Mission Cross Blessing

To commemorate our sisters’ Centennial Year of 2018, a new Mission Cross has been erected on the grounds of our Motherhouse in Northeast Philadelphia. Many MSBT sisters, friends and supporters gathered recently for a blessing of the new cross.

Following an outdoor prayer service led by Sr. Deborah Wilson, MSBT and Fr. Mike Barth, ST there was a procession down the hill and into St. Joseph Hall where the celebration continued. BarbPresentingGeneral Custodian, Sr. Barbara McIntyre, MSBT welcomed those gathered and reflected on the significance of this historic milestone for the community. Sr. Deborah Wilson, MSBT then gave a reflection on the meaning of mission crosses throughout her missionary journey. Since the early days of the MSBT, mission crosses have been erected outside of mission sites where our sisters live and serve as a reminder of their call to be missionaries in the Church.

   The Cross is a sign that provokes us to love, to worship,

to gratitude, to thanksgiving, to service.

Fr. Thomas A. Judge, 1923

SteveV w MisCross-1This particular mission cross was hewn from wood harvested from the grounds of Holy Trinity where our community was first established. It was from those grounds that on February 2, 1918 the Missionary Servants of the Most Blessed Trinity were officially incorporated in the State of Alabama. The cross was carved and transported by Br. Steve Vesley, ST and erected on the grounds of the Motherhouse with help from Bill Ciabattoni of Azalea Gardens and Joe Foley, Joe Stone, Allan Mills, Andon Lakuriqi, Michael DeCero and Edison Armijos from our Motherhouse Maintenance Department.

Following the presentations we watched our Centennial Video “A Power for Good” that tells our MSBT story from it’s founding up until today, celebrating the particular charism of our community. [CLICK HERE to watch the full video in English or Spanish]

The new Mission Cross now stands in front of the Motherhouse, clearly visible to all visitors as they enter the property from Solly Avenue. It stands in commemoration of the past 100 years of dedicated service by our sisters to the development of the laity and to the preservation of the faith, especially among the poor and abandoned. It is a hopeful symbol of the sisters’ continued call to be missionaries in the Church, provoking them to love, to worship, to gratitude, to thanksgiving and to service as they enter into the next 100 years as Missionary Servants of the Most Blessed Trinity.


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