Official Visit of the Leadership Team to Blessed Sacrament Province
On October 17th, we visited Sister Regina and Sister Darlene in Chicago. Darlene teaches at Loyola University and Regina works at the church.
On the morning of October 18th, I attended Mass at Our Lady at St. Germaine Church where Sister Regina works.
After Mass, we had a gathering with the associates at St. Rose of Lima Chapel in Kankakee. This beautiful church has stained glass windows of St. Marguerite. There is also a stone pavement in the churchyard, which shows the congregation’s gratitude to the CND.
We visited the Bourbonnais Grove Historical Society where our associates volunteer and toured a house that has been inhabited by a French-Canadian family since 1848, as well as a log-house schoolhouse.
The Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Bourbonnais Grove is one of the pilgrimage sites of the CND, the first sisters to come to the area from Montréal in 1860 and to have been active in the United States.
In one corner of the church, there are photographs and documents that show the history of the sisters’ activities. There is also a painting of St. Marguerite on display inside the church.
Afterwards, we visited the graves of our sisters who rest there and offered prayers and thanksgiving.
The morning of October 19th, a gathering was held for Regina and Darlene.
Afterwards, we attended Mass at Our Lady at St. Germaine Church. One of the songs was in Spanish, so Ercilia sang along with Regina. We only stayed in Chicago for three days, but it was an unforgettable experience.