On Friday, December 7, in Manhattan New York, the final resting place of our beloved Father Founder, the 14th Anniversary of his entrance to eternal life was celebrated in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. On this occasion, the President, Father Jesús Fernández and our Superiors General María del Carmen García and Luis Casasús participated in this great meeting and Eucharistic celebration of thanksgiving.
Thus, in the context of the Advent season, the atmosphere in the Cathedral was one a special recollected joy, in contrast to the coming and going of the New Yorker, worried about reaching the next train, or taking the perfect photo in front of the Rockefeller Christmas tree or perhaps to find the perfect gift in one of the many shops in this busy part of the city.
In this framework of New York daily life, 25 buses coming from the 4 parishes administered by our Institution, transported hundreds of parishioners who departed from their respective cities: St. Luke Parish in Brentwood, Our Lady of Loreto in Hempstead and three in the Bronx: St. Mary , Our Lady of Consolation and Santo Domingo. Each year in commemoration of the transit of our Father Founder, the faithful board the buses with a sense of pilgrimage where the trisagio is prayed, and each one writes his petition on small pieces of paper, that are distributed during the trip and that will be given to the Bishop along with the offerings to be placed at the foot of the Altar.
About 3,000 people participated in the Mass in which the Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Center, His Grace. Richard Garth Hennign, noted with admiration the presence of many young people, as well as many families. The homily focused on the meaning of the word unity and how St. Paul speaks of Christ’s invitation to participate in his mystery and in that we are chosen by him.
“This invitation requires a free and loving response, as can be seen in the life of its Founder. It is not an accident that he has indicated to you to form unity with the Lord, to participate in communion; … It is very clear in the Idente community because all are participants … he has indicated the importance of communion among us because in this way we can discern God’s invitation to Divine unity, to participate in the mystery of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, because he, his Founder, has spoken to us about the community of people and that he based it on the communion between us and God … we can understand his life and message if we can remember this invitation to participate.
Like Mary, the new Eve who never sought her own will and who gave her life to God, willing to participate in the Mystery, the life of our Founder is marked by free responses of self giving to the communion and unity with the Divine Persons.”
Filled with God, filled with hope and with a happy heart, we return to our homes happy to reach the holiness in common to which our Heavenly Father invites us.
