We recently had a wonderful visit by Mother General Maria del Monte Auxiliadora. Mother General Maria is the leader of the Little Sisters of the Poor worldwide and has come to the United States to visit some of our homes. What a joy it was to see her! A Mother General has not visited Kansas City for over 50 years!
The morning after her arrival the Residents filled the mall area and gave her a grand welcome. They had learned some Spanish (Mother is a native of Spain), so when she appeared, they all sang out a hearty “Bienvenidas!” to welcome her and her assistant to Kansas City.
It was a day of festivities. Mother visited with the Residents, then she greeted all the employees. Later the Residents provided entertainment that included a puppet show, a play, poetry reading, and lively songs in Spanish. The afternoon closed with a root beer float social in the mall, while Mother greeted the guests that had come to join us.
Her visit also included the joy of having Bishop James V. Johnson, Jr. celebrate Mass for us, along with our chaplain, Fr. Joseph Sharbel, and Resident priest Fr. James Hart.
We were honored to host Mother General and to show her some Kansas City hospitality. She was impressed with our city from the start – she commented that even the people they encountered in the airport here were very friendly and kind to them.
