Bishop John B. McCormack

Thanksgiving Day is rooted in our nation's history; a day we set aside to express our gratitude to God, to friends and to family members. Every human heart, no matter what challenges and difficulties it deals with, knows that God is good and that we often experience His goodness in the generous works of men and women whose spirit and deeds impress us.

Recently, a story by a columnist reminded me of some persons for whom I give thanks to God. The story made me reflect on those in my life who influenced me both by their teaching and by their example of living a life true to their beliefs. I think of how these special people may not have known how powerful they were in my life, and how often they toiled without recognition or even expressed gratitude.

The columnist wrote about a woman who grew up in New York City, entered a religious community and earned a doctorate in theology, after which she taught ethics for many years at her congregation's university, until a diagnosis of late-stage cancer forced her to resign from her demanding schedule.

While in remission, she turned her energy and skills to caring for homeless families, having charmed bankers and friends to help her purchase a six-family building in Brooklyn. Sister Kathy's realized vision was captured by a man who said, "a guy like me was talking all the time. She was doing it: living in the residence.... loving those kids." Once the illness captured her physical energy, she moved to her community's retirement home. Her spirits, however, were not captured, such as the time she convinced her retired colleagues to pose for photographs in athletic gear. Her humor and her faith, both in life and in God, never diminished.

There are many Sisters like Sister Kathy who have contributed in so many ways to the lives of others; who continue to live their life praying for us, conversing with each other and caring for one another in their communities' retirement facilities.

Religious Sisters — and my own beloved, deceased sister was one of them — are often the unsung heroes of our Catholic family. Along with countless acts of quiet kindness, they reveal God's spirit by serving Him in the poor, the sick and the forgotten. Ironically, those who served so many other people, today are in need of people's care and support for them. Living in healthcare facilities and retirement homes, they rely greatly on the support of the Catholic faithful through the Annual Retirement Fund Collection for Retired Religious. This collection will be taken up in most of our Catholic parishes of New Hampshire this coming weekend, December 1. The collection is one way we all can express our gratitude for all that religious men and women have done to help us and our Church. May our care for them be generous.

I am grateful not only for the story of Sister Kathy, which gave me pause to think and give thanks for the many retired religious I have known, but also for those who continue to pray for us or who work among us, educating and caring for us and that we might experience God's love. "And for these, I give thanks."

Most Reverend John B. McCormack is the ninth Bishop of Manchester. The Diocese comprises the entire Catholic community in the state of New Hampshire.