“Back in the Habit”

I was back at the convent and spending the night way sooner than i expected. This time, i honestly enjoyed every minute. Each time i go to Villa and each moment i spend with the Sisters gives me an inside look at not only their religious life, but also THEM as an individual person. Every time is a new experience… its never quite the same!

The Sisters invited me to go to Orlando to see ICE! It was CRAZYY!!! In the convention center on the side of a hotel, they made an entire ice wonderland. There were ornaments with so many colors and rudolph with his red nose… there were ice people climbing ice towers and ice walrus’ swimming in water, even to the very detail of ripples. This place was absolutely insane! I have never seen anything like it!

After Mass and breakfast, Sr Maryann, Sr Mary, Sr Florine, Megan and i drove out to Orlando… 15 minutes later we were driving back haha Sr Florine asked the Sisters if they had their tickets…and they didn’t. It was funny though because Sr Mary answered with the most calm, serious voice; i thought she was kidding.

Back on the road, we arrived at Orlando over an hour later and entered into ICE! Learning how to do that kinda of sculpture work would be so cool! The Chinese come over and put it together every year… a single sculpture could take about 600,000 pounds of ice to build. I really want to watch and see how it all comes together.

I was taking a bunch of pictures to show my family, but halfway through, RIGHT as we were about to take a group shot with ice Santa, my camera died!! They keep the room at 9 degrees and my batteries had frozen! So much for “built to last!”    On a better token, i still had my phone and was able to take pictures with that.

After we slide down an ice slide (which was awesome!!) We enter the last room of sculptures, the true reason of Christmas. Not Santa.. raindeer, ornaments nor the North Pole but a GIANT NATIVITY SCENE!! Gaurding its entrance i was so happy to see a twenty something foot Angel!

It really struck me how this ICE show which brought people from ALL over did not try and skirt around the “Reason for the Season.” I was amazed and shocked they actually dedicated the grand finale to our Lord.

Being with the Sisters is so much fun and i love their joyful spirit even more NOW than i did when i first met them a year ago. I still can’t believe that it has ALREADY been a year and it has ONLY been a year. Stepping up to their door with my sweaty palms and the feeling of butterflies in my stomache is as clear as yesturday, but seems like a distant happening.

I have experienced so much, grown so much and learned a good deal. Being there on monday and tuesday i felt so close to them and so much apart of their community. I am FINALLY getting the hang of their morning and evening prayers! It has been difficult between falling alseep during meditation and losing the pages all the time. Those Sisters have so much patience with me though.

When Sr. Clare and i were praying vespers by ourselves one night, i was completely lost. She would tell me the page and when she told me the next one, i would flip without marking it… then she went back to the last one read her share and waited. I looked up and she said, Your turn. “What page?” i asked.. her response made me laugh inside. “Oh! 360″ like it was the most natural thing that i didn’t know which page. We began again but later, same thing. She looks up at me and i said Sr Clare i am so sorry, i have NO clue where you are at! Again, like it was normal she just explained to me (with an amused smile on her face!) and we continued.

On monday night, again during Vespers, Sr Mary was showing me where we were at and which pages. I was using Sr Helene’s book since she was out of town and her prayer cards kept falling out. They were in the front of the book and everytime i would turn to a new page three of them would fall out.. on my lap, onto the floor…i kept picking them up and continuing. As we stood up, i turned to the previous section and the prayer cards fell beneath the pew, i picked them up;  Sr Mary had started reading and as i stood up and tried finding the page again a single cards fluttered onto the pew in front of us.

Oh my goodness!!! I am not going to be allowed to sit next to Sr Mary anymore; i keep disrupting her prayer, was all i kept thinking. Then, Sr Mary stops. Great, now i’ve done it! At last i found the page and i wait, but she didn’t continue. I look sideways and see she is trying to keep a straight face, with that my worry vanished. I was so glad she wasn’t mad that i could not keep a straight face. Sr Florine ended up closing the prayer for her and we had 15 minutes of spiritual reading.

I don’t think i had a very productive evening of prayer! I was pretty hungry and the entire 15 minutes of reflection my stomache kept growling. The Chapel was dead silent with only the ticking of the clock to be heard; so of course i am sure Sr Mary could hear my stomache and i couldn’t concentrate because i was so worried i was be disruptful.

In the kitchen later, the Sisters asked what had happened and Sr Mary joked, “She spent more time under the pew than praying!” (I think next time i will move the prayer cards)

For dinner Sr Florine made lasagne!!! This was the dinner i had with the Sisters when i met them last December. It was her first time she had made one and monday’s was her second or third! Being Italian i LOVE it and she added spinache which was sooo good!

Afterward we all played UNO Attack, i won the first round with Sr Mary’s cards which had traded hands three times. It was so much fun! Sr Clare had some magic touch because everytime she preased the button she never got cards! I got plenty though!! and then traded hands with her!!

I got to bed around ten thirty that night, tired but happy. I was sleeping in a Convent…. how normal it seemed! What a beautiful day.

It only takes ONE.

The Power of One……. http://happynun.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/what-can-you-do/

“Yes, you are a snowflake, but each one of us, (even if we are a bunch of flakes) is necessary for God to let a blizzard of His love fall on the earth! “

I really like this imagery, a blizzard of God’s Love sweeping across our vast earth. Just sitting and thinking i find it is SOOO true. ONE person can really make a profound impact; especially looking at some of the best examples i know:

Our Savior. ONE man who carried the weight of the world. Whose teachings and Faith still remain with us over TWO THOUSAND YEARS later. Whose very life, ONE life impacted so many lives and converted so many hearts to know and experience the great blizzard of God’s infinate Love. 

Another is Don Bosco. ONE man who changed the lives of thousands of youth. Who was thought to be insane and ordered to an asylum but carried on his work, always trusting in God’s Love. He founded the Salesians who have spread throughout the earth and made a personal impact on me, affecting the way i live.

My own confirmation Saint, Mother Teresa. A modern day hero whose boldness created a vast movement to Love and care for the dying poor.

Its really amazing how it takes just one person to make a difference. What if Jesus had passed the cup on? What if Don Bosco had not held such a steady faith in God’s plans? What if Mother Teresa never stepped outside of her Convent? The world would still move on but it would not be the place it is today. Maybe other persons would have taken up the slack but the effects would be different.

I always wonder what it is God has in store for me? How am i going to make an impact and spread His unconditional Love? Even now as my life is slowly unfolding its amazing the oppurtunities which come up! Before i used to have a set time scale of highschool, then this, then that…. will be here when i am this age……. and now? i have NO CLUE where i will be in ten years, but its nice….. just going where the wind blows and trusting in the Lord. I once heard the quote, If you want to make God laugh tell Him your plans.  

I am one snowflake, a small but significant piece to God’s jigsaw puzzle and throughout my life i want to proudly look back and know i spread His Love and helped create a glorious blizzard! His impact shall always remain, a picture of Love He shares with all.

 A real photo. Can you see Him in the snow?

Looking Ahead

When i spent the night with the Sisters; by five o’clock the next evening i was waiting for my dad to arrive. I was ready to go home. It was by no means bad at the Convent but i found its not time for me to be there. I am really glad i decided to go to college first. When i was at Villa the other day i started talking with a teacher and she seemed almost offended when i told her i was thinking about becoming a Salesian Sister.

She told me how being a missionary was really good but a nun, no. She said i would be told what to do and i pretty much had to do it. I would be living behind walls and not seeing the life around me. She said if i didn’t want to get married that was alright but i shouldn’t become a nun.

I respectfully listened to her meanwhile thinking, Does she not know her boss is a nun and she is working at a school with nuns? I know i have to take a vow of Obedience but what really does that mean? To what extent do i have to be obedient? How constricting is this going to be? Is this God telling me i should not be a nun?

I am suppose to listen to myself , to my circumstances and to those around me throughout discernment. Which is the voices of good?

I thought about my weekend with the Sisters. I felt contained while i was in the Convent. I feel the Convent is not really a place for a kid…. there’s nothing to do. I love going to Villa and being with the Sisters but as far as staying in the Convent for an extended period, i don’t know if i would love that. I once thought abotu a cloistered order but i would go INSANE sitting in a Convent all day. I want to do something more active and engaging with people.

I hope through missionary work i will be able to fill that void. I don’t think i am allowed to be a missionary the rest of my life though. I guess i will have to wait and see where the Lord leads me but after college i know to the poorest of the poor is where i will head!

Missionary work is a good way to experience life; to “live life” as Sister advised. I have EVERYTHING i have ever wanted and needed. In other countries some kids are lucky to have two meals a day. I want to live there. I want to go through what they have lived through and help them. I don’t believe i will ever find a “soulmate” that one man i want to settle down with for the rest of my life. I know i will find love in service and i will find Christ in that love. It will be challenging and difficult. I will be away from home more than a year living with people i have never met and knowing no one. God help me, i look forward to it!

As far as becoming a nun, i am scared. I don’t think i can live like them or be as good and faithful as them but i will follow the Lord wherever His path shall lead me. The teacher did say something i completely agree with: We only live life once. So she found her dream boy and loves the life she leads, that may not be the life i want to lead. It takes all kinds in this world.

What does the Future Hold?

I wonder where the future leads me?  With the whole hype about 2012 and todays Gospel message telling us to be prepared because Christ will come like a theif in the night i wonder…. Will You come in my lifetime? The Gospel said do not be afraid when the judgement comes but at the end of Mass Fr said a closing which put me at unease. I don’t think 2012 is the end of the world but will the end come during my lifetime? What if i am left behind? How do i assure i am following God and His ways? How do i assure i am pure enough?

On another note, i spent the night with the Sisters last weekend. It was interesting…… i had my own room upstairs right next to Sr Florine. We were doing a fundraiser for the Youth Center and i didn’t get back til after 11. Sr Helene and i had icecream and while we were sitting there talking, Sr Mary walks in the room. I hope it wasn’t noticeable but she scared the living daylights out of me! haha

I hear her voice and when i look up she was in PAJAMA’S……. no white habit…… no veil, just clothes. I looked away quickly when i saw her, i felt like i had just sinned haha. But she sits down across from me and i cautiously look up and then look at Sr Helene who keeps talking. After a few minutes i finally felt it was ok to look at her, i felt bad though i know my face shows my emotions most of the time. Before she left she looks at me and says, “I hope you don’t mind i am not wearing my habit?” I quickly shook my head and replied, “oh no!” hoping to dissmiss my prior thoughts she may have caught.

I really wanted to add as she had once told her class, “Its not the habit who makes the nun, but a nun who makes the habit.” I wonder, Will i be able to wear a habit and veil? It scares me to think about it. Walking around in public… being a nun. It cracked me up when i went into Coldstine Icecream with Sr Mary and Sr Colleen. Sr Mary was talking to a group of women who had the most peculiar look on their face like, is there really a nun standing here talking to me?? It was so funny i mean just imagine, i would never expect a nun to walk into an icecream place and just start talking to me like she knew me! I almost flipped the other day when i was at the mall with my friends and i thought i saw a nun walking toward me! …. it was only a muslim woman haha….. Such similarities!

When i finally got to bed around midnight i was lying in my room looking up at the ceiling, of the CONVENT! For some reason my mind drifted to Mother Mazzarello and i wondered what her first thoughts were. It was a small room which i liked, kinda narrow and in front of me was the window. Dim lights from outside leaked in between the blinds and it was….. cool. I am in a convent, i am sleeping in a convent. This is CRAZY! I smiled, turned over and fell asleep.

My alarm woke my up at 4:30. Drowsily i reached to turn it off wishing for five more minutes. Then i remembered, i was going with Sr Maryann to take Sr Mary to the airport! I jumped out of bed and hurridely brushed my teeth and pulled on a hoodie hoping i didn’t wake Sr Florine. I wondered whether the Sisters wore clothes home or their Habits? ….it was the Habit. I quietly tip-toed down the stairs and found the cat sitting in the community room. Nobody was around and it was quiet so i sat petting the cat waiting for them to come down.

I am sure the Sisters thought i was crazy to get up just to ride with them to the airport but i hardly ever get to see them, especially Sr Mary so i wanted to go; a little time is better than no time. When we got back home i got dressed and went downstairs. All of us were meeting at 6:20 for meditation and prayers. No one was downstairs but i didn’t want to sit up in my room so i went to the Chapel. How many nights i had sat in my own room at home and thought about sitting in the Chapel with no one around. Just my Savior and i.

It was so peaceful. I took the spot i had sat in many a times before in thought and looked up at the Tabernacule. I was sitting on the ground in front on the first pew, the tips of my toes touching the Altar. Thankyou My Friend! I thought about everything which i had seen and done in the past two days and being with the Sisters. I drifted deep in thought and suddenly i heard footsteps and the light came on. I bounded up and Sr Maryann greeted me, Ah! You little rascal i was wondering where you went to! she laughed. Slightly embarrased i mumbled apologies and took a seat in the last pew.

To my embarrasment during meditation i fell asleep. My book closed with a swish of pages scaring me to awareness. Flushed, i looked around hoping none of the Sisters had noticed; fortuneately all seemed to be meditating still. How do they do it! I asked Sr Maryann the other day and she said:

“I focus on listening to what the Lord wants to say to me. Something like two people who are in love – you wait to hear what the other has to say to you and then you respond. That’s why I have the Word Among Us, which has meditations on the daily Word. I try to figure out what is meant for me and then I do close my eyes, but it is to stay focused. Yes, sometimes I, too, fall asleep. There’s nothing wrong with that. Sometimes, too, you can take a Bible and just open it, point your finger, read the passge, and ask what is the significance for you? It’s simply about a relationship – even in human terms.”

 

I will have to work on this….. building a better realtionship with God. He is silent soemtimes though! It is hard to listen to the silence.

Mulling Over…..

Dang there is so much in my head! The Gospel today told us to prepare the way for Christ’s birth; to be ready. We were warned not to let the stresses of everyday life get in the way of our relationship with God. HAHA ALWAYS why does He …warn me? 

Its crazy. I have a semester left of highschool and then i am goign to college. At least i hope. I REALLY want to go to Saint Leo University. I LOVE the atmosphere and i have been on  two retreats which i really connected with God. The first was the begining of ninth grade year and as we were heading back home, i thought about becoming a nun but then i briskly dissmissed the idea…. i had friends and a boyfriend, NO WAY. The second was with Sr Mary and Sr Colleen a little less than a year ago.

It costs a TON of money though…. what am i going to do? I am hoping to be able to earn enough scholarship money to cover it, but what if i don’t? What if i can’t go to Saint Leo’s? What then….. i can’t drive. I have been terriblely afriad ever since the drunk driver crashed into us on a bridge when i was 11. I get so frsutrated with myself, it is so irrationale! But i can’t imagine hitting someone and causing them injury…. i would never be able to forgive myself.

Going to Saint Leo’s i would be able to live on campus and have everything within walking range… Church, school and library. I am really looking forward to it. How awesome it will be to attend Mass everyday, to grow closer to God. Highschool is a lot of fun but there isn’t really anyone i can completely relate to. I do not have a friend who encourages me to follow God …. its more about today and myself. I am hoping at Saint Leo’s i will be able to find a good friend.

I am really excited the other day i found a new missionary group through a youtube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esZovYzZbSQ) The Salesian Lay Missioners. I am really excited, it is still a Salesian group and it is better than the other one i was looking into.

I am really excited to do missionary work after i graduate college, it should be a wonderful eye opener. One of the Sisters told my mom she would advise me to do at least two years of cellege before i entered the convent… to “live life.” I thought about that…. live life….. i was really perplexed, i AM living life right now! But i finally get it, there are so many experiences i would not be able to have if i were to enter formation right after i finish highschool. I am glad shesaid this, i am definately not ready by any means to enter formation.

Its funny, i still really like guys and being with them and hanging out with them; but i can’t seem to find one whom i like-like. I want a guy who looks more at ME than at my looks, who doesn’t want to have sex or be thinking about it all the time, a guy who doesn’t drink or smoke, who doesn’t cuss, who is Catholic and really loves God and helping people. This morning as i was getting ready for Church i realize…. i don’t think there is a guy like that but Christ. haha it was pretty amusing.

I went to a party the other day with my cousin and everyone but me and her was drinking. I was shocked when i saw everyone walkign aroudn with beer bottles; the oldest was 20 and the youngest 15, even more shocking: The guy’s mom offered me a beer. What the heck is this!

All and all, i had a really great time….. ironic. I HATE alchohol ever since the drunk hit us; it almost killed my grandparents. But i saw a different side the other night, nobody really abused it, during beer-pong i would hear, “aw, man i’ve had to much someone is going to have to drink that cup.” What was really cool, the guys we were hanging out with knew my cuz and i didn’t drink but we wanted to play flip-cup, so instead we used water and when we ran out, coke. It was SOOO much fun! AND i was really good at it haha. 

At the beginning of the night i found myself checking my phone thinking this is going to be a long three hours…. when it was almost midnight i found myself saying, “wow, already!?” Is it a sin? As far as i can see, no. I was at a party sure, but i didn’t drink and i didn’t do anything i shouldn’t have. When i layed my head down that night i said, Thankyou my Friend! I had so much fun! I was happy that i stood by my morals.

As the Christmas season  continues, i have to prepare my heart for Christ. Last Christmas was absolutely wonderful. i am a little bitter this Christmas though, it is more commercialized than ever which really irratates me. Where can i find the true Christmad spirit?

My Modern Day Heroes

        College is just around the corner so i am applying for scholarships, one is sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars…..the topic: Does America Still Have Heroes?

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             “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” -Christopher Reeve

              In America we have many “ordinary individual[s]” who reach down to their very core and discover strength and determination they never dreamed they had; individuals who formed wrinkles in time. One of the most famous scenarios occurred during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Gallant firefighters battled the smoke and debris day in and day out; fighting to rescue just one more person buried in the wreckage terrorizing New York.

              Sifting through the past century of American history, we can easily recognize names such as Martin Luther King Jr., known for his extraordinary dream and continuous pacifist movements or Abraham Lincoln for his honesty and integrity. However, there are so many other “ordinary” men and women outside of our history books, names you won’t find scrawled across a board in your public school classroom. Citizens who have struggled and lived for these same values but still remain unknown, just a grain of sand, bypassed in an overturned hourglass. Nonetheless, they too, are American heroes.

                 Over a century ago, with blazing love in their hearts, four women ventured from their Italian homeland across the North Atlantic Ocean battling two weeks of harsh wind, driving rain and the prevalent sea-sickness. After landing in the New York Harbor on July 16, 1908, they were penniless, badgered by hunger and had only a battered, leaky roof for protection. Yet, none of these could crush their dream of bringing the youth of America, from infants to young adults, to know and experience the love of God and neighbor.

                 Consequently, they blossomed and grew establishing youth centers, orphanages and schools from east to west. Places for teens like me to find refuge and guidance, an ever present shoulder to lean on in these trying times. The Salesian Sisters of Saint Don Bosco have become my modern day heroes and living examples of true goodness as they continually reach out in a service of Love and Joy.

                  Although, they are not the average attired heroes which media normally broadcasts, these Sisters are prominent in their white habits, pure as the motives they have for living their life in poverty, chastity and obedience to God. They have opened the hearts of many youth with their genuine warm ways and honest manner. They live totally for the young: to help, to protect, to educate but most importantly to love.

                   “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself,” famed writer Joseph Campbell once said. My everyday American heroes have given up a life of esteemed fame and fortune for a service completely dedicated to the poor abandoned children in need of love and care. The youth of America today are turning to various dangerous outlets, trying to fill a void they feel deep within themselves. We cannot turn a blind eye to their risky behavior. The Sisters know these youth, my peers, are our future. Therefore, they do everything in their power to help kids and teens stay off the streets.

                  Their works are seldom publicized by the news and a common citizen would be baffled to hear their name. However, to the Sisters, this is not in the least way daunting. They do not look for attention, they do not cry on the very street corners where they have rescued kids nor beg all to see the good works they do; the only cries they voice are for the youth endangered by crime, drugs, alcohol and worst of all: abuse to their mind, body and spirit.

                  These ordinary women from all parts of the United States have joined a cause founded on the principles of reason, religion and loving-kindness. Through these, they reach out to youth like me and give us a foot hold of confidence to grow and mature. These “ordinary” heroes empower future generations to develop into the very best persons they are called to be; to become God’s “hands and feet” not only at home in America, but all throughout the world.

                  Without the Salesian Sisters, I, like so many around me, would not be in such a place where we could advance and give back to our community by the simplest means we possess, the invaluable gift of ourselves. These humble heroes teach their students through example, the value of a life lived in service and love to one’s self and one’s neighbor. This simple moral, which many take for granted has come along way through the roads of time. Their mission to better the youth has thrived over one hundred years from the East Bronx to West San Francisco.

                 No matter the trials, tribulations or sufferings these modern day heroes must endure, they carry a smile on their face and the blazing love of four zealous sisters, multiplied within their heart. Like the great Martin Luther King Jr., their dream lives on, their impact tattooed onto the hearts of many generations and their heroic efforts repaid through the warm embraces of those they have freely served.

                 Even though, the Salesian Sisters may not have formed a wrinkle in time, in many lives, they could not have made a more massive impact. They are more than just the nuns in white; they have become my role models who reached to my very being and helped create a more caring, responsible individual dedicated to serve others and help strengthen this ever changing “Melting Pot.”

                  America has many heroes, one only has to step to the fringes of our society and we can see countless Sisters unceasingly kneeling by the lost, lonely and needy youth calling out for help; the youth who silently scream to be loved and cherished. The Salesian Sisters heard their call, without hesitation they answered the pleas long before anyone asked. One by one, they uplifted not only the faces, but the hearts of those around them. They did not wait for an invitation; that, is truly heroic. “The hero is one who kindles a great light in the world, who sets up blazing torches in the dark streets of life for men to see by.” -Felix Adler

Salesian Sisters in Tampa (News Article)

Nuns in Tampa | Tampabay.com – St. Petersburg Times

“Sister Mary Jackson, 30, makes a gesture of prayer after her Villa Madonna School soccer team made a good play in Tampa Heights. “I have a lot of fun and it seems that the kids do, too,” she said of teaching and coaching at the school. “And it’s not just about having fun, but it’s about sharing life and sharing the good news of God.”

 

THE SALESIANS OF ST. JOHN BOSCO

Sister Mary Rinaldi was busy raising $100,000. At a table cluttered with notebooks, laywomen scribbled fast as she spun off names and numbers. They were planning a Nov. 13 auction to benefit Villa Madonna School in Tampa Heights. If they followed the nun’s instructions, they’d make the six figures.

Sister Mary has always worn a habit. Outwardly, she and other Salesians of St. John Bosco look, pray and work pretty much as Salesians did in 1930.

 

Their founding saint had included “heat, cold, hunger, thirst, fatigue and contempt” in their job description. Over the years, Salesians have known all of that.

The first three in Tampa shared the top floor of the firetrap J.M. Martinez cigar factory on Spruce Street, built before the Spanish-American War.

Salesians slept under umbrellas — rain and rats fell from the ceiling — until 1950.

Today, they run Villa Madonna and St. Joseph’s schools. In a small convent beside Villa Madonna, the mission is much the same. Five sisters start their day at 5:30 a.m. They meet for Divine Office — a reading of psalms and Scriptures — then for Mass, then for rosary. They’ve prayed for an hour and a half before the kids begin assembling for the morning prayer.

Their habit sets them apart, they say. They want to be set apart.

Sister Florine Lagace, 70, saw nuns for the first time as a Canadian girl growing up in New Brunswick. She thought they were divine creatures. At home, she posed at the mirror with a towel over her head.

“One day, I saw them having lunch. I went home, I said, ‘Mom, I saw sisters eat.’ I thought they were from heaven.”

When she turned 16, she joined them. She has worn the habit for 54 years.

Their youngest, Sister Mary Jackson, 30, said it symbolizes the life of total spirituality that she craved.

“A habit doesn’t make a sister, but it’s a reminder. It says we live simply for God.”

Even better, Sister Mary said, she can wear shorts and sneakers underneath to coach soccer and basketball.

But for Villa Madonna’s principal, Sister Helene Godin, all this talk about hard old days and cigar factories and whether to wear habits or not trivializes their mission. Not all miscommunication is trans-Atlantic, she said.

“Look at the beauty of our lives. Our lives our positive. We’re devoted to young people.”

Sister Helene also argued that they must be doing something right, because their order grew by nine novice sisters this year.

• • •

“Why are you asking about Vatican II?” says Sister Mary Rinaldi, the fundraiser, who grew up in a large Catholic Italian family in Pasco County. “I never even think about Vatican II other than I’m glad for the changes that put the Mass in English so I could understand it.”

But beneath her habit, Sister Mary is as representative of modern American nuns as they come. Her training was early childhood education, but Salesians recognized her true talent. She is the nun equivalent of 10 cups of coffee. She could sell habits in hell. (“Make that ice to Eskimos,” she corrected.)

She used that talent in the late ’80s to rescue elderly nuns. Some were the same nuns who had endured the cigar factory. In “retirement,” they were crowded together in Haledon, N.J., sometimes five to a room. Wheelchairs had to be carried up and down stairs. They collected no Social Security until the 1970s.

Sister Mary assembled a coalition of former students — many of them prominent Tampa people — that raised $5 million for a new retirement home.

A few years later, Sister Mary dialed the same numbers to rescue mostly non-Catholic children from the neighborhood that surrounds Villa Madonna.

Those children had nothing to do after school. They stood outside the gates, staring at the Villa Madonna playgrounds. When the nuns weren’t around, they vandalized the school.

The Salesians started a “Saturday Club” in the cafeteria. They offered hot food and tutoring to any kids who showed up. They didn’t have to be Catholic.

Sister Mary then went after the old Jefferson Gym, owned by the Hillsborough School Board, next door. Partnering with the Girls and Boys Club of Tampa Bay, she negotiated a $250,000 sale and made it into the Salesian Youth Center.

In 2002, she got an Education Center built beside the gym and filled it with computers. In 2005 she got a new playground.

The result was more than 8,000 kids served, a grade-level improvement in reading, and a 14 percent drop in crime.

Sister Mary says Vatican II and its mandates for expanded ministries never occurred to her.

“I was just trying to stop the break-ins. They were stealing us blind.”

Unexpected Surprises

I met a guy today. A bit different from most. His name is Danny and from the many surprising questions he asked me, the most was, “Dominique will you be my best friend?” Best Friend?  I was speechless for a moment, i mean its not everyday someone asks you to be their best friend. Yes, i replied. You will be my best friend? He asked. Yes, i will be your best friend i replied smiling. His response threw me a curve ball again, Good, then we are best friends in the name of the Lord!

I sat with this 15 year old for over an hour after school.  We started out talking about God and His Word. He had a funny notion about Mary and how Catholics worship her. Although i tried to explain it wasn’t worship, it was devotion; he said he understood and stuck to his ways. His, “I understand” made me smile though.

I keep thinking back on that hour. He’s so honest, i am at loss! Then, it was his attention that captivated me. He sat right down next to me, not the least bit shy. It was not in the way that most guys do though, it was with respect. When he talked he looked into myeyes and spoke from his heart. Its funny, not many people do that. He said eyes are the portals to the soul. His eyes displayed everything he was feeling; its insane!

Then, as i am talking to him he suddenly says “How did you get that scar?” Scar? I ask. Tentitively, with a shaky hand, he traces the outline of the scar on my wrist. You can see that? I asked him surprised, again. I was just beginning to think it wasn’t so obvious any more but i explained to him how i had got it making chicken parm.

As he kept glancing at his watch i questioned when his mom was coming. In two minutes, he replied. Checking my phone for the time i realized it was already 4:10; over an hour had passed! Grabbing my bag with haste i said, Lets move up front. We had been sitting in the middle of the school courtyard and it would take about five minutes to get to the front parking lot. My mom would also be arriving within five minutes.

Reaching the front parking lot i noticed his mom sitting in her car waiting. Isn’t that your mom? i asked. It was but instead of looking annoyed a huge smile crossed her face when she saw her son. As Danny left i gave him a hug and crossing infront of his car his mom turned her attention on me. With her grateful smile she waved; a big thank you displayed in her eyes.

I am not sure which of the two i made happier today: Danny or his mom. But one things for sure, my smile was bigger than both of theirs combined. As i reflect upon my day i keep coming back to these two people. A friend and his loving mother.

Most people wouldn’t think it; but taking time to just be a friend means SOO SOO much. For Danny, it means even more. During summer i would pray to God to help me find a friend, a true best friend who lives here. Someone i can talk to, hang out with and confide in; someone who can help me grow closer to Him.

I really have not found that best friend but its ok. I realized God has indeed answered my prayers and as always, in ways unexpected. I once heard if you WANT a friend, BE one. This year, for some reason, i am having so much fun. I am actually really enjoying going to highschool, for the first time in my four years. I have met so many people and made friends with even the most unlikeliest kids.

While at my schools Christian Club meeting the other day we stood singing. After so much stress between Adam and school and trying to discern God’s Will i found Peace. I knew everythign would be ok and i would make it through.

LOVE is the GREATEST GIFT of ALL!

After much prayer on both my side and my Salesian friends i headed to the Salesian Youth Rally last week! I got over the flu quicker than expected so i was able to get back to school on tuesday making it possible for me to miss school on Friday.  

Feeling REALLY good waking up tuesday morning i jumped out of bed and did the normal school-morning routine. After seeing me up my dad says, “I want to take your temperature.”  My Friend PLEASE let it be normal i REALLLLY want to go to the Youth Rally, i prayed. It came out better than normal! 97.4 !

The Youth Rally was AMAZING! I coulnd’t have asked for a better day; i only wish it hadn’t gone by so fast.

In the morning before school Sr. Clare brought me over the the convent and i met Sr. Elizabeth and Sr. Joanne. Both were really cool and Sr. Joanne i had known by name because she was a principal at my old Salesian School before i started. Sr. Elizabeth is a Salesian from Austria and also Sr. Mary’s best friend.

It was so cool to be able to meet her and talk with her. She is so open and humble; it really amazes me. I was fortunate enough to be able to spend the greater part of my day with her.

The Rally started with singing!! My FAVORITE! We sung the classics: “Our God is an Awesome God” “Yes Lord” “Open the Eyes of my Heart Lord”…. Then, Mass! It was absolutely beautiful. Youth Masses are my favorite because they have the best music and the priests engage us in the Homily.

¹³And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 

The theme for this year is “LOVE is the GREATEST GIFT of ALL.” The Salesians are all about spreading Christ’s LOVE and JOY to the youth they work with. For me, this message is really important and something i really need to work on in my daily life.

The first reading talked about LOVE. No matter if you can speak like an angel or write the most fabulous words if there is no love behind your actions, they mean nothing. Even if you could foretell the future and predict where you will end up, if there is not love in your heart, none of it matters. For me this is a big one.

When Sr. Helene first read this at assembly one morning i was really going through some doubts about my Faith and my future. After hearing this letter from St. Paul, it put me more at ease. I laughed thinking, this is exactly what i have been stressing about and here i am being told DO NOT BE AFRAID, just LOVE and the rest will be taken care of. Have FAITH and TRUST in God, He will lead you.

Throughout the day there was a mixture of activities which kept me running around. It was a blast! I was able to serve the snowcones and talk with the kids. I saw my old teachers from junior high and hung out with my Sisters. Lunch was a lot of fun with Sr. Florine, Sr. Joanne, and Victor, a seminarian at my Church. Later Sr. Elizabeth came in and her and i ran over to see OMEGAMAN (http://www.omegamanschools.com/). Check out his site. He is a positive influence for youths and talks to them about making good decisions and showing them they ARE worth something no matter how badly they have messed up.

He’s not your average speaker though. OMEGAMAN rips phone books in half (symbolizing our book of wrong decisions) Breaks bats over his thigh (our barrier’s in life) and bends steal with his teeth (If you believe, you CAN achieve).

Afterward we had closing prayer and songs. Then, Sr. Elizabeth and i met up at the convent and started taking pics to show to her community back in Austria. Taking a pic of the beautiful mural in the main lobby of the school, two girls brought us cupcakes. Sr. Elizabeth had had cupcakes before but didn’t know the name for them in english. It was a lot of fun teaching her the names for them, roller coasters and also we had a good time learning the hand motions to different songs throughout the day.

She has such an openness for everything about her. She said it is God’s Will she was able to come here so she doesn’t want to miss anything He has to show her. That has kept me thinking. How much am i missing in my life which God is trying to show me? … even in the everyday?

The Salesians really believe in Divine Providence. Which is TRUSTING in God, for He WILL provide, even in the smallest of ways.

Sr. Elizabeth’s favorite quote is  1 Corinthians 13:13, which is the themed design on our shirts. The previous day her Gospel Tour Group stopped by a Christian Store and she was trying to find a shirt to bring back as a souvenir but could not find the perfect kind. Later she had been talking with a friend of hers about their favorite quotes in the Bible. Sr. Elizabeth said out of all of them, this was her favorite. Then, the following day she came to the Salesian Youth Rally and found the perfect shirt with her favorite quote on it!

Before i left, she gave to me a postcard from her community. Ironically, its message is LOVE. So many many times God blesses us and as Sr. Elizabeth says, there is a greater happiness in receieving the simplest of gifts from others. This, i know to be so true. The GREATEST birthday present i ever received came from the Salesians and they didn’t even know it was my birthday. This wasn’t a physical present wrapped with a pretty bowtie but a bundle of love which they generously shared.

“Make the LOVE of God known to the edges of the Earth.”

- Mother Maria Mazzarello

(This is the postcard: Underneath the Cross is the Salesian Sisters setting out to form communities in new lands. These are Mother Mazzarello’s words to them as then are leaving.)

My Light at the End of the Tunnel

“There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonics so powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow.” -O. Swett Marden

Somehow i have managed to catch the flu. At first i saw this as a really good thing….

Although i was feeling pretty bad and had a bad cough, when my mom said i should stay home from school on friday, i disagreed. I have to go to work tonight i told her. Later she says you can go to work tonight but you should stay home, you are warm; if not then take some medicine. … medicine??… Staring at the bottle of liquid with disgust; i decided i would be staying home from school. Guess i have time to study for math now! Already doing bad in the class this was a blessing; i really need to do good on this test.

I spent most of my time sleeping and still feeling pretty lousy got ready for work. Luckily my boss let me off early since i would be working the kitchen open to close the following day, saturday. My other boss asked if i was sick and i said yeah but its just a cough, its nothing. 

Because my mom thought i was way too hot when i got home she took my temp, it came out a little over 102. You have to take medicine, she said. Really? i hate that stuff! i thought. As if reading my mind she says i know but you got to bring that fever down. I sat in the kitchen looking at my 2 tbls. of medicine and thinking of the upcoming Salesian Youth Rally in exactly a week…..just swallow it. After finally getting it down i head to bed.

My boss had texted me, “you sure you can work tomorrow?” Yeah, if you need me i told him. Please don’t need me, i don’t think i will be able to cook for ten hours, i thought. ”Do you have a fever?” he asked. I said, my parents just took it its at 102 so i am taking stuff now. No reply for a little while. Then he said, Don’t come in. If you feel better in the afternoon check in.  Thanks my Friend i breathed a sigh of relief.  

Waking up saturday morning my mom gave me more liquid medicine. Really wanting to see the Sisters and all the kids this coming friday i swallowed it with a grimace. With a laugh i told her, This is torture! Later after seeing my temp still over 102 she decided to take me to the walk-in-clinic:

Positive for Influenze A….. No school for the 2-3 days, at least….. stay away from everyone and drink lots of fluids. No medication is going to help overcome it but it will help reduce the fever and headache.

Imediately i started counting… 2-3 days: That is cutting it REALLY close to the Youth Rally. I won’t be able to get to school until AT LEAST wednesday. I would already have three days of make-up work; don’t think my parents are going to let me go if i am not in school by wednesday.

So my goal is to be back in school by wednesday and take that math test which i STILL have not been able to study for but i have both tomorrow and tuesday of lying in bed… no rush haha. I am hoping with everything and praying it is God’s Will that i can go and help out at the Youth Rally. I have been looking forward to this for ages. On the plus side… i got fever reducers in pill form!