We imitate the joy, simplicity, and “Deo Gratias” of Saint Felix of Cantalice, whose name Divine Providence has chose for our Congregation.

We wanted to celebrate our novena in preparation for the feast of St. Felix in a different way. We decided that, whenever a child came to the gate, we would share with them the story of St. Felix and give them a candy. For the babies, we would give them a toy. As the nine days unfolded, we saw what joy this simple gesture gave to kids. During this pandemic, our activities have been put on hold; but daily someone would be at our door.

On Sunday, May 17, we decided to celebrate together the feast of St. Felix with a barbecue. We had much to celebrate–St. Felix, of course; Jean Philip who lives in St. Felix House on the property; and the past birthdays of Annette and Sr. Inga. It was a great celebration!

On May 18, the feast of St. Felix, we were ready to share the joy of the Lord with our friends. We sent a message out to our kids to come to us at 3 p.m. We had prepared St. Felix cookies, topped with a chocolate candy, to give to those who came. We also made peanut butter sandwiches to be served with a glass of Gatorade.

Sure enough, the kids were right on time. We were aware of the social distancing that needed to take place, and each child received a mask to wear.

When all was finished, we proclaimed DEO GRATIAS, giving praise to God for the joy of the Lord in our midst even during a pandemic. St. Felix could always be heard saying “Lord, I entrust these people to you.” And so, we, too, did the same.