Name: 54th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT
Start: 2024-04-07T15:00:00
Location: Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Richard Paratley

Catherine Miller

Veronica Mak

Adriana Valdés

Gavin Cappon

Mheco Joy Manlangit

Melina Jaharis

Nikhil B. Krishna

Mikhail Parkhomovsky

Regina Opera Company

Sister Angelica and two lay sisters have been late for chapel. Angelica has already done her penance, so the mistress of the novices imposes one on the lay sisters. The Monitor then chides some of the other sisters for minor transgressions, but allows the nuns to have some relaxation time in the garden before they must return to their labors. They enjoy the sight of the late afternoon sunlight falling upon the fountain.

The sisters’ talk turns to their lingering desires for the worldly pleasures they used to enjoy. Sister Angelica denies that she has any such desires, but the others know that she is lying, for she longs for some news of her family. She has been at the convent for seven years without hearing from them, and the sisters believe that she is a princess who was sent to the convent as a punishment for some mysterious transgression.

Their speculations are interrupted when a nursing sister rushes in and asks Sister Angelica, who is expert in such matters, for an herbal remedy to treat another nun who has been stung by a wasp. Then two alms-collecting nuns arrive with provisions. One of them announces that a rich-looking carriage is standing outside the convent gate. Angelica becomes anxious and asks her to describe the carriage in detail, but the nun can only say that it was very fine. The convent bell rings; Angelica begins to pray. The other nuns pity Angelica’s anxiety and tell her that they hope it is a visit from her family.