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Sister Susan Harvey, OSBM and Sister Barbara Jean Mihalchick, OSBM accompanied by Sister Agnes Knapik, OSB, traveled from the Mount to participate in the events related to the Beatification of Sister Miriam Teresa Demjanovich. Sister Theodosia Alishofski, OSBM and Sister Regina Adams, OSBM came from Wilkes-Barre for Saturday’s liturgy.

The main ceremony was held Saturday, October 4 in the Newark Cathedral Basilica where her portrait and relic were displayed.  Dozens of Byzantine Catholic priests and faithful joined in the Liturgy, including Barbara Soltis, who was Sister Susan’s first grade student in Bridgeport, Conn.

Sunday, we made our way to Convent Station, home of the Sisters of Charity of New Jersey. We prayed at the crypt where Sister Miriam Teresa’s remains are preserved behind a wall in a small room in the motherhouse chapel.  A very modest display of photos, memorabilia, and an intention book were there.

We enjoyed lunch with the Sisters of Charity. I congratulated them on the beautiful Beatification ceremony the day before. I told them it was on the standard of the ceremonies in the Vatican Basilica, including a magnificent choir; the participation of many Sisters in the ceremony, as well as the man who was healed as a child and the family of Sister Miriam Teresa; an excellent homily; and, comments by the General Superior who acknowledged the new Blessed’s Byzantine Ruthenian roots.

We and about 30 Sisters of Charity then went to St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Church, Bayonne, N.J. where Sister Miriam Teresa was baptized and attended into her teen years.  Her photo has been hanging in the vestibule of the church for a long time. There we participated in a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy with our Bishop Kurt Burnett and many priests. Thirty volunteer cantors led the singing from the balcony. The parish did a beautiful job organizing everything.  They had a holy card prepared as well as an icon for the tetrapod. The beautifully decorated church was filled with Eastern and Western Catholics some of whom travelled from as far away as Michigan.  An abundant dinner followed in the parish hall.

On our way back to the Mount, we stopped at the Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton to thank her for the new Blessed Miriam Teresa.  We prayed at her tomb in the Basilica and visited the museum which features her life story and memorabilia. All of these experiences were truly inspiring!

Thanks to the Sisters of Mercy in North Plainfield, New Jersey who hosted us in their guest quarters and were most gracious.

The beatification of a Bayonne native was celebrated in Bayonne on Sat., Oct. 4, during a special Mass at St. John the Baptist Byzantine Roman Catholic Church on East 26th Street, the church where Sister Miriam Teresa Demjanovich was baptized and received her first Holy Communion. Read more >>

September, 2014

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Dear Friends,

Through the grace of God, together we have completed the historical 80^th Pilgrimage honoring our Lady of Perpetual Help at Mount St Macrina. Your participation, your prayers and your generous assistance have once again enabled the Pilgrimage to be successful and spiritually fulfilling.

You are the women and men and young adults called today to help shape the future of our Byzantine Catholic Church as we journey forward. Just as Pope Pius XI, Bishop Basil Takach, and our foundress, Mother Macrina responded to a unique calling within their lifetime, so too, will all the good actions and decisions of your life ripple over the course of our Church’s history and echo throughout eternity.   You have the power to make a difference.  You make a profound difference to us, the Pilgrims, and to the Pilgrimage honoring the Theotokos.

For eighty years, the Sisters of St. Basil have endeavored to keep Mount St. Macrina as a peaceful harbor of prayer and reflection.  The 80^th Pilgrimage has ended, however, the blessed Pilgrimage of our life continues.   Our prayer is that the most significant journeys you make will be those which take you deeper into the heart of God.

With heartfelt appreciation, and with the assurance that you are being held in the depth of our prayers, we ask that Our Lady of Perpetual Help protect you and give you a profound understanding of how uniquely loved you are by her beloved Son.

With sincere thanks in the Lord,

Sister Seraphim Olsafsky, OSBM

Provincial

The photos from Sunday at the 80th Annual Pilgrimage on now available on our website. View the album >>

The photo album of Saturday of the 80th Annual Pilgrimage has been added to the website. View the album here>>

It was a beautiful evening at Mount St. Macrina as many Pilgrims gathered for Compline at the Shrine Altar. The 80th Annual Pilgrimage begins tomorrow morning. We look forward to welcoming Pilgrims as we begin our journey.

Bottom Row: Kathy Sefcheck, Linda Salveson Davis, Eileen Stegura Gmittler, Anna Maria Petrunya Singel and Kim Kociusko Warhola.
Top Row: Gloria Helt Kostelnik, Mary Kay Marsinek Stiver, Bridget Blair Bowman, Rosemarie Skovran Rupnik, Georgine “Cookie” Hlebasko Sutkowski and Elaine McKulka.

The Class of ’64 of Mt. St. Macrina Academy, Uniontown, Pennsylvania recently celebrated their “50th” high school reunion.  The class originally began with twenty-five freshmen and graduated nineteen seniors.

The weekend began Friday evening, July 26th, with seven alumnae gathering for a hospitality evening at one of the “Links Townhouses” at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, located in Farmington, Pennsylvania.  There we reminisced over the past fifty years amidst laughter and tears.  As we perused through the yearbooks we “relived” many of the highlights of those memorable academy years.

During the weekend some of the alumnae returned to the beautiful campus of the Mount and visited with some former teachers while others visited some of the historical sites of Fort Necessity and Gen. Braddock’s grave that were located near the Laurel Caverns area.  Those who stayed at the Nemacolin Resort had the delightful opportunity to tour the lovely grounds with its nature trails and outdoor habitats that enclosed zoo-like animals.

The highlight of the weekend was the formal dinner held on Saturday at “The Stone House Inn, where more of the alumnae with their husbands joined in the festivities.  Special awards were given: “Cookie” (Georgine) Hlebasko Sutkowski (Charlotte, N.C.), was the most difficult classmate to find; Anna Petrunya Singel (McKees Rocks, PA) was the quickest to respond and showed up wearing a replica of the Academy uniform complete with “saddle shoes”; and, to Kim Kociusko Warhola, for traveling the farthest from Campbell, California.

The table centerpieces (saddle shoe planters) and decoupaged vases with yearbook pictures were made by Mary Kay Marsinek Stiver and Bridget Blair Bowman.  Both ladies orchestrated the weekend events as well.  Kim Warhola surprised everyone with their own individual keepsakes of a “global” candle.

We all agreed that everyone had such a wonderful and delightful time.   The ladies met one final time for “brunch” on Sunday at “Braddock’s Inn.”  It was unanimously agreed that we would gather again for the “55th” class reunion in October – 2019, at the Mount.

Submitted by: Bridget Bowman

Sat., August 16, 9:30 a.m. (Rain date: August 23)

Volunteers are asked to meet at the Trinity Center at 9:30 a.m. Please bring   Brooms, weed whackers, blowers, weeding tools, rakes and clippers.  Lunch will be provided.

For further information, please call Sr. Carol, Pilgrimage Coordinator, at 724-438-7149 or email her at hpmsm@verizon.net.

The Sisters at Mount St. Macrina announce the re-opening of one section of the Pilgrimage Houses for the upcoming 80^th Annual Pilgrimage in honor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

Approximately twenty beds (in small dormitories) will be available this year exclusively for pilgrims who are physically challenged and cannot climb stairs.

Due to the limited number of beds, please note that we are unable to accommodate caregivers.  Pilgrims staying in these dormitories must be able to navigate on their own.

The fee for these beds is $40.00 per night and are available on a first come, first serve basis.   To reserve a bed, please call Sister Carol at 724-438-7149.

During the renovation a beam was discovered with the date July 19,1938 written in beautiful script.  This was the year the buildings were constructed. Since the roof and foundation were found in good condition, the current renovation was undertaken.

It is hoped that more of the interior will be developed in the future.  The Sisters are gratefully accepting donations toward this project.

Father James D. Hess, O.CARM., Spiritual Director, SS. Cyril & Methodius Seminary directed the retreat for the Sisters, July 28-August 1. The Sisters had a very positive and blessed experience.

Rev. James D. Hess, O.CARM.