October 11th was a very important date for the Church, for our Congregation and for our Home. First of all it was the third anniversary of the Canonization of St Jeanne Jugan, but it was also the date that our Holy father, Benedict XVI chose to open the “Year of Faith”.
The “Year of Faith” began on October 11, 2012 and will continue until November 24, 2013 (the feast of “Christ the King”). In each of our Homes we wish to help our Residents to learn of their faith, so as to grow in their faith.
The symbol for the “Year of Faith” is a “Boat”, which is a symbol of the Church, the “Bark of Peter”. The Boat holds the both the Apostles and the Church here today. Here in at Villa Guadalupe, we are using the symbol of a “Tree of Faith”. We felt that our Residents would be able to understand the symbol of a tree that when nourished, will grow and bear fruit.
The “Year of Faith” is a year that we are to learn more about our faith. We have the great joy of having the Franciscan Postulants from St Michael’s in Arizona to give an introduction to the “Year of Faith”. Some of the topics we have chosen as a community to go over with our Residents will be: Baptism, Eucharist, the Word of God, and the Saints and their Faith (especially the faith of St Jeanne Jugan).
The Little Sisters will be working with our Residents in groups, using our Residents who were teachers and our Resident Priests and Deacon to help us to speak of the faith, so that many will be involved in our discovery of the Faith!
