January 21, 2013 is Venerable Mary Angeline Teresa's 29th anniversary of death. What is it about our Foundress we admire? Our Sisters in Formation share their thoughts on the woman they call "Mother Angeline Teresa."
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| SISTERS IN FORMATION |
(L-R) Sr. Mary Josephine, Sr. Luke Mary, Sr. Hope Therese, Sr. Katherine Theresa,
Sr. Maureen Paul & Sr. Mary Catherine
Sr. Maureen Paul & Sr. Mary Catherine
Sr. Hope Therese, O.Carm.
Novice
"One characteristic of Mother Angeline that I especially
admire was her courage. She left the
security and happiness with the Little Sisters of the Poor because she felt
called to serve the elderly in a different way.
She did not know if her new Community would succeed or not. She had complete faith and trust in God’s
Providence and wisdom. With any vocation
there are difficulties, struggles, and roadblocks. If one gets through them, it leads to greater
affirmation of God’s will. To get
through hard times and persevere in God’s plan, one needs courage. I am amazed by Mother Angeline’s strong faith
that gave her the courage to carry out a vision that was radical for its
time. God has a plan for everyone.
Even when things are rough they will get better. No bad time lasts forever. The hard road is the narrow gate that will
lead us to the kingdom of God. Mother
Angeline understood all of this. She
never gave up on God’s plan for her despite setbacks. We, her daughters, need to remember this on
our vocational journey. If Mother
Angeline could persevere in a changing vocation we can persevere in a steady
one. We have nothing to fear with such a
courageous Foundress as our Mother, protector and guide."
Sr. Mary Josephine
Crowe, O.Carm
Temporary Vow Sister
"Mother Angeline’s love of family draws me very much to
her. In caring for her residents, her
emphasis was to provide a genuinely home-like environment. She also encouraged family members to come
into the Home often to visit and to be with and care for their father, mother,
aunt, sister or brother. She emphasized
the importance of residents going out to visit their families, to go on
vacation, to go to the theater with family and friends. She saw the importance of family members
joining the residents for Sunday Mass and having a cup of tea or coffee
afterwards. She saw the importance of
decorating the residents’ rooms with their own belongings and memorabilia. Mother Angeline also emphasized the
importance of the Sisters’ families. We
also have our own families and I have been told that Mother used to say that
you can’t care for other people’s families if you have not cared for your
own. I remember visiting one of Mother
Angeline’s Homes before I entered. The
Sisters were chatting over lunch about who had joined them for the Easter
celebrations and dinner afterwards. One
Sister had her mother and brother come a long distance to visit. Another Sister had her mother who was a
resident in the Home also join them. Coming through the convent the following
morning, I met the one Sister who was on her day-off and was ironing her
mother’s clothes. It seemed so
normal. There was an atmosphere of
family in the convent and in the Home."
Sr. Luke Mary
Angeline, O.Carm
Novice
"Mother Angeline’s faith was extraordinary. Faith is
supernatural because we cannot by ourselves acquire it. It is a free gift of
God. It is however, increased by prayer and continual exercise. Our faith must
be firm and complete; that is, both certain and all-encompassing. Mother Angeline’s
accomplishments proved that she was not only a woman of faith but also a woman
of prayer. Without her faith and prayers, our Congregation, would not have been
founded."
Sr. Mary Catherine,
O.Carm.
Novice
"Mother Angeline Teresa was a unique woman who followed the
path, or shall we say, the road less traveled.
Her faithfulness to God the Father, following the inspirations of the
Holy Spirit, led her to establish a new road in the service of her Spouse and
Love, Jesus. May I also be so faithful
on the road less traveled."
Sr. Maureen Paul
Angeline, O.Carm.
Novice
"When I first began to learn about Mother Angeline’s life, I
remember thinking, “Now this is a person who is authentic in her relationship
with God.” With a single-mindedness
found only in saints, she joined the Little Sisters of the Poor at the tender
age of 20. She was sent away to France
as a Postulant, made her First Vows at age 22, and was sent to America to begin
her ministry to the Elderly. Ten years
later she made Final Vows in France and was again reassigned to America. Only four years after that, she took a huge
step in faith and left her beloved Little Sisters of the Poor, in order to
fulfill her vocation to serving the elderly in America in a new and
unprecedented way. She took into
consideration the American culture and traditions and to provide care for the
middle class elderly in a comfortable home-like environment. This part of her life-story shows clearly
the extent to which she gave of herself, not seeking to satisfy her own wants
and needs, but in trust and humility abandoned herself entirely to do God’s
will. This complete lack of duplicity,
her great courage, and total trust in Divine Providence are what inspired me to
leave the comfort and security of the life that I had worked so hard to build
up around myself. I often turn to her
prayerfully for guidance and assistance as I am formed and transformed in my
life as Novice. Mother Angeline listened
to God’s voice with her heart and yielded to His will entirely and
unselfishly. I pray for the grace to
follow her example. Mother Angeline
said, “It is not a way of life for the weak or ambitious.”
