Sisters Celebrate Feast of St. Louis-Marie de Montfort

Sisters celebrated the Feast of St. Louis-Marie de Montfort with a special Mass and banquet at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Convent in Sound Beach, NY, yesterday. Father Bill Considine, SMM, presided over the Mass with a liturgy prepared by Sr. Ann Nielsen, DW. In his homily, Father Bill spoke about how this year is the 350th Anniversary of St. Louis-Marie de Montfort's birth, and it has been 307 years since his death. He also mentioned that the Monforts arrived in Port Jefferson, NY, Malawi, and Columbia 120 years ago.

"Like Montfort and Marie Louise, we, you, were enchanted and captivated by Wisdom. And like them, your hearts were filled with tenderness and care for the little ones and the suffering, and for those who yearned to meet God and to grow in God," said Father Bill. "And for 75 or 90 or 100 years, you staked, we staked our lives. We staked our lives that the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. And we are part of its past history and still part of the future. We, you, planted the seeds, and God gives the growth."

The Sisters sang beautiful hymns together during the Mass. The recessional hymn, Montfort's Cantique "nouveau du pauvre d'esprit," remained uplifting and inspirational, through his words: 

"We'll journey on the open road, the gospel in our hand. 

With spirits poor and nothing more at Wisdom's own command."