The Most Rev. William Medley, bishop of the Diocese of Owensboro, Ky., visited Maple Mount on Oct. 19 to offer the sacrament of anointing to the sisters, and to tell them how their ailments help them be closer to Jesus.
Following the anointing service, the bishop blessed the new vessels the Ursuline Sisters will be using during Mass at the Motherhouse beginning at Advent.
Bishop Medley said he celebrated the funeral Mass for a priest who died after 61 years of service and placed a crucifix on his coffin, an ironic custom he said because the resurrected Christ is the final chapter, not Christ crucified.
“None of us get from this life to the other without bearing a cross,” he said. “The story of the cross is that suffering is redemptive, it’s holy, because Jesus suffered for us. When we think about our aches and pains, do you ever think, ‘How do people without faith endure this?’”
The bishop and Father Ray Goetz, chaplain at the Motherhouse, laid their hands on each of the many sisters present in the Rainbow Room of Saint Joseph Villa, and also anointed them with oil.
Later, during lunch, Bishop Medley blessed the new gold vessels. The Vatican now requires the vessels to be made of a precious metal by the time Advent begins this year.