On Sunday October 2nd the Californian/Venezuela Region celebrated Sr. Margaret Farrell’s Silver Jubilee at St. Cornelius, Long Beach with a Liturgy followed by a party in the parish hall. A lively Catholic music group, ROCK S.A.L.T. led us in song with drums, trumpet, guitars and many voices.
Fr. Roger Labonte, was the main celebrant and many priests were present, both on the altar and among the people in the benches. There was a spirit of joy and gratitude throughout the liturgy.
After Mass, we met in the hall for food, music, fun, entertainment and dancing for some. Since Margaret visits orphans in Mexico and works at Covenant House with homeless youth, she requested that instead of gifts her guests bring a new item for an orphan or homeless youth. The week following the jubilee, Margaret travelled with volunteers to Mexico to an earthquake struck area with baby formula, diapers and clothes for the 22 new orphans who joined the other 86 she met there.
The gathering of friends, RSC colleagues and associates and sisters was a rich sampling of humanity. There were guests from a rich variety of backgrounds, cultures and faith traditions. Christians, Muslims and Jews came together as one body to pray and to celebrate Sr. Margaret’s commitment to serve those made poor. Some friends travelled from England, Ireland, San Francisco and Mexico for the jubilee.
Fr. Vincent Lopez, OP, gave a stirring talk about the great contribution of all women religious throughout the US and of his friendship with Margaret.
Since we, as a region, are focusing on the issue of human trafficking this year, Margaret requested that we have a display and brochures to take advantage of the moment. Along with the special Mary Aikenhead table that Margaret wanted, we had a display board of photos of each sister and her ministry in the region. Sr. Marsha Moon, regional leader, gave her thanks at the end of Mass noting that we are celebrating more than Margaret by celebrating the mission of all the Religious Sisters of Charity.
If you would like to see more photos of the jubilee, click on THIS LINK to see a short video of the day’s highlights.
A video highlighting Margaret’s life was running on a loop in the hall and can be viewed HERE.
