The Couple from Oz Meet the Sister Who Calms Chaos

He's baaaaaaaaaaaaack - Ladies and gents, it is with much pleasure that I report receiving a dispatch from our good little friend who lives under the pews at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy. The Church Mouse has a ubiquitous presence at the Shrine, getting fed cheese and snacks from the workers over there who have such big hearts: Wendy and Frieda at the reception desk; Carol, who takes care of the pilgrims; Fr. Anthony, the shrine rector; Christine in Fr. Anthony's office; Br. Ron at the gift shop, and even visitors such as Br. Andy Davy, who was on Eden Hill for a couple of weeks.

The Church Mouse is there for all the happenings at the Shrine, ranging from the solemnest of Holy Masses down to the single person who sits alone in a back pew.

He misses nothing.

The CM, great little guy that he is, filed this report at the most recent Festival of Praise, known as the FOP, conducted at the National Shrine on the First Friday of each month beginning at 7 p.m. Our cute correspondent's dispatch prompted my pen to break out in verse. Let me share that with you, followed by the little guy's report.


'Twas the Night of the FOP -

The "festival" was over in the Shrine called God's House,
Not a creature was stirring, except for the Church Mouse.
We're pleased the little fellow had taken his pen,
With a squeak of true glee he went at it again,
To write down impressions of pilgrims at prayer
And the thoughts of the people who were found to be there,
Adoring the Lord in a festival of praise,
The hands they did wave, the eyes they did raise,
To the Real Presence in the form of a white disc
They moved to shout and to sing; for them 'twas no risk.
The Church Mouse stood ready to capture it all.
The songs from the pews that rang down the through the halls,
And out of the building and up to the sky
To the throne of good heaven in the twink of an eye,
Where the mind of our God was much pleased at the sight.
Merry Festival of Praise, and to all a good night.


Ed Sullivan thought he had a treasure in Topo Gigio. I'll also grant you that Mighty Mouse had some pretty cool moves. Well let me tell you, Mr. Gigio and Mr. Mighty have nothing on the Church Mouse, who belongs to every child of God stepping foot on Eden Hill.

Now, let's turn to the little guy's report of the FOP from Friday, June 1. I like it because it gives you a taste of the diversity that's up here on the Hill. Whatever manner of worship fits you, you'll find a home here, as the CM's missive conveys.


Alone with Jesus - There I was. The lights dim, candles flickering, and incense slowly rising in a swirl of dark smoke, lifting my little prayers to the heavens.

There they were, those who had shown up to praise our most merciful Savior.

The old man with the wispy grey hair clinging to his forehead, sitting in the third row, was catching a little snooze now. The songs were not sad, but still he wept. His weeping must have tired him and now he rested while still holding in his hand a rumpled photo of someone, I think someone who made him cry.

A Happy Family - The family across the aisle is a real hazard to someone as vertically challenged as the Church Mouse. They are a happy group that likes to spend time with Jesus, dancing in the aisle, stomping their feet to the music, and waving their hands in the air as they praise Him. I make sure that I'm not near their pew when they start to dance. I love souls, but not the soles of shoes. They punctuate the end of each song with "high fives" all around, including the littlest one, Josh, who I'm sure would share his "binkey" with Jesus were he asked.

All of this rowdy behavior obviously does not appeal to the woman who sits alone in the back of the chapel, lips pursed tightly, her gloved fingers folded neatly and resting on the back of the pew in front of her. Her back is straight as an arrow with shoulders pressed back, ready for inspection, as she kneels, alone with Jesus. I like hanging out under her pew. Not much chance of getting stomped there.

The Couple from Oz - Then there's the couple from Oz. I'm only guessing where they come from, but the young man reminds me of what you would get if the tin man, the lion, and the scarecrow all rolled down Eden Hill and turned into one person. He has zero rhythm, too much hair, metal pierced into places that have no calling to be pierced, and a beautiful young woman who sits beside him. I don't know if her name is Dorothy, but she always holds the young man's hand as they sway to the music, basking in the rays of love coming from inside the monstrance and each other. The "vibes" (I think that's what humans call them) under their pew are innocent and pleasantly chaotic.

Alone and Together, with God - And tonight there's a tall guy who smells like gasoline, the grandmother with rosary beads in both of her pockets, the students from across the State line, and the fellow who is studying to be a priest, all alone with Jesus. Each one, praising and worshiping Him in their own way, praying, singing, or just keeping Him company in silence. This Eucharistic Festival of Praise is tailor made for each one of us, all together, alone with Jesus. Even me.

Blogger's Note: The Eucharistic Festival of Praise is held at the National Shrine of Divine Mercy on the first Friday evening of each month from 7:00 to 9:00 pm.. All are welcome to participate in the spirited music, praise and worship, followed by fellowship in Memorial Hall.


Mercy in Action - Divine Mercy is a message and a devotion. Stopping there, though, misses something important. Mercy must also be an action. Mercy is one person helping another out of compassion borne of need.

Meet Sr. Theresa Kreibick, SND, of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, whose Congregational Mission Office is based in Ipswitch, Mass. Her job: Mercy Messenger.

Sr. Theresa currently serves at two locations in Connecticut, providing crisis counseling at Rushford Center and psychiatric evaluations of patients who are suicidal, homicidal, or severely psychotic at MidState Medical Center in the Meriden/Wallingford area.


Chaos: All in a Day's Work - Unpredictability and chaos characterize her work, both in terms of the hours and in the stressful situations she faces. She might start in the morning helping a child who has suffered severe child abuse. In the afternoon, she's called to minister to a family so poor it can't afford detergent and soap; the wage earners are jobless and the children ashamed. In the evening, it's a mentally ill homeless person, and at night, a suicidal man who's overwhelmed after getting fired from his job. Oh, and in her spare time, she may get called to help a SWAT team persuade an angry and armed person to release his hostages. It's all in a day's work for Sr. Theresa.

The one thing these crises have in common is the need for healing. This provides a huge opening for the merciful heart of God to rush in.

"Very often in my work," Sr. Theresa says, "I am very aware that God is so close that sometimes it is distracting."

God tends to have that effect on those who experience Him most intimately. Ask St. Faustina, who often wrote of her own distractions and even distress in moving inside the milieu and through the ecosystem of The Divine Mercy.

In Sisters, Strength - Sister Theresa finds the strength to do her work with joy and hope through her community of sisters, with whom she lives, prays, and ministers. As Sister puts it, "I carry the Sisters of Notre Dame with me into a relationship."

The Sisters of Notre Dame have a mission similar to the Marians of the Immaculate Conception, who look to serve where the need is greatest. Likewise, the Sisters are called to serve "among the poor in the most abandoned places." My fantasy is to cajole the Sisters to a pilgrimage here on Eden Hill and meet the Marian Fathers and Brothers. I shudder at what the Sisters could do with The Divine Mercy in their toolbox. Mountains would move and the oceans part.

I thank the Sisters for allowing the use of material on Sr. Theresa from their April 2007 issue of the Good Works newsletter, especially to Sr. Therese Shuler, SND. For more information on the Sisters of Notre Dame, go to www.sndden.org.

In Love Again - The morning is clouding over. The clover and wild thyme, urged on by the heavy rains of the past couple of days and the maturing day lilies, have issued a fragrance no perfume maker could match. I'm in love again, my good friends. Adios, for now.

You might also like...

Recently, I spent a weekend catching up on yard work. I mowed, swept, shoveled, raked, and weeded. Call it spirituality amongst the dandelions.
Pain and suffering are universal experiences, says His Excellency the Most Rev. Zygmunt Zimowski, top Vatican prelate on healthcare issues. Archbishop Zimowski says the answer to dealing productively with these experiences can be found in God.
Mercy would be the logical next step for this Pope, given the intimate and intense role that God's mercy played in his personal life.