2026 Jubilee Mass & Celebration

More than 70 guests joyfully gathered for the Jubilee Mass and celebration in honor of Sr. Patricia Schmidt, DW, who marked an extraordinary 75 years of profession, Sr. Rosemary Connelly, DW, who celebrated an inspiring 70 years, and Associates of Wisdom, Linda Fenimore and Ellie Filippone, who commemorated 25 years. The Mass, presided over by Fr. Tom Poth, SMM, filled the chapel of Our Lady of Wisdom Convent in Sound Beach, NY, with gratitude, laughter, and applause. Enjoy these joyful moments captured in video and photographs of before, during, and after the Mass, and Sr. Patricia Schmidt’s Homily.

Jubilee Mass

The reflection for the Mass was given by 75-year Jubilarian Sr. Patricia Schmidt, 94.

Associates of Wisdom Linda Fenimore and Ellie Filippone; 70 Year Jubilarian, Sr. Rosemary Connelly, Delegation Leader, Sr. Catherine Sheehan, 75 Year Jubilarian, Sr. Patricia Schmidt, and Fr. Tom Poth.

Sr. Patricia Schmidt’s heartfelt and inspiring Homily is a reflection on a life of faith, love, and gratitude. It invites you to rediscover your own belovedness, to cherish the gifts of community, and to embrace the truth that each of us is deeply loved by God. This moving testimony encourages us to see the divine spark within ourselves and others.

Jubilee Homily August 2, 2026

I have been joyfully anticipating this day all year—perhaps all my life—and we are so grateful that all of you can share this Jubilee with Rosemary, Ellie, and me.

When I was moved to prepare this homily, I had no idea that the readings would be about bread. And here I am, gluten-free, unable to eat bread! So too, when I was called to enter the Daughters of Wisdom, a French community whose staple was bread—and lots of it. But the nourishment symbolized by bread comes in many forms, especially love. Wisdom knew what she was doing for each of us, from the gift of loving parents who brought us to life, to the journey she has led Rosemary, Ellie, and me on as Daughters of Wisdom and Associates.

Photo Album

My final vows as a Religious were made in 1956 in our chapel in Saint Laurent, France. During the prostration, a deep awareness came over me of my commitment as a lifelong journey of returning home to God, beginning at birth and confirmed at Baptism.

Our founder, St. Louis Marie de Montfort, stressed the importance of Baptism in our Christian lives. At our Baptism, we were given a religious name, but more importantly, we acknowledged an Original Blessing that recognized the gift of God’s life and love given us—gift to be shared with our family and our community.

Just think for a moment of a newborn baby. How can anyone not believe that this child comes blessed and beloved of God? We celebrate Baptism as families because, at every birth and every Baptism, we celebrate the gift of God among us.

Through the years, somehow, we forget this Gift of Love. The people around us often forget, too. As we become busy with the challenges of childhood, the teenage years, and adult responsibilities, we lose sight of that original blessing—the gift of life and love itself. We forget, or maybe even deny, something that seems almost too good to be true.

Jesus, too, was baptized, and In that moment, the Father and the Spirit reminded him—and so reminds us—of that original blessing: “This is my beloved Son.” Then, on Mount Tabor at the Transfiguration, that same affirmation is heard again: “This is my beloved Son.” This message is for all of us! No longer is life to be about simply following the rules of the Torah. The new message for every Christian is this: You are beloved. You are loved. Now “Love one another as I have loved you.”

In the year 2000, I stood on that same mountain, Mount Tabor, and something stirred within me, although I didn’t know exactly what it was. However, on my last retreat, my director and I revisited the Gospel scenes of Jesus’ Baptism and Transfiguration. She asked me what Jesus did after hearing that he was God’s beloved Son. She reflected that he spent forty days in the desert facing life’s temptations. Yes, but then there is another way of looking at it. Jesus may also have spent those forty days trying, as a fully human person, to grasp what it truly meant to be God’s Beloved. That insight became a revelation for me, one that struck me very deeply.

In my own prayer and reflection, I’ve come to believe that we all begin life as God’s beloved, and that then life somehow dulls that memory. For most of us, it takes a lifetime to believe this in its fullness. … To be beloved of God? … As flawed human beings? It seems almost too good to be true. Maybe I’m just a slow learner, but it has taken me almost ninety-four years to fully realize that rules alone will never bring us to trusting this fullness of love as pure gift.

Richard Rohr reminds us that this divine spark is within us from the beginning, and it takes a lifetime to believe it. We are all called to discover our true selves and grow into our true identity. There is no question of deserving God’s love. It is simply in the nature of God to love. I have spent too much of my life resisting the depth of that truth. But I invite you, right now, simply to tell yourself: “I am beloved of God. I am God’s beloved.”

God has placed reminders of this truth throughout our lives—in the people we love, in those who love us, and even in those for whom loving them does not come easily. They, too, are beloved of God, and we are invited to remember that and to learn to see it. When we look into one another’s eyes, if we are attentive enough, we might even glimpse God looking back at us.

Thomas Merton once commented, “How can you tell people they are walking around shining like the sun.” Most likely because they are filled with joy and gratitude for all that God has done in their lives. But so are others; they just hide it well from themselves and us.

Today, we are filled with gratitude for each one of you and for the gift you have been to us. God has shown himself to us through you and so many who have gone before us. How can we not be grateful?

This past year has brought change and transition to many of us, but it has also brought recognition and deep joy for the gifts of our lives—and the gifts have been many. So, my dear friends, let us rejoice and sing with jubilation…..

I am beloved… I am loved!

We love you. … And we thank you for celebrating with us. … And now, with us, please celebrate yourselves as beloved of God.

Sr. Patricia Schmidt, DW
August 2, 2026