Dear Friend,

With deep gratitude in my heart, I thank God for the privilege and honor to minister here at ICA -- first under the leadership of Fr. Raaser as Adult Faith Formation Director and now under Fr. Sorgie as the Director of Religious Education.

How can I forget our Mary Festivals? Or the Trivia Night with Fr. Clarke and Fred Salanitro asking the questions? Or the many of you who participated in the Know Your Faith Series, Washington Pilgrimage, or our 33 Days to Morning Glory book club retreat? How can I forget the moms and little ones in Morning Out and Parents Connect as well as all those Vacation Bible Camps with Lisa Cartolano?

How can I forget the many faith-filled women and men who, while working full-time, still committed to teaching PREP and our beautiful parents who made Jesus a priority amid dance lessons, travel teams and other sports? How can I forget the parents and teens who led the Coats & Cans Drives, the Toiletry Drives, the Soap & Socks Drives, the Valentine's and St. Patrick's Day Cards Drive? I am most grateful for your generosity and support. Together we made a difference in the lives of those who are struggling.

How can I forget our beautiful children receiving Jesus for the first time and our radiant teens, their foreheads still wet with the Sacred Chrism at Confirmation, in the middle of the pandemic?

Most of all, how can I not thank God for the shrine in honor of Blessed Clelia Merloni, created by Fr. Sorgie? Her presence among you will remind you of His steadfast love. Remember, she taught: “If God is holding your hand and the way is dark, what does it matter if you don’t know where you are going?”

Last of all, how can I forget the incredible Mass celebrated by Fr. Sorgie and the lovely reception for my 50th Jubilee celebration of vows? Your generosity and God's just overflows.

Forever I will be grateful to God for being called to serve here. What a great gift and a deep joy it has been to be with you. On May 31, I leave as Director of Religious Education. You, your family, your grandchildren, this parish and our priests will always remain in my heart and prayers.

Remember how well loved you are even in the middle of these troubling times. God has our back. We have His Heart. What more do we need?

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you!

 

Your sister,
Sr. Cora

Dear Parishioner,

I hope this letter finds you and your family well.

"I want to let you know that my time with you at ICA Parish has come to a close. I will be leaving the parish on May 31. Once again, I hear the Lord say to me: Go to a land I will show you.

These words were first spoken to Abraham, our father in faith, who went not knowing where he was going. As a teenager, I heard these words and entered the convent. Step by step, God led me here to ICA to minister and be with you for eleven years.

All of us are on a journey; some of us move physically, all of us journey spiritually. We spend our life listening to the Voice of God, often not knowing where we are going. We go because God tells us to go — no angels appear, but deep in our gut, our heart, we know what God requires and so we move, stepping out in faith, trusting in the One Who is Faithful.

I tell you now that my last day is May 31 so we may greet each other and I may thank you for the privilege and great gift of ministering here at ICA. To see you and the children is my joy. God led me here and now He leads somewhere else, and like Abraham, I do not know where I am going. How typical of these tough Covid times!

All we have is God. As Blessed Clelia taught: When God holds your hand, what does it matter if the way is dark and we don’t know where we are going? You and I know God holds our hands and, even more, holds us in His arms. I thank God for the gift of walking with you on this part of the journey and serving you.

Together let us pray:

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you.

You and your family are in my prayers!"

— Sr. Cora

We sat in the dark;
the dampness penetrated
the very clothes we wore.
We sat remembering:
what He had said;
how He had said it;
and the way He had laughed so easily.
We, too, wanted to laugh remembering.
I could almost smell the scent of cedar
that clung to His clothes.
How peculiar not that He should die,
but that He should die upon the wood
that had welcomed Him,
when He was but a child.
...
And now, it's the third night,
after we laid Him in the tomb.
We wait, not knowing, for what we wait.
We wait, because He'd asked us to wait.
Our people are used to waiting.
We waited for freedom from slavery
for four hundred years;
we can wait a few more days.
Though He's my son, my boy,
the delight of my soul,
I did not always understand Him.
...
He gave life by His very presence.
Perhaps, that's why He took the bread that night
into His hands as we sat at table.
You remember He gave it to us: Take and eat.
This is my body.
Strange words! What did they mean?
I wondered even as He said them.
He was always wanting
to give something -- Take!
We took the bread,
and ate -- not knowing
what He wanted to give.

We ate the bread and as we ate
without the familiar laughter and old jokes;
it was as if time itself stood still and waited.
Waited for what we did not know.
But we held our breath
and waited for a word from Him, a sign,
a gesture, we'd recognize.
He broke the bread and said,
Do this in memory of me.

Is it only three days ago
we sat together around this table?
How we laughed
and sang the old songs!
And now. . .

Peace! Peace be with you!
Do not be afraid! It is I.
Why are you troubled?
You have found favor with God.
...
In that brief moment between shadow and light,
I began to understand!
Be at Peace!
Overcome with joy, I rose to hug
Him whom my heart held dear.
Words I'd said a thousand times before
came to my lips. Come, sit.
Let us eat. You must be hungry.
At table we sat: He and I with you.
He took the bread,
blessed it and broke it.
My eyes were opened!
Now, I knew what I had never understood:
He's giving us Himself!
Whether in words or in bread,
the gift was still the same:
Himself poured out
in stories, songs or simple laughter!
And, now, for me,
the night is, indeed, over;
the Dawn has come with the heavy
fragrance of early spring orange blossoms
mixed with the scent of fresh cut cedar.

— Sr. Cora Lombardo, a.s.c.j.

My name is Clelia Merloni; many call me Mother Clelia, especially after I founded the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Recently, I am called Blessed Clelia.

My parents called me Clelia in honor of Countess Clelia Merenda for whom my father worked. When I was very young, my good mother died and my Nonna took care of me and called me her little girl. Nonna and Papa did not always get along. Discussions that became arguments would wake me. I was too little to understand, but I was afraid.

We moved to San Remo, Italy, and Papa married my good stepmother who taught me about the good God and sacrifice. She suffered much from my father who was a generous man but was misled by others. In a short time, he became rich and brought a maid into the house who behaved as if she was the Mistress. My good stepmother returned to her family because of the difficulties, leaving me with no one but God Alone. Dear God, please let my good stepmother return to us. Let Papa change. My good stepmother did not return; Papa did not change.

I told Papa I wanted to be a Sister, but he did not listen. He sent me to a boarding school. When I became ill, fearing for my life, he brought me home. Tutors taught me all he thought I needed to take over the business. He did not understand my desire to consecrate myself to God as a Sister. My friend and I took a train to Rome to enter the convent. Papa caught us and brought us home. He saw I wanted to do good, so generous Papa gave me the resources to start an orphanage. My legal troubles started. God, where do you want me to serve you?

At last, Papa let me enter the Little House of Providence. For two years, I taught, I prayed, and I was happy. Could this be where God wants me? But then I became so sick they thought I was dying! While praying, the Sacred Heart of Jesus appeared to me, and I understood I was to found a community dedicated to His Heart. I told Papa and he replied: “Let us pray a novena. If Jesus wants you to start a new community, you will be well. If not, you go to God.” For nine days, the sisters and children prayed. On the last day, I was well! Now I knew what God wanted me to do.

On May 30, 1894, I founded the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at Viareggio, Italy. In spite of many difficulties, of false accusations and betrayals, I trusted in the Heart of Jesus, praying always: Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you. (Our shrine of Blessed Clelia Merloni is near the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Immaculate Conception Church.)

The night before He died, Jesus prayed: “May they be one, Father. As you are in me and I am in you. May they be so completely one That the world may know you sent me.” Jn 17: 23

In the middle of a pandemic and political unrest, this is a challenge we face every day. How are we to stay united as a family and a nation? The temptation to focus on our differences rather than our common heritage as children of the Father eats away at our respect for each other. Do we focus on hard feelings and grudges, or do we hear the call to take the high road? Each of us is unique: we have our own mind, our own experiences, our own background. We need to consider: Who do I want to be? Do I want to put on Christ Jesus? Do I want to give the benefit of the doubt to the other person? Can I overlook their faults and acknowledge that my way is not the only way? Blessed Clelia taught: “Let’s not blame creatures for that which God allows by means of them. They are nothing more than instruments in God’s hands.”

Quite simply, sin divides. In the Garden of Eden, the Evil One asks Eve: “Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat from any of the trees in the garden’?” With these words he sows seeds of doubt, the first step leading Adam and Eve to distrust and turn their back on God. We name it Original Sin. The antidote? Unity. “May they be one, Father. As you are in me and I am in you.”

This week is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. How do we pray for Christian Unity when we suffer divisions in our families? Do we value unity? Are we willing to suffer for it? Unity will not just happen because we desire it. It becomes a reality only if we each examine ourselves, asking: What separates us? Is it my bad attitude? Am I taking offense where no offense is intended?

We of different faith traditions and various families can only come together if we honor the intrinsic dignity of each human person who comes from God. Unity first happens in our minds and hearts as we think “we” and “us” rather than “they” and “them.”

Can we agree to disagree? Yes, we can respect the other person even though we may disagree with her or his thinking. Can we listen with our minds and hearts to the other’s ideas even though we disagree? Why should we? Because deep down we value them as human persons.

How do we do this? Jesus prayed: “May they be one, Father. As you are in me and I am in you. May they be so completely one That the world may know you sent me.” During this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, could God be calling us to make peace and allow Him to unite our own family and our nation?

A Prayer for Christian Unity

God our Father,
you reveal to us your love through Christ and through our brothers and sisters.
Open our hearts so that we can welcome each other
with our differences and live in forgiveness.
Grant us to live united in one body,
so that the gift that is each person comes to light.
May all of us together be a reflection of the living Christ.

From the USCCB-recommended website, GEII.org

Scripture for Reflection During the Week

• Colossians 3:12-17 - Clothe yourself with compassion
• John 13:1-15; 34-35 - Love one another