Activities

Spreading Christmas Cheer

On Tuesday, December 17, the Academy students and staff were once again on another exciting adventure. This one, however, was not the usual kind; climbing and camping in the wilderness, for instance. In fact, this could be classified as completely the opposite. We went to the convent and retirement centers of the Sisters of Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Danville, Pennsylvania, to sing our favorite Christmas carols.

Students sing carols for the elderly at Maria Joseph Manor.

We left after a hearty lunch. When we arrived at the first nursing home, we were greeted by Sr. Davidica, who led us around the nursing homes and the convent. Our first stop was a recreation room, where over a dozen or so elderly folk waited to marvel at our angelic voices. Sr. Davidica introduced us, and we started our performance. At first, we thought we were going to die, so nervous were we. After our voices warmed up, however, the Christmas spirit began to flow freely. The old gentlemen and ladies were visibly and audibly thankful. As we were leaving to visit the next nursing home, one of the ladies exclaimed, “Amazing! I could actually understand what they were singing!”

The audience responds with heartfelt applause.

Our next stop was a larger and newer nursing home. At a central location, we sang for the elderly who were wheeled in by nurses. Then, we proceeded to visit some of the infirm who were bedridden. We visited an elderly nun unable to rise from her bed. Around the foot of her bed, we sang my favorite Christmas song, Hark the Herald Angels Sing. When we finished, the nun was almost crying and so were we. Finally, we sang for a group of retired nuns, many of them former teachers. One of the nuns was a music teacher, and she enjoyed our little presentation tremendously. Having brought Christmas cheer to the sick and infirm, we proceeded to the convent.

We sang for the mother superior and for the nuns in their auditorium. They were very kind, and we sang our best for these "brides of Christ." Sr. Davidica, as she had done after each of our little presentations, asked all the nuns to pray for us so that we might grow up to be the good Catholic gentlemen we should be. After chatting with the nuns for a while--one of them even knew some of our students from Hazleton--we were invited to a snack at the school. The Sisters used to run a girls academy, but now they have a preschool and kindergarten. Sr. Davidica showed us the magnificent motherhouse chapel, now a basilica, and we sang the Salve Regina in honor of Our Blessed Mother. To cap off the visit, Sister showed us the Perpetual Adoration Chapel and we spent a few moments adoring Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

Sister Davidica explains the school motto.

Outside, in front of the bell tower of the school, Sr. Davidica pointed out the motto of the girls academy: Omnia Gloria Filiae Regis Ab In Eus (All the glory of the daughter of the King is the result of what is within her). Seeing nuns like Sr. Davidica who have vowed their whole lives to the sole service of the King of Kings filled us with admiration.

About a month after our visit, Sister Davidica passed away. We pray that she is receiving her eternal reward as a faithful daughter of Christ the King and interceding for us before His Divine Majesty and His Mother, Mary.

For more information about the Sisters of Sts. Cyril and Methodius visit their website at http://www.sscm.org.