Blessing of Holy Door opens Filippinis’ observance of St. Lucy’s 350th birthday

MORRISTOWN   With great joy the Religious Teachers Filippini of the Province of St. Lucy Filippini officially opened their year-long observance of the 350th birthday of their founder, St. Lucy Filippini, April 9, in part by walking through a Holy Door, newly blessed at their motherhouse chapel here to symbolize that Jesus is the only door — or way — to God.

The province, including parishes, schools, and communities, will sponsor events during this anniversary year from St. Lucy’s birthday on Jan 13, 2022, to her birthday on Jan 13, 2023. For this International community, these observances will coincide with celebrations at the Filippinis’ Generalate in Rome, and in countries around the world where the Sisters minister in Catholic education, faith formation, and especially to the poor and those in need. In the Paterson Diocese, the Filippinis operate Villa Walsh Academy, Morristown; St. Gerard Majella School, Paterson; and Holy Spirit School, Pequannock.

On the morning of April 9, rain showers stopped in time for Bishop Emeritus Arthur J. Serratelli to bless a special Holy Door for St. Lucy’s 350th birthday, which is the front door of the chapel at the motherhouse here in Morristown. Afterward, Filippini sisters and lay staff, benefactors, and friends in attendance walked through the Holy Door to strengthen their commitment to be closer to Christ with their own personal devotions and to help others get closer to him in their charisms of charity and Catholic education.

“We will be united with our sisters from around the world in celebrating St. Lucy’s 350th birthday as a way to honor our founder and commemorate her legacy and passion for the Word of God, devotion to the Eucharist, educating young women and children, and devotion to the heart of Christ and to our Blessed Mother,” said Sister Patricia Pompa, provincial superior, noting that the Holy Door blessing also marked the opening of the chapel to the public for the first time in two years, since it was closed during the pandemic.

For this holy year of celebration for St. Lucy’s 350th birthday, Pope Francis, by decree, has granted Catholics a plenary indulgence, which removes all temporal punishment due for sins. This can take place in the following three ways: if they receive confession and Holy Communion and pray for the intensions of the Pope; visit any chapel or church around the world ministered by the Filippinis; or if not possible, meditate and pray at a suitable time before relics of St. Lucy, followed by recitation of the Our Father, the Creed, and invocation to the Blessed Mother and St. Lucy. The papal decree is on display in Italian and English in a shrine to St. Lucy at the rear of the motherhouse chapel along with a relic of the saint — a piece of her clothing.

As he blessed the Holy Door, Bishop Serratelli prayed to the Holy Spirit to make this holy year, “a time of joy and deeper conversion for everyone.

“Grant to those who pass through this door, the grace to one day cross the threshold into the heavenly kingdom and possess the blessed inheritance of eternal life,” Bishop Serratelli prayed before he sprinkled the Holy Door with Holy Water, followed by censing it.

After Bishop Serratelli’s blessing on April 9, the congregation walked through the Holy Door and up the stairs to the chapel, where they listened to him give a reflection on St. Lucy and the Holy Door.

“Jesus is the door. The Holy Door symbolizes Christ, our only way to God,” Bishop Serratelli said. He urged everyone to help “lead people to Jesus” by following in the footsteps of St. Lucy, who demonstrated her patience in suffering, joy of her vocation, and commitment to charity. For the papal indulgence, the Bishop led the recitation of the Our Father, the Creed, and the invocation to the Blessed Mother and St. Lucy.

In the Province of St. Lucy Filippini, the sisters operate Catholic schools in Connecticut, Florida, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, and Rhode Island, in addition to New Jersey. Around the world, they run schools, hospitals, orphanages, and other ministries in Albania, Brazil, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Italy, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

Born on Jan. 13, 1672, in Corneto-Tarquinia, St. Lucy was orphaned at a young age and went to live with an aunt and uncle. She often visited the nearby Benedictine Nuns' Monastery of Santa Lucia, where she received her first Holy Communion and later instructed others in the faith. Impressed with St. Lucy, Cardinal Mark Anthony Barbarigo enlisted her to head Catholic schools that they founded to help girls, especially from poor families, to develop a Christian conscience and help influence a healthy family life. Teachers were trained to staff the rapidly expanding schools, the Filippinis’ history states.

Twelve years later, the cardinal devised a set of rules to guide St. Lucy and her followers in religious life. In her lifetime, 54 schools were established. The growing community attracted the attention of Pope Clement XI who, in 1707, called St. Lucy to Rome to start schools. She died at 60 on March 25, 1732, the Feast of the Annunciation. In 1930, the Church declared Lucy Filippini a saint, according to the Filippinis’ history.

In New Jersey, Mother Ninetta, who came from Italy, and Bishop Thomas Walsh of Trenton, charted a course for Catholic education, after they met in 1918. Bishop Walsh became archbishop of the Newark Archdiocese in 1928. He acquired the former home of Louis Charles Gillespie outside Morristown, which became Villa Lucia, the new motherhouse. The name was later changed to Villa Walsh in 1940, in honor of the pioneering prelate. In 2005, the community completed St. Joseph Hall, a home healthcare center for infirm and aged sisters on the Villa Walsh campus, the Filippini sisters’ history states.

After Bishop Serratelli’s reflection about the Holy Door on April 9, Sister Patricia thanked him for his “profound words of wisdom about what we do and why we celebrate what we celebrate — words that inspire us and make us want to be better.

“Thank you to everyone here today to celebrate and share this day. Around the world, we are united in celebrating St. Lucy’s birth and her charism. ‘Lucy’ means ‘light’ and St. Lucy’s light continues to shine today,” Sister Patricia said.