On Friday, December 1, at 8:00 p.m. in the Cathedral of St. Patrick, in New York, we celebrated Mass for the 13th anniversary of the passing of our Father Founder into eternal life.
His Excellency Most Rev. Nicholas DiMarzio, titular Bishop of Brooklyn, presided at the Eucharist, which was concelebrated by the Procurator General and all the priests of the Province, as well as several diocesan priests who collaborate in the parishes administered by our Institution in New York. Once again the Cathedral was nearly filled, with the attendance of members of the Idente Family (almost 2,000 people) from our parishes on Long Island (St. Luke and Our Lady of Loretto) and in the Bronx (Our Lady of Solace-St. Dominic and Santa Maria).
In his homily, the Bishop, using the symbol of the fig tree mentioned in the day’s Gospel, spoke of the fruits of patience and perseverance and ended by making a reference to our Founder and his missionary work as an example of dedication to the Church.
The Provincial Superiors, our sister Elaine and our brother Robert, expressed their gratitude to the Bishop and to those in attendance, the latter emphasizing the fact that the passing of our Father occurred precisely in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
Our celebration was marked by the colorful participation of many children, including some 60 altar servers and the children’s choirs of St. Luke and Santa Maria, respectively.
At the end of the Mass we received numerous expressions of affection from our friends and parishioners who attended with gratitude and confidence in the intercessory grace of our Father Founder.
Entire families look forward to this annual celebration, as an opportunity to participate in something powerful and at the same time familiar, taking advantage of the excursion to Manhattan to see the magnificent Christmas decorations that characterize the neighborhood of the Cathedral.
