesus would recharge her with the graces she needed and that she could share him with others who even needed him more.

Sadly, the perpetual adoration I went to ended because they couldn’t maintain the schedule; however, a church where I go to daily Mass has adoration every day. And while the majority of people spend time there in prayer and meditation, I often rush out after Mass to my next adventure or appointment, compelled by the delusion that I have a lot to do. The reality, however, is that a half-hour of adoration would be better for my all-around spiritual well-being than anything else I could possibly do.

Over the years, I’ve been blessed to know people whose lives have changed because of the time they spend with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. They’re women and men who found the answers they were looking for. Who found the hope and consolation they needed, which couldn’t be found anywhere else.

Those moments with Jesus are the most precious we’ll ever have this side of heaven. We just have to prioritize our lives and make time for them.

So in the pursuit of spiritual self-improvement, I’m revising my “to do” list. Quite honestly, I can’t take “have car washed” off the list, but I’m adding, “spend time in adoration” and putting it at the top.

Men’s Conference: A Transformative Day of Fellowship, Hope and Healing

Story by Joe Pisani

Some 600 men, as young as 13 and as old as 90, gathered for the 18th annual Connecticut Catholic Men’s Conference, looking for hope and healing — and some for encouragement in their call to the priesthood.

The conference at Holy Cross High School in Waterbury centered on the theme “Jubilee Year Pilgrims of Hope” and featured  EWTN hosts Dr. Ray Guarendi, psychologist and author, and Michael O’Neill, the “Miracle Hunter,” along with Father Anthony Federico, Archdiocese of Hartford director of Vocations and Seminarians, and healing priest Father Jason Brooks LC, who talked about his work with the Regnum Christi Detroit Healing Ministry and prayed over men suffering from cancer, physical pain and migraines. There were also dozens of exhibitors.

The day began with a procession of 30 first-class relics. The events also included Adoration, confessions and a Vigil Mass celebrated by Archbishop Christopher J. Coyne and joined by others, including Norwich Bishop Richard Reidy, who gave the homily.

“This year’s conference was unlike any we’ve had before,” says director Ken Santopietro. “In this Jubilee Year — a time of mercy and restoration — we offered something truly special: a chance for healing, both spiritual and physical. There were also a lot of young guys discerning a vocation.”

Timothy Proctor, whose sons Rex, 14, and Benjamin, 13, were the youngest at the conference, said he came at their insistence, although he originally intended to complete a paper for his master’s degree in philosophy at Holy Apostles College.

“Whatever the Holy Spirit wills, I am his instrument,” he says. “I’m just trying to be a good Catholic dad.”

For Rex, the day was a particularly important because he feels the call to the priesthood.

“Every since I was 4, I wanted to be a priest,” he says. “I always wanted to administer the sacraments and partake in the sacrifice of the Mass, so I’m really glad to be here.”

Father Federico told the packed auditorium: “The Lord is beginning a revolution, a revival, a springtime for the Roman Catholic Church in the United States of America and somehow, some way it’s beginning in the state of Connecticut.”

He says there was a class of five new seminarians last year; this month, the class increased to 11. In his role, Father Federico travels to every parish and says what is most needed is “a spirit of worship” and instructed the men to cultivate a “worship mindset” instead of a “casual mindset.”

Steven Schneider of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Oxford, who has come to the conference almost every year, says, “It gets better and better. Here I get the affirmation I need and realize I’m on the right track. A lot of time I wonder whether I’m right or wrong, but around these men I realize I’m doing as good as I can and that my problems are the same as the other guys. Seeing so many younger men also gives me hope for the future of the Church.”

Bill Dunn of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Vernon says coming to the conference every year gives him “a good booster shot of brotherhood and I realize there are other people of faith our there, and I’m not alone.”

In his homily, Bishop Reidy urged the men to reach out to others “in need of a strong, gentle Christ-like hand.”

“The men’s conference is a grace for us all, but it’s not just a one-day event,” he says. “It’s a tool in the journey to holiness, a time for us to listen, reflect, worship and share so we can deepen our faith.”

Sam Todzia, master of ceremonies of the 2025 Connecticut Catholic Men’s Conference, gets the men engaged from the stage. PHOTO BY AARON JOSEPH
At the beginning of the Vigil Mass offered at Holy Cross High School for the closing of the 2025 Connecticut Catholic Men’s Conference, Archbishop Christopher J. Coyne, center, mentions Auxiliary Bishop Juan Miguel Betancourt, second from right. PHOTO BY AARON JOSEPH

Young Catholic Professionals Witness for Christ in the Workplace

Story by Shelley Wolf

On a Saturday in August, nearly 20 members of the Young Catholic Professionals of Central Connecticut gathered in Meriden for a “service day” to help the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist tend their orchards and gardens.

The young adults joined the sisters in picking peaches, pruning the apple trees, weeding around the asparagus and beets, weeding the flower beds and sweeping the walkways.

“We could have spent the day somewhere else, but this was the best way for us to spend a Saturday,” says Joe Luchene, a member of the group, as he gathered tree branches into a wheelbarrow. On weekdays, Luchene is employed as a life coach and as a substitute teacher.

After four hours of outdoor labor, the young people prayed with the women religious and were treated to a lunch, breaking bread with the Franciscan Sisters on their patio behind the John Lateran Center in Meriden.

With the tagline “Working in Witness for Christ,” Young Catholic Professionals of Central Connecticut, or YCP, is a local chapter of a national organization that seeks to help young working adults to live their Catholic faith in the workplace and out in the world.

“One thing I really like about Young Catholic Professionals is that it encompasses a lot of different aspects of life. From the title itself you’d think it’s just a work-related group, but it’s very wholistic,” says Sister Faith Marie Woolsey, a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist and an assistant chaplain for the young adult group.

“The purpose of Young Catholic Professionals is to help young adults connect their faith and their work,” says Natasha Hagan, president of the Central Connecticut chapter, who works as an engineer at Pratt & Whitney. “How do you live an undivided life? How do you show up as your full Catholic self, not shying away from talking about faith?”

Those questions get answered, she says, over time during the group’s monthly gatherings. Those gatherings encompass the Executive Speaker Series and Panel Discussions at various local churches throughout the Archdiocese of Hartford, the Networking Happy Hour at the Twelve Percent Beer Project in North Haven, and various special events.

The group’s primary offering, the Executive Speaker Series, involves talks by senior professionals on development topics, such as leadership in the workplace. Invited speakers often share their own faith journey, providing insights on how to navigate as people of faith in a secular world. Panel Discussions explore a single virtue, applying it to everyday life.

Over the past two years, the young adults have heard from business owners and professionals working in the fields of law, accounting, marketing, sales, engineering and information technology at companies such as Travelers, Fairfield University, Aetna, Pratt & Whitney, the Knights of Columbus and Santopietro Brewing Company, to name just a few.

Upcoming events: In October, the group will gather for a St. Joseph Saturday Half-Day Retreat on Oct. 4, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Sacred Heart Academy, 265 Benham St., Hamden. The retreat includes breakfast, lunch, Mass, confession and Adoration.

In November, the chapter will celebrate its second anniversary with a Mass of Thanksgiving & Reception celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Juan Miguel Betancourt on Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. at St. Bartholomew Church, 45 Ludlow Road, Manchester.

All young adults and newcomers are welcome to attend. For more details, visit youngcatholicprofessionals.org/chapter/central-connecticut.

Sister Faith Marie Woolsey, of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, and volunteer Matthew Ennis work together to prune an apple tree. PHOTO BY SHELLEY WOLF
Sister Faith Marie Woolsey shares sliced peaches from the orchard with other Sisters and young adult volunteers. PHOTO BY SHELLEY WOLF

A Taste of Poland

Story by Joe Pisani

Ada Mierzejewski went to her first Polish Day as a teenager back in the 1970s at St. Stanislaus Church in Meriden, and years later, she still enjoys the celebration of fine food, music and culture.

That food, which an expected 300 people will be enjoying on Sept. 28, is homemade by Mierzejewski, Amanda Edwards and Father Edward Ziemnicki, pastor of St. Faustina Parish, made up of St. Stanislaus Church and SS. Peter & Paul Church in Wallingford.

For weeks, the trio have been preparing, shopping and cooking everything from pierogi (stuffed dumplings) to golabki (stuffed cabbage), using the treasured old world recipes of Father Ziemnicki’s mother Genowefa.

Pastor for 20 years, Father Ziemnicki says St. Stanislaus is the oldest Polish parish in Connecticut, and this year marks its 134th anniversary.

The original Polish celebration, known as June Fest, was three days long. But since the formation of St. Faustina Parish, it evolved into Polish Day.

“Polish Day is about bringing the parish together as a community,” Father Ziemnicki says. “We start with noon Mass in Polish, then we have music and delicious food that is all homemade from the recipes of my mom. You cannot buy this kind of food in the store.”

A proud native of Poland, he says the country’s culture has historically been inextricably linked to the Catholic faith.

“We were always successful because we built our society on Catholic values, so you cannot talk about Poland without talking about the Catholic faith,” Father Ziemnicki adds. “The motto of Poland is God, Honor, Country.”

This year’s Polish Day will also observe the 45th anniversary of the founding of the Solidarity movement in Poland, a non-violent social movement aligned with the Church, which led to the collapse of Communism.

Amanda Edwards, who has worked at the parish for eight years, is also proud of her Polish heritage. She attended St. Stanislaus School, as did her children before it closed.

“I enjoy the festival because it brings me a lot of joy, and I’m so excited to see people enjoying the food we prepared for them. We put a lot of love into making the food, and it’s a real homemade Polish meal,” she says. “Everybody loves Polish Day, because it lets the whole parish get together to celebrate with music, dancing and good food.”

For Mierzejewski, whose daughters, sons-in-law and even grandchildren volunteer at the event, Polish Day is a family affair. A lifelong parishioner, she was brought up immersed in Polish culture and observing its traditions.

“I went to St. Stanislaus School and the church, and I married a Polish man, who worked at the church cemetery for 41 years,” she adds. “Our parish family of St. Stanislaus and SS. Peter & Paul is everything to us, so I’m here celebrating my Polish heritage — even though I’m 100 percent Italian.”

St. Faustina Parish Polish Day will be held at St. Stanislaus Church grounds, 82 Akron St., in Meriden on Sept. 28, 1 to 5 p.m. For more information or to purchase tickets by Sept. 22, call the parish office, 203.235.6341. Children under 12 are admitted free with the purchase of an adult ticket. Tickets are not sold at the door.

St. Faustina parishioners come together to promote Polish traditions during Polish Day. Credit: ADOBE STOCK

Father Joseph Benicewicz Remembered with Memorial Scholarship, Run and Walk

Story by Shelley Wolf

Father Joseph Benicewicz will never be forgotten by all those who knew him, especially by the parishioners, faculty, staff and students at St. Paul Parish and St. Paul School in Kensington.

As the former pastor of the parish and school, the Franciscan priest, who died unexpectedly on Sept. 6, 2024, is being remembered fondly this fall through a memorial scholarship, Masses, a run and a walk.

Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, four students are benefiting from the “Father Joseph Benicewicz Memorial Scholarship.” According to Principal Jill Conaway, four student families received $250 each for a total of $1,000 in scholarships. “It’s to keep his memory alive going forward,” Conaway says.

The scholarships were distributed to students who are practicing Catholics with a financial need, in keeping with Father Benicewicz’s values.

“It was important to Father Joe to never turn away families in need, who were committed to having a Catholic education for their children,” says Kelly Esposito, director of admissions and marketing, who noted the school also offers other forms of financial assistance.

The priest – who served as a teacher, principal and school president in previous assignments – loved to spend time with students. Before his passing, he led the St. Paul School children weekly in Mass and prayer, visited them in their classrooms, and even attended their basketball games.

As soon as teachers heard the news of his death last year, they suggested the scholarship in his name and began raising funds for the endeavor. The principal and advancement director got the ball rolling by setting aside a small portion of funds from the “Lion’s Pride Fun Run,” an already existing annual school fundraiser, to establish the Father Benicewicz Memorial Scholarship Fund. The school’s next Lion’s Pride Fun Run is slated for Oct. 9.

The admissions director and athletic director also partnered to start the “Father Joe Memorial Basketball Game” in which the basketball coaches challenged the boys and girls varsity team players, all while wearing “Father Joe” T-shirts. Proceeds from ticket sales and concessions went to the scholarship fund. Next year’s game is already set for Feb. 7 from 1 to 3 p.m.

Additional scholarship donations are accepted throughout the year and processed through the Advancement Office, where each contribution is recorded and acknowledged, Esposito says.

Over at St. Paul Church on the weekend of Sept. 6, 7 and 8, near the anniversary of his death, the entire parish just celebrated three memorial Masses, offering special prayer intentions for Father Benicewicz.

Additionally, this coming October, St. Paul Parish will host the “Father Joe Memorial Walk and Gathering on the Parish Green” on Oct. 5, following the 12 p.m. Mass. The 3.1-mile walk will begin at 1:30 p.m.

Polish food will be available for purchase from Belvedere in New Britain – one of Father Joe’s favorites. The event will also include games and music.

For more about the scholarship and St. Paul School events, visit ourschool.stpaulkensington.org. For more about the memorial walk with St. Paul Parish, visit stpaulkensington.org.

“Father Joe” was a leap year baby, whose Feb. 29 birthday arrived only once every four years. In February 2024, the last leap year, St. Paul School students surprised him with handmade posters, cards and a birthday sash. PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. PAUL SCHOOL

Guided by St. Teresa’s Example, Food Pantry Nourishes Bristol Community

Story by Karen A. Avitabile

For more than 25 years, parishioners of St. Francis de Sales Parish in Bristol have been honoring St. Teresa of Calcutta by helping to combat food insecurity in their town.

The parish has been running its own Mother Teresa Food Pantry for the saint who dedicated her life to providing food, shelter and medical care to people who needed it the most around the world.

Canonized in 2016 by Pope Francis, St. Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her perseverance to alleviating poverty and hardship. The anniversary of her death, on Sept. 5, is observed as her feast day.

Food pantry volunteers from St. Francis de Sales parish churches of St. Ann and St. Anthony of Padua organize collections of non-perishable food items and then fill grocery bags with them.

Spearheaded by Jacqueline Taber, Mother Teresa Food Pantry is open on Tuesdays and Thursday mornings at St. Ann Church for collection pickups.

“I enjoy helping people,” says Taber, who has been involved with the food pantry for close to 20 years with her husband, Philip. “You see the smiles on people’s faces when you give them the food.”

Once a month, Bristol residents who need assistance are able to pick up a grocery bag – or two bags for a family – at St. Ann Church. No questions are asked. Clients range from young individuals to older adults, along with numerous families. During the holiday seasons, the food pantry volunteers see an increase in need; so, they also collect and distribute turkeys and hams donated by the parish.

Canned food items can be dropped off at the entrances of St. Ann and St. Anthony of Padua churches before weekend Masses. During bingo fundraisers on Thursday evenings in St. Ann Church Hall, donations are also accepted.

Parishioners of nearby St. Matthew & St. Gregory the Great Parish, with churches in Bristol and Forestville, also collect canned goods in their churches and drop them off at St. Ann Church.

“I feel this is beneficial for those people who need a little support,” says Jackie Samele, a food pantry volunteer for 10 years. “Back then, the food pantry needed volunteers and I stepped up.”

The Mother Terese Food Pantry team is made up of about a dozen volunteers. Like Taber, who retired and was looking for something extra to keep her busy, most of the volunteers are retirees who want to remain active, stay socially connected and make a difference in their own community. They say working with the clients enhances their own lives.

“It brings me happiness to see their joy,” says five-year volunteer Marthe Trudel. “I try to make someone else happy.”

For Sylvia Caron, giving to others has made her more thankful. “It gives you such a warm feeling to see their eyes light up and listen to them,” she says. “It’s a great feeling to do something for them. I love it.”

Volunteers of Mother Teresa Food Pantry look for the dates of canned food donations. PHOTO BY KAREN A. AVITABILE

 

A bag of groceries is readied for pick up. PHOTO BY KAREN A. AVITABILE

Spiritual Progress and Spiritual Perfection

Story by Joe Pisani

The composing room foreman on my first newspaper always told me, “It’s a brand new day in a brand new way” … at least until things started going crazy and we were missing deadlines. Then, the brand new day turned old fast.

Monday morning, as I stepped out my front door, I remembered those words and vowed, “It’s gonna be a brand new day in a brand new way” in my campaign to be a better person.

However, those resolutions for self-improvement can fall apart fast too. I no sooner crossed the intersection on my way to morning Mass when I encountered spiritual turbulence — or possibly it was an opportunity for spiritual growth. If it was, I failed the test.

A fellow in a red Mercedes raced through the red light and started tailgating me, in my unassuming Prius. I was already doing close to 10 miles over the limit but that didn’t deter him, so I slammed on the brakes and slowed down, which made a bad situation worse, because now he was within several feet of my bumper with his lights on.

At that point, my patience and love of my fellow man, and woman, dissolved, and I let loose a tirade of not very nice words.

So much for resolutions about being a better person.

By the time I got to morning Mass, the score was Satan 1, Joe 0, and the day seemed to go downhill from there.

The irony is that one of the prayers I say after Communion goes like this:

“Dear Lord, help me remove from my mind every thought or opinion which You would not sanction, every feeling from my heart which you would not approve. Help me just for today. In the long hours of work, that I may not weary or grow slack in serving you. In conversations, that they may not be to me occasions of uncharitableness. In the day’s worries and disappointments, that I may be patient with myself and those around me. In moments of fatigue and illness, that I may be mindful of others rather than of myself. In temptations, that I may be generous and loyal, so that when the day is over I may lay it at your feet, with its successes, which are all yours, and its failures which are all my own.”

Whenever, I say that prayer, I really wonder about my progress.

I suppose that when you’re trying to grow spiritually, you have to expect setbacks. You also need to have the humility not to think if you have a good day, you’re on the road to perfection because you could have a really bad day tomorrow.

It reminds me of the familiar cliche, “one step forward and two steps backward,” which points to the importance of humility and grace. Spiritual progress is more than a white-knuckle undertaking because if we pray to be better, we have to trust that Jesus will lead us where we’re meant to go because we can’t do it on our own.

My disturbing encounter reminded me of that famous saying by Jesse Jackson: “God isn’t finished with me yet.” And my father, a recovering alcoholic, always quoted the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book: “We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.”

I can live with that, as long as it’s not spiritual regression or equally bad, spiritual digression.

Sometimes we don’t see much progress, although I’m inclined to think progress can often be imperceptible, and although we may not perceive it, Jesus does.

Of course, Jesus works at his own pace in answering our prayers, which sometimes, as in the case of St. Paul, can be pretty quick although generally most of us aren’t knocked off our horses and blinded.

However, anything can happen if you start your day by praying, “God, help me become a better person today than I was yesterday.” That’s one prayer that won’t go unanswered.

While I’m convinced spiritual progress would be a lot easier if we didn’t have to deal with other people, Jesus raised the bar pretty high, which means to say we have to be patient, tolerant, compassionate and loving of them all — the dull, the cranky, the irascible and the nasty, not to mention the bad drivers.

So at the end of the day, I came to the minimally comforting realization that I had made some spiritual progress. Sort of. Not only did I pray for myself to do better tomorrow, but I also prayed for that driver.

Catholic Transcript: Fall 2025

Felician Sisters in Enfield Have a Lot to Celebrate in 2025

Story by Shelley Wolf

This year has been a year of significant anniversaries for the Felician Sisters in Enfield, as they joined with their fellow sisters across the continent in marking notable anniversaries.

On May 17, 2025, local women religious celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Felician Sisters in North America (1874-2024). On that day, the sisters in the archdiocese welcomed Archbishop Christopher J. Coyne, who celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving in the chapel of Our Lady of the Angels Convent in Enfield.

The Mass, which was attended by numerous sisters, volunteers and invited guests, was followed by a reception. The event evoked fond memories of the sisters as teachers, and there was at least one request for the archbishop’s homily.

“When the archbishop talked about our history, you felt 10-feet taller because you were a part of this,” says Sister Patricia (“Patty”) Marie Iagrosso, who moved to Enfield from the Bronx as an aspirant after the eighth grade. “I’ve been here for over 60 years and have seen the ups and downs and the overs.”

The Felician Sisters, who formed their community in Enfield in 1932, were primarily known for education, operating several schools. The Enfield Montessori School sits on their campus today. “Our Montessori School is still flourishing,” says Sister Patty, who chose a different path for herself and continues to work as a resident care nurse at nearby St. Joseph Residence.

This year, the Felician Sisters also joined with their peers across the continent in celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of their foundress, Blessed Mary Angela Truszkowska (born May 16, 1825 and died Oct. 10, 1899).

The sisters in Enfield celebrated with a festive Mass. To symbolize enduring service, they planted a dogwood tree in front of their convent.

At its feet is a commemorative plaque honoring their foundress and the many employees who serve them at Our Lady of the Angels Convent and in their private care center for fellow sisters and Franciscan priests and brothers.

Blessed Mary Angela Truszkowska founded the order of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Felix of Cantalice (the Felicians) in Poland in 1855. As someone who began as a lay Franciscan, she was committed to working with the poor and launched the Felicians as a branch of the Franciscans.

With the goal “to serve where needed,” she blessed five sisters, who left Poland in 1874, bound for North America, where the sisters made their mark in teaching and in social service. “Mother Mary Angela was a dynamic woman. She was ahead of her time, looking to the future,” Sister Patty says. “Mother’s vision was for ‘contemplative-active service.’”

Blessed Mary Angela, who died in 1899, is on the path to sainthood. A miraculous healing was attributed to her intervention and approved by the Vatican in 1984. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 18, 1993. She needs one more miracle to be approved in order to be canonized as a saint.

Today, a tapestry depicting Blessed Mary Angela hangs in the sanctuary of the chapel at Our Lady of the Angels Convent in Enfield. It is the same tapestry that was present at her beatification in Rome.

A free booklet telling the story of her life, On Earth as in Heaven, published by the Felicians, can be downloaded at felician.org/about/mary-angela-truszkowska/.

A tapestry of Blessed Mary Angela Truszkowska that was at her Beatification in Rome hangs in the sisters’ double-sided chapel. PHOTO BY SHELLEY WOLF

 

Sister Patricia Marie Iagrosso identifies the tree the Felician Sisters planted this year, honoring the 200th anniversary of their foundress’ birth and their employees. PHOTO BY SHELLEY WOLF