Lives of the Visitation Sisters: Frances Xaviera McGuire, 1798-1823

Frances Xaviera McGuire was born in Ireland on August 17, 1798, and when she was young her family moved to Baltimore. She had an engaging disposition and that made her seem fit for the world rather than religious life, but God inspired her with contempt for follies and vanities, and a desire to consecrate herself irrevocably to His service. She originally thought about entering the Ursulines, but she was told in a dream that God was not calling her there, but instead to the Convent of the Visitation at Georgetown. She hadn’t even heard of it before this dream, and she didn’t want to act too precipitously, so she consulted with her spiritual director in Baltimore. He advised her to pray to God for light to make a proper choice before deciding anything. She also didn’t want to make her intention of retiring from the world public until she had fully determined her path, so she continued to dress gaily and she engaged in pleasantries with others. She still found her heart inclined to this house, however, so she petitioned to be admitted, and she entered toward the end of November, 1816. Her parents, especially her father, were remarkably fond of her, and they were about to move to St. Louis, so this would be a sacrifice for everyone, and she made hers with courage and generosity. In fact, generosity of mind was the most distinguishing feature of this dear sister’s character, and she gave many proofs of it during the short time God permitted her to remain.

Frances Xaviera began and finished her noviceship with much fervor, and then made her holy profession. That day her countenance and demeanor reflected the interior joy of her soul. She took great satisfaction in obliging others, and if it hadn’t been for her health she might have done much more. She was naturally industrious and ingenious, and she had a particular taste for adorning little images and relics. She was employed during some months as assistant to the mistress of Novices, and later as an aid with the boarding students, where she gained their hearts. Her last job was as a habit keeper, demonstrating through that service her sincere affection for all of her sisters.

In the spring of 1821 she had a severe attack of vomiting blood, followed by a second one in March of 1823. After the second episode she declined rapidly, and toward the end of July that same year, despite being a naturally active person, she had to confine herself to the infirmary where she was a very meek, affable, and grateful patient. Instead of complaining, she frequently said that too much care was taken of her (something we also heard in the earlier biography of Sister Margaret Louisa Beall). Frances Xaviera sometimes expressed a desire to die on the feast of her holy patron, St. Francis Xavier, but not unless God pleased. Instead, God called her three months earlier, on the feast of the glorious St. Augustine, “after having been fortified for that dangerous and awful passage from time to eternity, with all the last sacraments and helps of the holy Church and religion. She expired with much peace and composure, and preserved her perfect presence of mind to her last breath. May God grant us the grace to imitate her example.”

Parents Association Meeting

Sister Mada-anne Gell presents the sisters to our parents at the monthly meeting of our Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School Parents Association on Monday the 14th, and Mother Jacqueline prays as the meeting concludes.

Esprit de Noel

Perfect fall weather blessed Visitation’s 41st annual Esprit de Noel this past weekend, drawing happy crowds of parents, students, alumnae, alumnae parents and friends to our festively bedecked campus. Co-chairs Lynda Jesukiewicz and Karen Mattheis masterfully led their second bazaar; Claire and Garner Bennet did a superb job with the car raffle, and Mary Lou McCormick and her committee filled the gym with a dazzling array of vendors selling something to tempt every shopper. Each of them was assisted by an army of volunteers who decorated, baked, gathered, arranged and transformed our campus into a shopping event. Esprit not only raises money for the school, but draws the entire community together as friends and alumnae return annually to mix, mingle, and introduce their families to the Sisters.

Special thanks go to the Mother Jackie, a tireless saleswoman who beguiled everyone with her smile. Thanks to her persistence, all 900 raffle tickets sold! Mother was also on hand to draw the winning ticket on Saturday afternoon, and Julie Cordell and her family emerged the excited winners of the sporty-red Mini Cooper. The real winners, however, were our students, since all proceeds from the bazaar benefit the school.

Living Rosary!

One of our most inspiring and profoundly spiritual traditions is the LIVING ROSARY, a mother-daughter event that dates back many decades. This moving evening provides an opportunity for mothers and daughters to come together for a simple dinner after which they all, along with the Sisters, pray the rosary together by candlelight in the Quadrangle, forming the shape of the Rosary by standing along brick paths laid in that shape. This year about 100 students and mothers took part. After it rain most of the day, the weather cleared and they were blessed with a cool, but dry and crisp, fall evening last Wednesday.

Sister Mary Raphael Speer – 101 on October 31, 2011!

Many might think that October 31 is a day reserved for ghosts, goblins and trick or treating, but the day is special for another reason. Today everyone in the Georgetown Visitation Monastery and Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School community celebrated with their dear Sister Mary Raphael Speer on her 101st birthday (although many of the celebrants wore costumes)! A large group of students and faculty lined the main hallway of Founders Hall to serenade Sister with a rousing version of Happy Brithday.  Elvis "the King" Presley (aka Head of School Dan Kerns) presented Sister with a large bouquet of roses which she accepted with a huge smile.

Sr. Raphael was born on Halloween in 1910 in a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA.   After taking her vows as a Sister of the Visitation of Holy Mary at the Order’s monastery in Parkersburg, WV, she spent many years as a math and English teacher, a librarian and a school administrator.  She was also the Mother Superior of the Visitation community in Parkersberg. When that monastery closed in the early 1990's, Sister Raphael chose to join the Georgetown Visitation monastery.  These days she keeps all of the other Sisters on their toes with her razor-sharp mind, ever-present wit and an interest in each of the sisters and the school’s 490 students.   Sr. Raphael loves geography and can often be found searching an atlas to locate a new country in Africa or determine the distance between two cities.  And at 101 she still enjoys a mean game of Parchesi during the Sisters’ periodic game nights.


Sister Raphael’s inquiring mind and broad range of interests have only increased with the passage of years. Her witty comments are a constant source of enjoyment for all who know her; she'll often ask a thought-provoking questions like, "I wonder how spaghetti got its name?"  Her presence is a tremendous gift to our entire community!

Slowly getting the blog back in shape

The template for this blog mysteriously vanished, but thanks to the Internet Archive Wayback Machine it was possible to look at the previous template for this blog and copy it. Gradually this blog should look more like the one you're used to! The image at the top is now formatted, and some of the features at the left such as mass readings have returned. Changes may continue while I experiment with fonts and posting (getting rid of that white-against-blue post lettering, for example), but gradually it will come into shape. Thank you, readers, for so much encouragement!

Sr. Mary Baptista Klein, part two of a series

The stories about Sr. Mary Baptista Klein are legend. She was the English teacher who would give one of only three grades: C+, C, or “See me,” the yearbook moderator who sent at least one young editor to the hospital with gastric ulcers, the determined photographer who took and developed all the yearbook pictures, as well as the lovely scenes of the Visitation campus still given to students at Awards Night. Like her photos, Sister’s opinions often seemed black and white. At the same time, she proved herself a sensitive and devoted friend to many, many students, some of whom needed special understanding. She was endearing, challenging . . . and something of a tragic figure.

St. Francis de Sales Leadership Society Dinner

These are photos of some of our sisters with alumnae and their families. They were taken at our annual St. Francis de Sales Leadership Society dinner Wednesday evening, October 12.
This is a dinner the Sisters and the school give to show appreciation and thanks to alumnae parents and friends who have been most generous to Visitation in the previous year.

Their support is crucial to both the school and the Sisters. (Although both our founders, St. Jane de Chantal and St. Francis de Sales, are often quoted as emphasizing the importance of giving little gifts with great love, leadership gifts are also important in order to support a school with 490 students on a 23-acre campus graced several buildings dating to the mid-19th century.)
The evening was to have begun with a cocktail hour in the Monastery Garden (a rare treat), but rain forced that part of the evening indoors. After enjoying appetizers and drinks in Founders Hall, the group moved to a lovely tented buffet dinner in the Quadrangle. With well-over 100 guests in attendance it was a festive evening emphasizing the blessings of faith and friendship.

Sr. Mary Baptista Klein, a series to come

Many of us remember Sr. Mary Baptista Klein, aka “Bappie.” The stories about her are legend. In cooperation with the monastery archivist we will post some stories about her in the days to come as part of a little series. Meanwhile, here are two photos!

A golden jubilee in autumn

Congratulations to Sister Mary Immaculata as she celebrates her 50th year of vows on October 3rd, 2011!

An in-school friendship leads to marriage

This cute photo is from the shower for two of our school employees, Uyo and Arjetta, who will soon be married. Congratulations to the happy couple!

The blogging gets better

I found an archive of this website, and am working to restore the nifty little features Blogger nixed in a blink. Soon this page will be back to its former, familiar look! More soon, plus news and photographs from the archives.

Does anyone understand Blogger?

Blogger had a major update that we did not choose or want, and now this page looks completely different (new colors, new fonts). Also, certain elements of the Live+Jesus! blog are missing. If you are knowledgeable about Blogger and want to help, please post a comment here. Thank you.

Mother Jacqueline Says...

Here's another in a series of favorite quotes and sayings from Mother Jacqueline. Like the first in our series, this one comes from Holy Father, St. Francis de Sales: "During the course of the day you will find the eyes of Jesus turned towards you and constantly fixed on you with an incomparable Love."

Did you say this is a fixer-upper?

The monastery bell tower, which dates to the early 19th century, is swaddled in scaffolding and drop cloths as it receives a fresh coat of paint and some routine maintenance. Some say it's the oldest original structure on the 23-acre school and Monastery campus. The picture was taken September 14 by Billie McSeveney.  The scaffolding and work should continue into the middle of October.

Mother Jacqueline Says...

We're starting a new series of sayings that Mother Jacqueline particularly likes, or things she sometimes says. Here is a quote she often shares from Holy Father St. Francis de Sales: "Keep your heart full of courage and your courage full of confidence in God... in Jesus!"

Sarah Richardson of Warrenton, Virginia, became a postulant on September 21, 2011. We pray for her perseverance in her call to follow Our Lord closely. God be praised!

Part II of the Biography of Susan Mary Margaret Wightt

Susan Mary Margaret Wightt, PART II. I'm touched as I post this with how young some of the sisters of the past were when they died. Mary Margaret was only 20.

*****

The companion spoken of in the last installment, to whom Mary Margaret Wightt had been so attached in the school and who later became a religious, was made the head of the Novices about three months after Mary Margaret entered the novitiate, bringing Mary Margaret much joy. She demonstrated the sincerity of her love for her dear companion and now Mistress. For the Mistress’s part, she took every opportunity to instruct her pupil, particularly in points of humility and obedience. One day she sent Mary Margaret to the wardrobe to bring her an old garment. Mary Margaret didn’t hear the word old, however, so she brought the very best one she could find, for she felt nothing was too good for her dear Mistress. The Novice Director took this opportunity to humble her Novice, telling her she was still far from having the true spirit of poverty, and that vanity yet reigned in her heart. She instructed Mary Margaret to go straight back and bring her the very worst she could find. The humble Novice did this without offering the smallest excuse to justify what she had done.

She was a true example of obedience, humility, and charity, and she took greater pleasure from obliging than from being obliged. She showed much deference toward her superiors, viewing God in them, particularly in our beloved spiritual Father.

She was made Mistress of Novices in December, 1820, a task for which she was well qualified because of her piety, zeal for regular observance, and other amiable qualities. Alas, however, she developed consumption in early May, 1821. The last sacraments were administered to her by our worthy spiritual Father, “but God, who delights in purifying his elect, was pleased to keep this his spouse on her bed of suffering still some time.” During this interval she showed both meekness and good humor. In fact, she was so gay and cheerful that some thought she might recover. Her Director, one of the sisters, observed that she coughed with much difficulty. This sister even she wished that she could cough for her—a remark that made Mary Margaret smile, and to which she replied, “My dear Sister, do you not know that the brides in former times were accustomed to wear no other garlands on the day of their nuptials than those which they themselves had previously gathered and arranged in due order?” She was full of such spiritual thoughts, and with these fervent comments she continued to inspire the sisters around her. She made many pleasant observations and she laughed heartily with everyone, but she always spoke of the country to which she was going. She had received enough relief from the Last Rites to give her sisters time to observe many proofs of her true and lively faith, piety, and holy liberty of spirit. Because of this delay they felt the loss even more when she died on July 18, 1821, about mid-day. She was 20 years old, and had been four years in her profession, with the rank of choir sister.

Back to the archives: Susan Mary Margaret Wightt

Last academic year we began a series focusing on the lives of Visitation sisters from the past, beginning with the first sisters who arrived in the late 1700s. That series continues now, at the pace of approximately one installment per week. Each biography is typed from the handwritten account in the monastery archives that was generally written after the sister's death by one who knew her well. Language is modernized and entries are edited to delete repetitions, but some of the flavor of the original remains in the music of the English language from two centuries ago...

SUSAN MARY MARGARET WIGHTT (Part 1 of 2)

Mary Margaret was born in Prince George’s County, Maryland, on February 13, 1801. When she was one year old her father died. Her mother was pious, and also attentive to her children’s educations, so when Mary Margaret was five she and her elder sister Ann (who also became a religious among us) were enrolled in our Visitation academy, where they were received with much love and kindness. It was evident that Mary Margaret was a chosen soul, for her understanding far surpassed her age. She was lively, and she advanced quickly in her studies, but also proportionately in the paths of virtue. She applied herself seriously to observe all of the school’s rules. However, the enemy (who is ever watchful and seeks to draw souls into his nets) tempted “this innocent dove” when she became very close friends with one of the boarding students. This student was “full of the world” and instilled frivolous thoughts into her mind. Instead of studying, the friends spent their time in conversation, but Mary Margaret was so quick that she still managed to know her lessons well enough that at first no one caught on. Their tutor knew what a good student Mary Margaret could be, however, and she soon discerned the difference. The tutor reported this change to Leonard Neale, and he spoke to Mary Margaret about it. This was in vain, however, for no sooner had she left him than she recounted the conversation to her friend, who said “Oh Mary Margaret, don’t mind the old man, he only wishes to make you a nun. For my part, I wouldn’t mind him were he to talk to me.” Although Mary Margaret felt deeply attached to her companion, she also wanted to follow the advice of Bishop Neale, of whom she was remarkably fond. This left her undecided about what step to take.

About this time her sister Ann obtained leave from Bishop Neale, although not without much difficulty, for both of them to visit their friends in the country; he considered them innocent lambs going out to be devoured by wolves. They went during August vacation, and when it was time to return Mary Margaret didn’t want to leave her friends, “and her heart cleaved still more closely to the world than ever.”

On December 1, 1811, Bishop Neale received one of the boarding students to the habit. This student was a close friend of one of the girls whom Mary Margaret had visited in the country. When the country girl saw her friend in religious habit, she promised never to return to the world, and she kept that promise. Just as before she had done all in her power to draw our dear sister Mary Margaret into vanity, now she made as great if not greater an exertion to help her find her way back to the place from where she had been led. She became a religious just one year after, and became the 12th sister in this new establishment. Our dear sister Mary Margaret now strived to imitate the examples of her friends, and she advanced daily in virtue and became once more an example of piety and regularity to her friends. She was also a comfort and support to her teachers, who rejoiced at this happy change, and with Bishop Neale’s permission they made her responsible for the care of the little chapel. In this task, so necessary because duties were numerous and there were not enough sisters to do it all. Mary Margaret’s piety and zeal became even more evident through her diligence and fervor. She so advanced in virtue that at age fifteen she prevailed on Leonard Neale to admit her to the habit of religion. He did this without difficulty, however, for he had always known her real merit.

(To be continued in a second part next week)

Habemus Matrem!

We used to call her "Sister Mary Compostina" or "Sister Mary Trash" ... because she is so faithful to doing small things (like taking out the trash and battling the bugs on the way to the compost bins) with great love -- and a BIG SMILE ... but now we call her MOTHER JACQUELINE.

On Monday morning, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and in the presence of Rev'd Msgr. Charles Antonicelli, the chapter sisters of our monastery elected Sister to be our 30th Mother Superior in the 212th year of our foundation. God be praised!

We are most grateful to Mother Mary Berchmans for her service to our community. After almost a decade of GOLD team leadership, we have a WHITE team sister at the helm (and the white team won the banner for 2010-11 .... hmmm, this doesn't bode well for the GOLD team!)

With the sharing of this news, we also take a summer break from regular blogging as many of us will be making our annual retreats and attending meetings, etc. We will resume normal posting in the fall. Stay tuned!

Graduation 2011

Before this week's heatwave set in, we were blessed with a positively beautiful morning for the 212th commencement exercises here at Georgetown Visitation. At 11.08am the 121st soon-to-be graduate took her place on the stage and the ceremony began with a prayer. The address to the graduates was delivered by Sister Deirdre Byrne who left the graduates with some excellent advice and loving words. We hope our readers enjoy a short "highlight reel" from a glorious morning under the tent on McNabb Field.

Big Day at Day Care

On Friday 3 June, it was a big day at Visitation's Day Care. Four students graduated and several others were promoted. It was an exciting day for all involved. Above, Sister Maginel opens the commencement exercises with a prayer.

The students and Ms. Isaacs close the graduation with a prayer of thanksgiving. The ceremony was attended by parents, teachers, sisters and a few flying guests. ;) For more pictures of the Day Care graduation -- and for some pictures of the "Nursery School" graduation (transplants into the monastery garden) click here.

"While we are little children, we are wise like little children, we speak like little children, we love like little children, but when we shall come to our perfect growth, there above in heaven, we shall be freed from our state of infancy, and love God perfectly."
St. Francis de Sales

Too Cute Not to Share

On Wednesday our day care center invited the sisters to watch their annual Trike-a-Thon. Above, Sister Maginel helps a competitor get started. Below, the sisters and bikers pose for an after-race photo. Visitation's day care is one of the best kept secrets on campus and surely one of the cutest!

Enlargement of the Heart

We have a little saying around the monastery which is said mostly in jest -- but sincerely nonetheless -- that we use when someone performs an act of charity which is small in nature and (usually) visible to others. For example, if a sister is getting dessert at a meal and there is only one cookie left, one sister might offer it to the another. The beneficiary of the cookie might smile gratefully and say, "Oh sister, thank you! Be careful: you might die of an enlarged heart!" It is a sweet way of acknowledging the kind deed but it points to something bigger: we should all strive to die of an enlarged heart!

There is a plaque in the catacombs of St. Sebastian which commemorates the place where, in 1544, St. Philip Neri did, in fact, experience an enlargement of his heart. The saint we commemorate today is known for his ardent love of God and outstanding love of the faithful whom he served. The physical expansion of St. Philip Neri's heart is a visible manifestation of the spiritual growth that took place in his life.

We may not experience a physical enlargement of our hearts, as did St. Philip, but we can strive to achieve a spiritual growth which will enlarge our hearts' ability to love our neighbors. Perhaps the next time we have an opportunity to perform a small act of charity, we will allow the Lord to stretch our hearts to seek and find Him in our neighbors ever more diligently.

"The Blessed St. Philip Neri, at fourscore years of age, had such an inflammation of heart through divine love, that the heat making the ribs give way to it, greatly enlarged them, and broke the fourth and fifth, that the heart might receive air and be refreshed."

St. Francis de Sales

Game Night at the Monastery

Many people ask us what we do for recreation on "game nights" in the monastery. That all depends upon what games we're playing and who is play which game! Below, Sister Philomena and Sister Mary de Sales take on Sister Rosemarie in a 2 on 1 game of ping pong.

Other sisters enjoy a relaxing board game. Above, Sister Jacqueline, Sister Maginel, Sister Raphael and our retreatant play Parcheesi. Click here to see more pictures (including some ACTION SHOTS) from a recent game night.

Last Movie Night

It's our last pizza and movie night -- but it's not our last Adoration. All-night Adoration will continue on third Fridays throughout the summer ... but the movies will begin again September. This Friday we'll be showing "Nine Days that Changed the World." It is an account of the nine day trip to Poland in June of 1979 that played a significant role in the defeat of communism. To learn more about this 90-minute film, visit its website here. Locals may RSVP on Facebook or email us -- or just drop in to visit the Lord.

Basil the Great

It may be the Feast of St. Matthias but around here, it's Basil the Great who's getting lots of attention. Well, not St. Basil, but the aromatic little seedlings which make the "nursery school" smell delicious. Sister Philomena inspects one of the baby basil plants which have been living next to the tomato and pepper seedlings. This year's seedlings were "born" in room 212 on a carefully covered desk, where they poked their cotyledons up through the soil in late April. They are all getting ready to move outside to the garden soon. This year, we are pleased to report that there was no need for Sister Mary Marple to visit the nursery, as all transplants appear, thus far, to be safe from harmful visitors. Stay tuned for photos from nursery school graduation when the seedlings move outside!

Tapestry of Trust

Do we really believe that we will want for nothing if we receive the Lord into our body when we receive communion and if we receive Him into our hearts when we listen to His word? We should.

It is probably accurate for most of us to say that we believe this but perhaps we do not always live it with confidence. Unanswered prayers, broken dreams and lost friendships are just a few of the circumstances which might cause us to wonder whether or not the Lord is with us in moments of difficulty. Like the disciples in Sunday's Gospel, it might well be the case that He is even closer to us than we realize in moments such as these. The Lord know our needs before we speak them and he knows our needs better than we know them. How many of our earnest prayers of petition were, in the long run, better left unanswered -- or answered in a way that we did not expect (or accept!) at the time. How many times has that broken dream led us to an open door we would not otherwise have found?

As one who observes a tapestry from the underside might be tempted to dismiss it as a mess, we do not share God's vantage point. He sees all the threads coming together in a way which is at once both beautiful and ordered to his good purposes. If we believe that the Lord is the sustenance of our life, the food that will satisfy us and never leave us hungry then we must trust that he is with us and is caring for us even when we do not understand why certain circumstances unfold as they do.

"The measure of the Lord's providence over us is the measure of our confidence in Him."

St. Jane de Chantal

The Last of Rigden

This is the last in our mini-series about Sister Ann Catherine Rigden. We hope our readers have enjoyed these accounts. Stay tuned for more historical accounts from the archives.

Fr. Clorivière visited her every day, and his presence cheered and revived her. He had a particular gift for speaking to her in the most consoling terms. In those days one received Holy Communion only with the permission of the spiritual director, and the communicant was required to refrain from all food and water after midnight. Ann Catherine would not drink during the night even when it troubled her, for she cared more for her soul. Five days before her death, Fr. Clorivière decided she should be given the Viaticum; two days after giving her the sacrament, he administered extreme unction. Each time the whole community surrounded her bedside, and since she could not speak loudly enough to be heard by everyone, she asked Fr. Clorivière to express her sentiments to them, including again asking pardon, and assuring them all of her affection. She often recommended the love of God above all things, and now in a better fashion than she had ever done previously, even from the most profound humility. The sisters concluded she must have been most agreeable to God, since she seemed to have been assisted in a supernatural manner. Although the sisters observed many examples of this supernatural gift, they hesitated to write all of them down out of fear of not being believed. Instead, they asked Fr. Clorivière to tell the story in his own words, one that would show how much they were indebted to Ann Catherine for building the church that was begun six months before her death, and that would tell of her dedication and tender devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

A gentleman called on her during the last weeks of her life. The sisters told him she was sick, but he asked for permission to see her before either her death or his. She was too ill and unable to grant his request. Everyone wondered who he was. It was only then that she told father Clorivière the circumstances that she had kept secret until then except from Leonard Neale himself. This was the man to whom she had once been engaged (see part two). Although her family long ago feared he had committed suicide, it happily was not the case.

After having endured nearly 14 months of sickness, her strength failed, and she came to the end surrounded by the community. She entreated Fr. Clorivière not to leave her during these last moments, and she cried out to Jesus, Mary and Joseph, to the Sacred Heart, and the Sacred Wounds as long as she could speak. She took her last breath at 11:00 on the morning of December 21, 1820. She was buried the next day under the church, in Tomb 3, after the sisters adorned her body with the finest flowers.

Her two natural sisters were present at her interment, for they had recently converted to Catholicism. They sobbed at the sight of her countenance that was still so sweet. The church was not yet finished, so they stood on a scaffolding above the basement and viewed her through the tiles of the floor. Her mother, who had also lately been converted thanks probably to Ann Catherine’s intercession and prayers, expressed full expectation that God who had been so generous to her during her mortal life would not fail to give her a reward for her virtues, which the community endeavored to imitate.

Man of the Night

No, it's not the Phantom of the Opera, it's a Pharisee named Nicodemus. We learn in John's Gospel that Nicodemus visited Jesus at night -- quite likely because, as a leader of the Jews, he might have been afraid of what other Pharisees might think. Have we ever acted from a similar motivation? Perhaps in our hearts we feel strongly about something but we are unable to act in a way which is commensurate with our feelings. Maybe we are out at a restaurant sharing a meal with a friend and we want to say grace before eating but instead of asking our friend to join us in praying, we pray quietly to ourselves and carry on with the meal. Or perhaps we are driving with a family member and a homeless person approaches our car and we hesitate to give him money or talk to him, as we might do if we were alone.

It may not seem to matter whether we say grace by ourselves or with our dining companion but what we will never know (at least not on this side of eternity) is how it affected the people around us. There might have been a lonely soul, eating alone, whose heart was warmed by seeing us bless ourselves and pray. We can never know the far-reaching effects of our small deeds of fidelity. Nothing, is small in the eyes of God. Nothing at all. Not a smile, a good deed, a warm greeting or even just a good intention. Nothing is small to the loving eyes of our heavenly Father.

"Great works lie not always in our way, but every moment we may do little ones with excellence, that is, with a great love. Behold that Saint, I beg you, who bestows a cup of cold water on the thirsty traveler; he does but a small matter in outward show, but the intention, the sweetness, the love, with which he animates his work is so excellent, that it turns this simple water into water of life, and of eternal life."

St. Francis de Sales