RIP: Crystal the Cat

The other day Crystal the cat passed from this life after almost twenty years of keeping one of our Manhattan friaries free of rats. It was a much needed ministry, believe me.

I spent a summer at the friary when I was doing my Clinical Pastoral Education. When I moved in I knew that there was a cat, but I didn't know her name. A friar from Honduras was staying in the room next to mine. Going back and forth getting my stuff, I heard him playing with the cat in the room, but I didn't know what I was hearing. All I could hear was this friar yelling something like, "Cristo! Cristo! Cristo!" I thought that maybe he was praying! It was going to be a long summer, I thought to myself.