Not everyone is lucky enough to check off the number one thing on their bucket list – but one 88-year-old disabled nun in New York did just that on Thursday night. Sister Noel of Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic Inc., can no longer walk or talk due to a rare disease called primary lateral sclerosis, but with the help of her organization,she got a chance to meet Pope Francis during his visit to New York City earlier this week. After the organization's Facebook post went viral with 1,743 shares, Sister Noel landed a coveted ticket to attend the pope's first stop in New York City – St. Patrick's Cathedral. But even then, she didn't know if she would actually get to meet him.
"It made me very happy," Noel told PEOPLE, communicating through a device that looks like an iPad which she uses to write what she wants to say. "It made me realize in a new way the power of social media to touch hearts. Over a hundred thousand people took the time to help share and pray that I get my wish. The goodness in the human heart is a testimony to the love that is the ground of our being, a gift from God."
Sister Noel has served with Maryknoll Sisters for 70 years and has spent her life helping others as a school teacher. She is no retired and needs help to dress herself and communicate with others. "I was on cloud nine," she says about the actual moment she met the pope. "The next day, today, I am still on cloud nine, grateful and blessed!"
What's next up on her bucket list? "To live in the spirit of Pope Francis," she says.
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