Sometime at the tail end of October, I found a small, hand-addressed envelope in my mailbox. Inside was a small card from the Sisters of St. Basil the Great, Jesus Lover of Humanity Province, who were requesting the honor of my presence at a special event that has been a century in the making—the grand opening of a “centennial year celebrating the blessings of 100 years in America."

Any invitation to an anniversary celebration evokes memories . . . this one, coincidentally, followed on the heels of a mini-reunion of erstwhile pupils of St. Basil School in Philadelphia’s Logan neighborhood, people with whom I reminisced about the long climb up the hill from Lindley Avenue to the classroom building, the Sisters who taught us, classmates whose lives had taken interesting paths, episodes and adventures and amusing vignettes that made us laugh and then agree that the Sisters had given us a pretty good educational foundation for the years to come . . .

Other memories included the years I spent teaching English at St. Basil Academy in Fox Chase and later at Manor College, the adventure of writing and/or editing articles and newsletters and even a book with and/or for the Sisters, and more personal memories of kindness and support that was given generously at times when life’s twists and turns were a little dark and murky and the knowledge that an entire convent was remembering me in prayers was a rather awesome source of comfort.

And so, I marked the date (November 21, 2010) on my calendar and happily checked off that I would be attending both the Divine Liturgy and the reception, feeling a little humble and a lot honored that I was also remembered.

One hundred years of a glorious enterprise is indeed something to celebrate; it creates a special mood of excitement that is palpable and visible. It emanates and radiates even in the most mundane and unlikely environments—in this case the parking lot behind the Sisters’ Spirituality Center, where a smiling guard choreographed the car parking and smiling guests greeting one another as they walked slowly or briskly to and up the concrete steps leading to the Holy Trinity Chapel.

Shepherded into pews and chairs, we watched the processional . . . Crossbearer Sister Monica Lesnick, OSBM, in the lead; the Provincial Council and the clergy and hierarchy following—the grave solemnity of the occasion competing with an air of happy excitement.

The Divine Liturgy began. Joining head celebrant Metropolitan Archbishop Stefan Soroka as concelebrants were nearly 20 members of the clergy, among them the Very Rev. Bishop Basil Losten, Bishop Emeritus, and the Sisters’ chaplain, the Very Rev. Archpriest Daniel Troyan.

The Holy Trinity Chapel was filled to capacity, the Sisters of the province filling approximately half the right side, other religious and secular guests filling the remaining seats. Up front, to the right of the clergy and hierarchy celebrating the liturgy, was the familiar smiling face and upraised hand of Sister Germaine Senita, directing the Sisters’ Choir and Saint Basil Academy Madrigal singers as they sang the responses, their voices melding with those of many of the congregants.

The Gospel retold the story of Martha and Mary, with the beleaguered Martha being gently admonished for not so gently admonishing the sister who sat at the feet of Jesus, listening to His words while Martha was tending to the chores . . . there was a fleeting moment of indignation and sympathy for the overwhelmed and multitasking Martha, and then the realization that this was not a tale about negligent sisters of the flesh but a validation of dedicated Sisters of the spirit and the path they have chosen to trod—a path less traveled and sometimes difficult for others to comprehend.

Comprehension of sorts was offered by the homilist, the Rev. Dr. Ivan Kaszczak, who shed light on the matter in a homily that made the chapel rock with laughter. And yet, amidst the comedic references to camels and GPS systems and the wickedly funny "Trust Me" spoken in a Hollywoodesque parody of the voice of the Lord, was an explanatory tribute—a down to earth view of a difficult choice, a figurative (and sometimes literal) leap of faith, a life-altering decision each of the Sisters seated in the chapel that day had made. In concluding this tribute, the homilist reflected upon the Sisters who had come from Ukraine to America a century ago, the founding Sisters who had walked hard and rocky roads with no other compass than the one provided by a Lord God whose directions were embodied in that inexorable "Trust Me."

The Divine Liturgy ended as it had begun, with a procession led by Crossbearer Sister Monica, as hierarchs, clergy, Sisters, and guests left the chapel to continue the celebration in the Sisters' dining hall. Here, mingling with other guests, I munched on tasty hors d'oeuvres, juggling a glass of champagne or wine, waiting to toast the Sisters on this milestone of their historic journey. As we waited, we chatted . . old friends, nodding acquaintances, and perfect strangers sharing funny and heartwarming stories of the Sisters and how they had touched our respective lives. But the central theme was the same . . . the palpable and visible happiness of the Sisters who were being feted and celebrated on this special day. Young, middle aged, and not so young, they all glowed with some inner light, and their happiness made all of us feel very glad that we had come.

In her welcome speech, Provincial Superior Sister Dorothy Ann Busowski, OSBM, expressed gratitude to the province foundresses, "those brave women—Mother Helena Langewych, Sisters Paphnutia, Euphemia and Jeremiah—who surrendered themselves to the call of God and left their homeland to brave the broad expanse of the ocean; who opened themselves to the vastness of a new language and immersed themselves into a strange culture," enumerating their labors of love and citing the many accomplishments of the Sisters who came in their wake and the Sisters who continue to carry on the traditions and carry out the ministries they had started.

The Provincial noted that recalling the contributions of the numerous sisters who have touched thousands of lives was exhilarating and energizing and then graciously observed, "All of you and all of those whose lives we have touched and have been touched by are part of this celebration. I welcome each and every one of you who have come today to be with us and to begin this year long celebration. You are here because you are important to us and to our history."

Next to speak was Sister Miriam Claire Kowal, the General Superior, who had traveled from Rome to participate in the celebratory event, bringing with her a personal greeting from His Holiness Pope Benedict—an insightful greeting that lauded the history and longevity of the Province as well as the work and value of the Sisters who continue to build on the solid foundation created by their predecessors.

The Sisters' chaplain, the Very Rev. Archpriest Daniel Troyan, offered a prayer asking God to bless the Sisters and their future endeavors; Archbishop Metropolitan Soroka offered a toast. And as the champagne glasses were raised, a happy and heartfelt "Monhaya Lita" resonated from all corners of the dining hall.

Partaking of the buffet dinner, guests continued to share stories about the Sisters, celebrating their teaching, praying, healing presence. The leavetaking was punctuated by "see you soon"—a promise that the year-long celebration will bring all of us together at succeeding events and programs scheduled for this Jubilee year.

It was, for all of those attending, a nice prelude to Thanksgiving Day and another thing to be thankful for.