After the historic
announcement by Pope Francis that he will visit Philadelphia next
September, the reality of the challenges and joys of the event is
sinking in for planners, civic officials and ordinary Catholics in the
Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It will be a "once-in-a-lifetime chance for
Philadelphia to shine," Daniel Hilferty called the 2015 World Meeting
of Families, which will be capped by the papal visit to the city.
Chairman of the meeting's Executive Leadership Committee, he said the
event will require unprecedented coordination and support. During a news
conference at the Philadelphia Art Museum Nov. 17, the day the pope
confirmed his visit at the Vatican, Hilferty called on the region's
business community to contribute financial and corporate support to the
event. He said the fundraising effort was "more than halfway toward the
goal," which he did not state. Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput
has said he plans to announce the status of fundraising efforts early
in 2015. That is just one of the issues facing organizers before next
fall. One thorny issue had been the inability for people registering for
the families' meeting also to secure hotel rooms for the three days of
the papal visit -- because it was unconfirmed, the rooms were not made
available. Now they can be booked.
Born during the turbulent era of the French Revolution, Saint Jeanne Jugan rose above hardship and a lack of formal schooling to become a profound vessel of Christ’s mercy. After losing her father at a young age and working through her youth as a kitchen maid and nurse, her life radically changed one freezing night when she encountered a blind, paralyzed elderly woman with nowhere to go. Jeanne carried the woman back to her own home, placed her in her own bed, and began a lifelong mission of radical hospitality. This act of profound love blossomed into the Little Sisters of the Poor , a thriving community dedicated to sheltering and honoring the destitute elderly. Despite later facing heavy trials—including being unjustly sidelined and stripped of her leadership by a controlling chaplain—Jeanne accepted her obscurity and exile with a joyful spirit, resting her complete trust in God's hidden providence until her death in 1879. In our daily lives, Saint Jeanne Jugan invites us to lo...