Please Pray for Julia

In November of 2006 we celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Vilnius for the last time before the church was closed. I had the pleasure of sharing the table with a group of Portuguese women from the neighborhood. They placed their statue of Our Lady of Fatima on the table and shared their home made liqueur.

Julia was among them. She was one of the first people that I met at Our Lady of Vilnius and one of the warmest and friendliest. I saw her as a social leader, animated, vivacious and doing what needed to be done.

Since the church closed, I have not seen very much of her, partly because of ill-health. At present she is very seriously ill.

Julia needs our prayers. Pray to Our Lady, so beloved by the Portuguese community, and to Blessed Jurgis Matulaitis, who said Mass at Our Lady of Vilnius in 1926 and who, himself suffered illness for most of his life.