A Special Anniversary

There are personal anniversaries we want to keep and others we want to forget. Those we share with a community, however, often share a tension that cannot be ignored. A great good may be remembered and celebrated, as in a military victory, but there is a terrible cost on and beyond the battlefield.

This year marks one of those remembrances, the fifth anniversary of Maria Middleton entering eternal life. There was great comfort in assurances she had found heaven that day after a long illness. There was also quaking grief in the death of a child.

After Maria’s passing, her parents found journals she had kept for years. She began one at age 11 with the words: “God is merciful.” The last words she could legibly write nearly seven years later were: “think hope.” In her words and the example of her life, Maria is leading many from sorrow to wonder – and ultimately to hope.

As in past years, an anniversary Mass will be celebrated at the National Shrine of Lady of Czestochowa, a place close to Maria’s heart. This year, however, we’ll remember Maria in a special way. Archbishop Nelson Pérez of Philadelphia will be the main celebrant for Mass:

Thursday, October 16 – 6 p.m.

National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa

654 Ferry Road, Doylestown, PA 18901

Refreshments and sale of a new book, “Think Hope: Maria Middleton’s Life of Unyielding Trust in God” will take place from 5 to 5:40 p.m and following Mass in the Visitor’s Center.