Honoring the Virgin of Guadalupe Dec. 12
Honoring the Virgin of Guadalupe Dec. 12MONROE — Looking out over a sea of parishioners, most of whom hail from Mexico, Father Benjamin Roberts preached on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe to a standing-room-only crowd Dec. 12 at his parish of Our Lady of Lourdes.
“The voice of the Mother of God calls me to her Son!” he said.
“On the mountain of Tepeyac, the Virgin of Guadalupe called to Juan Diego. He was humble. He was faithful. He was obedient. He was precious to Our Lady. He was precious in her sight. Our Lady had come to see him. She was a pilgrim to Guadalupe. She came with a message. She came with an invitation. She came to announce the love of the Father with the voice of a Mother. She was a pilgrim to Guadalupe with a message from heaven.”
Hundreds of parishioners, many dressed in traditional Mexican clothing to mark the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, made their own pilgrimage to the church to sing songs to the Blessed Virgin, perform traditional dances, bring her roses and bouquets of flowers, thank her for her motherly love and ask for her intercession.
“Our Lady was a pilgrim at Guadalupe inviting us to begin our pilgrimage to heaven. She invited us to union with her Son and union with each other,” Father Roberts explained. “The Virgin of Guadalupe tore down the walls that separated peoples. She tore down the walls of division and asked for a church to be built. She tore down the walls of sin and built up the people of God.
“The Virgin Mother of God was a pilgrim at Guadalupe so that we could join in the pilgrimage of all creation to the house of the Father.”
He stated that at the voice of the Virgin Mother, we are all pilgrims. We join with Juan Diego as we listen to the voice of Our Mother, the Church.
“We listen to Her and we hear of the Lord Jesus.”
Father Roberts noted that we share the faith of Christ which has been shared with us. We found our families on the rock of Christ and the grace of His sacraments.
“We are pilgrims to Guadalupe. We are pilgrims from Guadalupe. We have heard the voice of our Mother. We have heard of her love for us. We have heard the mission that she has entrusted to our care. We are pilgrims and we carry the message of heaven,” he concluded.
— Story, photos and video by SueAnn Howell, senior reporter.
Brownd
WilliamsBELMONT — The Sisters of Mercy of North Carolina Foundation has named two experienced women to newly created leadership positions effective Jan. 1, 2017.
They are Mercy Sister Paulette Williams, who will serve as executive vice president, and Cheryl Brownd, who will step into the role of program director. The positions are being created as Executive Director Michelle Maidt concludes her service to the foundation at the end of December.
Perhaps best known as the former principal of Charlotte Catholic High School, Sister Paulette also served as vice president of the Sisters of Mercy-South Central Community and as the president of the North Carolina Region of the Sisters of Mercy. In her new part-time position, she will become the foundation’s spokesperson and will provide mission, governance and fiscal oversight.
A 17-year veteran of the foundation’s staff, Brownd currently is senior program officer. She began her tenure as program assistant and later was named program officer before assuming her current role in 2013. Prior to coming to North Carolina, Brownd was grants administrator with the Russell Sage Foundation in New York.
In her new role as program director, Brownd will oversee day-to-day operations and will represent the foundation at community meetings and forums, as well as continuing her current duties.
“We are fortunate to have two such capable women to assume these newly defined roles,” said Mercy Sister Linda Falquette, president and chairperson of the foundation’s board of directors. “The Sisters of Mercy value and appreciate the work the foundation carries out daily and the integrity of its grant process in serving women, children, seniors and those who struggle with poverty.”
Since 1996, the Sisters of Mercy of North Carolina Foundation has awarded 1,730 grants totaling nearly $78 million to organizations assisting unserved or underserved populations.
On behalf of the Sisters of Mercy-South Central Community, the foundation provides grants to tax-exempt health care, educational and social service organizations that meet its criteria and effectively assist women, children, those who are elderly, and who are economically poor to improve the quality of their lives.
— Myra Joines, communications director for the Sisters of Mercy-South Central Community