Saints From The Hood
Today is a very exciting day for our area since Pope Benedict has canonized not one, but two saints from CNY. Mother Marianne Cope and Kateri Tekakwitha. There is a shine for Kateri about forty miles away in Auriesville, NY http://www.katerishrine.com/ . It is a beautiful place.
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| Kateri |
But Mother Marianne, on the other hand, has a soup kitchen named for her at a parish she served on the west side of the city which also happens to be where I grew up.
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| Mother Marianne |
In addition, and maybe more to my delight, is that Mother Marianne recieved her First Communion and Confirmation at Historic Old St. Johns Church which is my parish. I think I am so excited because I have known so many saints in my life,I mean genuine saints, people who have put everyone before themselves for the love of God. So when a hometown girl, and a girl right from the streets I walked and the pews in which I pray is recognized in such an auspicious manner I cannot help but feel that so many other unknown saints go with her. Beyond that, I am relishing that my kids get to see not one but two local women canonized and that they can witness the lives of conviction that both of these women had. (My middle daughter is considering Kateri as her confimation name and told me that she is the patron saint of ecology. She is a couple years off from confirmation but I love that she is somehow connecting with this extraordinarily faith-filled woman).
Below are a couple of pictures of the church. I am sure it was a little different when Mother Marianne was a child but …but really, maybe not all that much. We have since renovated and it is a bright and cheerful place!I thought I would show it as close to what she would have seen.
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| Historic Old St. John’s Church Utica, NY (Christmas 2010)Where Mother Marianne recieved the sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation |
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| Full view at Christmas children’s vigil |
Beautiful church! It is great that we in this part of the state have two new saints! Auriesville is about 20 miles west of me; I did not go yesterday, but will return there soon.
Sts. Kateri and Marianne, pray for us!
In Canada we feel very close to St. Kateri because she came to live in Canada after her conversion to Catholicism and this is where she remained until she died. We rejoice together with you on her canonization.
Fran, I think they close soon! I looked it up yesterday thinking I would take my daughters there. But they are closing on the 31st of October, I believe. So I guess it will wait until Spring! Might be a good time to meet! 🙂
Lynda, yes someone pointed out that it is a shared canonization with Canada (don’t mind us we are just naturally grabby in America! ;)) But what they said was so true, she is still uniting people in the love of God. As happy for Canada as I am for us! Wasn’t there another for you too?
Annette, I wasn’t meaning that you were grabby. I was just meaning that we are celebrating as well. It is very exciting here and there are special Masses being said at many places. A school here in our town is named after her so there will be a rededication of the chapel and a special Mass and re-enactment of her life by the school children this week. There were hundreds of Canadians at the Canonization in Rome and many were Aboriginals.
We just recently celebrated the canonization of St. Brother Andre as well.
Blessings,
Lynda
Lynda, LOL! I knew what you meant! But I do mean it, we are grabby! Especially where I am because we just don’t get good press all that often.
I love that Aboriginals were able to be present. Imagine what that meant for them! You are so lovely Lynda, I am so glad you come here. Have a great night!