On Sunday, October 11, Sister Eunice X was joined for communal facing at The Convent by Sisters Tori D’Affair and Domine Trix (visiting from Seattle), as well as by Novice Guard Ian Knight. We struck out from The Convent at noon, making our way down the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, through the Boston Public Garden and the Boston Common, and through Government Center to Faneuil Hall. It was such a glorious day, beautiful with sunshine and perfect in temperature. All the while we were posing for pictures, telling our story, and collecting donations on behalf of Unchained At Last (UnchainedAtLast.org).
While overall the crowds were less engaging than we might have hoped, we truly enjoyed some sweet surprises. Within the Common, just a few steps ahead of us a group of young men (mostly) jumped up and started calling out when they noticed us. We collectively braced for insults or worse, but we stayed calm and greeted them warmly and professionally – and immediately we were in a very sincere and quite enjoyable conversation with a group of people who for a whole variety of reasons would not typically engage (or even encounter) a bunch of clown nuns in service to the community.
During our time at Faneuil Hall, we met up with several senior-aged singers from In Choir (Inchoir.co.uk/), a traveling group from Brighton, about 60 miles south of London. They were so sweet that we just had to stay and listen to their rendition of It’s All About The Bass. It was no treble at all!
We eventually broke for lunch in the North End, where we munched and chatted as we watched the Columbus Day parade go by. After a quick peak into the Alley bar, we returned to The Convent to de-face. And we all had such a good time getting to know our visiting Sister Domine!
While it was a good day for Ministry of Presence, it was less so for collecting funds. Even so, we raised $100 for the charity. In the end, an anonymous donor agreed to chip in a bit more, so we can make a nice showing for the beneficiary, Unchained At Last.
