At St. Joseph’s Church I heard the most astonishing thing: “There is a baby boom on Capitol Hill!” Susan, the mother of six-month old Joseph, told me this while we sat chatting after the noon Mass, as little Joseph chewed happily on my finger.

Baby boom! I’ve seen it with my own eyes at St. Joseph’s, on the streets of Capitol Hill, and in our house.

One Friday one of our friends phoned to ask if she could bring Max (27 months) and Dominic (4 months) to visit. Out came the toy box, and in no time we were soon on the floor with babies and toys.

The next day another mother brought her twins, Christopher and Clare (15 months), who also kept us captivated.

At one point these twins led us into the chapel. Clare danced under the altar while Christopher danced around it, holy water bottle in hand. All of us, three staff and the mother, prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy amid shrieks of laughter and joyful noise, as every inch of chapel received generous sprinklings of holy water.

The next day we ourselves made joyful noise to the Lord at the African-American church of St. Teresa of Avila, where we attend Mass once a month. Archbishop Raya would love it: the joy, the singing, the bodies moving. I, too, danced my offering, in procession, up to the altar.

Cynthia attended a meeting of the newly formed Council of New Ecclesial Communities of the archdiocese. Sixteen groups were invited, and representatives of all sixteen came. Cynthia said the meeting was thrilling.