Sister Christena Papavero, 75, of San Jose said providence led them to obtain the tickets they would need to bring along “discerners” like Sarah Woolheiser, 22, of St. Louis (right) to Mass on Sunday. (Arelis Hernandez/The Washington Post).
The Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul have a long history of going about their earthly duties in unorthodox fashion.Their more than 400-year-old order, founded in France, broke with convention and defied Rome by not allowing themselves to be cloistered, as was the custom of the day, and go into the streets and serve the “poorest of the poor.”
The nuns held true to their founding principles this week when they tried to find a creative way to get Mass tickets for their entire group. They had only three for the Mass.
Sister Christena Papavero of San Jos said they didn’t have enough for their group of 21, which included “discerners,” a group of young women who are seriously considering religious life. They accompanied the nuns wearing turquoise pullovers called “sister hoodies.”
Sarah Woolheiser, 22, of St. Louis is one of them. She and the others wore signs during the Festival of Families last night that read, “Will trade prayers for Mass tickets.” By the end of the night, they had said enough prayers to be present for the singular event.
“It was divine providence,” Woolheiser said.
It is an anniversary wish come true for Papavero, who came to Philadelphia specifically for the Mass today. Today marks 50 years since she took her vows.
“I want to kiss him on both cheeks,” Papavero said. “He is so wonderful.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith-live/liveblog/updates-pope-francis-in-america/?utm_content=bufferd819c&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer#88cbd793-a237-41d3-a10a-cb35dabb802e
That's awesome even though they spelled her name wrong...
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