Jubilarians Front row, L-R: Sister Anita Marie Torres, Sister Ann Therese Lynch, Sister Michele Anne Murphy, Sister Joanna Bruno, Sister Marilyn Medau. Back row, L-R: Sister Virginia Espinal, Sister Denise Bourdet, Sister Paula Baker, Sister Judith Romero |
Celebrations of 60 and 70 years of religious life took place Sunday, April, 23, 2023, at the Presentation Motherhouse in San Francisco. Family and friends gathered on a beautiful day for Mass and luncheon.
The day began with Congregation President Sister Rosina Conrotto telling the nine Jubilarians, "Like Jesus and like Nano, you have a heart for those made poor, and for those most marginalized in our society. And, like Jesus and like Nano, you have responded with love and with hope, with compassion and with justice."
Mass included renewal of vows, with the Jubilarians holding candles and joined by their entire community. In his homily, celebrant Rev. John Whitney, SJ noted, "The Sisters whose Jubilee we honor have not been servants to a far-away God, not bound up in supplication to an absent deity; rather, they are companions on the road. Listen to the fire in their hearts. With their hospitality, almost invariably, and attentiveness - always - they have come to know and to testify to the living God. They have walked with the stranger in schools and in counseling centers, on the street, and in their own community. They have nourished their faith through their companionship along the road with so many other Sisters, those living and those who have passed on. It was not just their hearts they lifted up to the Lord, but it was their...arms and their legs, their joys, their sorrows, the whole of their lives."
The day continued with luncheon including much laughter and joy as family and friends celebrated the Jubilarians.
Jubilee of Grace from Entrance
Sr. Virginia Espinal, PBVM (June 30, 1953)
Sr. Marilyn Medau, PBVM (June 30, 1953)
Sr. Anita Marie Torres, PBVM (August 21, 1953)
Sr. M. Denise Bourdet, PBVM (September 11, 1953)
Jubilee of Grace from Profession
Sr. Ann Therese Lynch, PBVM (February 21, 1953)
Diamond Jubilee from Entrance
Sr. Joanna Bruno, PBVM (September 1, 1963)
Sr. Judith Romero, PBVM (September 1, 1963)
Diamond Jubilee from Profession
Sr. Michele Anne Murphy, PBVM (August 17, 1963)
Sr. Paula Baker, PBVM (August 17, 1963)
Photos: Deb Greenblat