Reparation Thoughts
….By His Wounds we are healed
Volume XXIII, Number 6
Dear Donnès of Reparation, Family and Friends,
There were some beautiful purple perennial plants where I shopped this morning. They had been placed outside in the parking lot and I found myself without a cart or any other way to transport them. A handsome young black man came to my aid. He quickly found a plant cart and assisted in moving my selection onto it. He then offered to follow me to the cash register, waited until they were purchased, and put them into our car. His help was greatly appreciated. His store name tag was “Michael” so I asked him how he got that name.
“We came from Africa”, he explained. “We were not Catholic, but it was Catholics that arranged and provided the way for me and my family to come here to America”. “It was a great blessing to our family so my mother told me she called me ‘Michael’ because it was her favorite Catholic name”. “Do you know who that is?” I asked. “Oh, yes!” the young man explained. “He is the greatest of archangels and he has always protected me!” The young man handled himself with great dignity and respect. I could tell that he knew I was a religious and he wanted to be of help to me.
I felt God so very present in this experience. It was as if He was walking and talking with us! What an unexpected joy!
Yesterday, at our dinner after Mass, I was sharing a little about our founding sisters. There were far more stories to tell. For instance, when they were mailing books and novenas from Yvonne’s New York apartment, Sister Anne Joseph, with her permanent limp, would take a heavy metal cart, filled with packages, and walk to the post office twelve blocks away. This journey included negotiating thirty-seven steps up to the next street. She never complained. She never refused to go. She considered it a privilege to participate in such an important work. She was an example to emulate!
Sr. Mary Aloysius was the mother of Yvonne, our Foundress. She worked right along with the others in whatever God was asking them to do. When she went with the sisters to California missions, she cooked, sewed, cleaned….. whatever was needed. One day, I heard a strange noise coming from the back hallway of our convent. Investigating it, I found her sewing machine still working even though she was nowhere in sight. She had pressed the foot treadle down for such a long time, it decided to keep working on its own!!! Sr. Aloysius was eighty years old when God called her to religious life. She said “Yes” and served to her death.
As I encountered Michael and his ‘Catholic’ experience, I felt proud to be a part of such a great church. But it clearly reminded me of the greatness and steadfastness of the reparation women God had called me to follow. I could never thank God enough for allowing me to be part of this Reparation Community. I have been truly blessed.
Mother Mary of the Angels, SR
Mid-April 2024
