On the feast of St. Fernando, parishioners from the Idente churches of the Bronx and Long Island united to celebrate once again a gathering of the large Idente Family in the parish of St. Luke’s in Brentwood.
The event began with a spiritual lesson given by Fr. Luis Casasús, the Superior General of the Idente community, who encouraged everyone to be thankful to God and to ask Him that they may be more sensitive to the gifts they receive from the Holy Spirit. He continued that by becoming more aware of the Holy Spirit, they will realize that His gifts are like an unceasing rain that requires one to be attentive and awake to receive them. Furthermore, Fr. Luis manifested that according to Fernando Rielo, the gifts of the Holy Spirit have a special purpose, which is to strengthen one in the struggles they may face in one’s vocation or mission. The last and key point of the lesson was that a gift of the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit Himself. The Holy Spirit offers Himself as a personal gift to each and every individual.
After the spiritual lesson, the congregation participated in the holy mass and later went outside on the church’s lawn to partake in a delicious and abundant lunch prepared by the family of Gustavo Guevara and Elena Flores, married missionaries.
When the meal ended, all went to the parish hall of the church to share the arts with an athenaeum, which was truly a special magical experience for everyone.
The artistic presentation was led by the masters of ceremony Juana Mendoza, a married Idente missionary, and Dr. Carlos Barrilla. The performances included the following: the song “Morir al amor” sung by Idente missionaries Christine and Loyce, an original poem written and read by Mónica Sarmiento, the song “Que canten los niños” by the altar servers from the Bronx, an original poem written and read by Elsy Martínez called “Frijoles”, the song “Lord, You Have Come to the Seashore” sung by girls from the Idente parish in Hempstead, the song “Ave María Trinitatis” composed by the Provincial Superior of the Idente sisters Elaine Schenk and sung by Carla and Idente sisters Luz, Christine and Yerania, a Spanish rap “¿Dónde están los Identes?” (“Where are the Identes?”) by our sisters Patricia and Anita; an original poem read by Elsi “Acudiendo a tu llamada”, a mime performance by Juan Carlos and Kimberly, and salsa rhythms played on the conga and bongo drums by Santiago Medina. The athenaeum concluded with a poem by Fernando Rielo, “I Know Who You Are”.
It was truly a wonderful day spent together as a lovely family.
