NEW YORK. The saints can sometimes seem like lofty, unrelatable figures. It’s rare to find contemporary examples of sanctity, and rarer still to find models of heroic virtue among the young.

There has been an effort in recent decades to promote the canonization of individuals from various walks of life. Yet the majority of those so recognized continue to be drawn from the clergy or the religious orders.

Venerable Henriette Delille is the foundress of The Sisters of the Holy Family. Born in 1812, she was a descendant of enslaved people and a free woman of color. As her grandmother’s namesake (Henriette Labeau), she was “destined for eldercare.” Henriette enjoyed caring for aunts, uncles, great aunts, and great-uncles, as well as cousins who were scattered through the city.  She was also instructed by her mother in the art of nursing.  How to prepare medicines for the sick and using roots and herbs with curative properties was a skill that was passed on from mother to daughter by these colored nurses. After receiving the sacrament of confirmation,  Delille clearly became a woman committed to the Lord. Her guiding motto, written in a prayer book, captures what defined her heart and spurred her vocation: “I believe in God. I hope in God. I love. I want to live and die for God.”

The winter tree is a snowflake dressed with grace and bones, a simple miracle to behold on winter’s lonely road.” — Angie Weiland-Crosby.

Amedida que nos acercamos al final de noviembre, nos acercamos al final de nuestro año litúrgico y nos preparamos para comenzar un nuevo año en Cristo con el tiempo de Adviento.   

Terminamos el año litúrgico con la gran solemnidad de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, Rey del Universo, que revela mucho sobre nuestro tiempo y la misión que Jesús nuestro Rey nos confía.

As we approach the end of November, we are nearing the end of our liturgical year and prepare to start a new year in Christ with the season of Advent. We end the liturgical year with the great Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe which reveals much about our times and the mission Jesus our King is entrusting to us.