Persistence

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blessing, faith, persistence, prayer, silent listening, Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, the great love of God, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today’s gospel (LK 11: 1-13) is about the efficacy of prayer, a truth which has been evident throughout the 14 days of our gathering as a Congregation (see recent posts). Our theme: “Called together for the life of the world” was evident throughout our deliberations as we paused often to listen in silence for the direction of God’s Spirit speaking among us. How can we best serve our neighbors throughout the world in times of violence and destruction? How can we be a force for good in the complexity of today’s world?

When we were called together – six women in Le Puy, France in the 17th century – it was to serve the needs that were evident in the culture then. Our world is very different now but our call is the same: to be the Congregation of the Great Love of God wherever and however we see the need. We seek to move about in our world, seeking to be instruments of unifying love.

Today we go home, having had palpable evidence that together we are committed to the task and willing to serve the world so in need of hope. Here we were 100 Sisters. We return to nearly ten times one hundred and add our lay associates and many ministry partners to the list of those who join us on the journey. We take with us the words from Luke where Jesus said, “Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door shall be opened to you…”

May we know the blessing of all that we awaits us!

A Day Late

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determination, Deuteronomy, hearts open, Moses, present, Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Louis, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today is Monday and I am still swimming in the confidence of yesterday’s first reading from Deuteronomy (30: 10-14). I’m in St. Louis, Missouri, far from home but in the company of over 100 women who have pledged themselves to live and work “for the life of the world.” The energy was high yesterday as we greeted one another after long absences or for the first time, hoping that we will find ourselves of one heart as we move toward an agenda that will likely need every one of the fourteen days ahead. You see, we are plotting our future here. As we diminish in number while welcoming one or two new members each year instead of the 45 of us who came in 1966 to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (a tiny location in St. Louis where we first settled in 1836), we need to be attentive to the particularity of our call to God’s service.

Yesterday in an opening ritual we stood one by one as our names were called and responded “Present!” Today we begin to understand the gravity of what that might mean for us going forward. In all of it we have the words that Moses spoke to the people to keep our hearts open and our determination strong, knowing that there are many people who hold us up in prayer. Won’t you join in the effort?

For this command that I enjoin on you today is not too mysterious and remote for you. It is not up in the sky, that you should say, “Who will go up in the sky to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?” Nor is it across the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross the sea to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?” No, it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out.”

Inspiration

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Holy Spirit, inspiration, love, Mother Teresa, Second Vatican Council, Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Agnes of Assisi, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

This morning I find myself considering the concept of inspiration, a word that, in itself, has a complex history and many different – if related – meanings. It comes from the Latin inspiratus, the past participle of a verb that means to breathe into. In a concrete way, it tells us how we get air into our lungs which is, of course, the basic necessity for living. I found what I was looking for, however, in the answer to an internet question that asked, “What does it mean when someone says, You are my inspiration?” Here is what it said.

The definition of inspiration is “the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions; a person, place, experience, etc. that makes someone want to do or create something.” (Merriam-Webster)

My religious congregation, The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, like many others around the world, have seen significant change over the years, the inspiration for which has been a mix of necessity and response to needs. The most significant impetus for the change in my lifetime was the dictum of the inspired Second Vatican Council (1962-65) which called us to go back to the spirit of our founders and bring that vision to expressions appropriate to the modern world. This effort has initiated monumental changes over the past 50 years and continues to enlighten us about the mission that we have been given. We are often reminded of the six women who sat in a kitchen in Lepuy, France in 1648 discussing the needs of their immediate world and then went out to divide their city in response to those needs. Now we are everywhere in the world, doing our best through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to do the same.

Today we celebrate Agnes of Assisi, the younger sister of Clare, who followed St. Francis in 1221 and gathered around herself women of like mind. I was amazed as I read the list of places to which Clare sent her sister Agnes (beginning at the age of 24!), cities throughout Italy and then Spain. And that was just the beginning. By the turn of the century (1300) the foundations had spread to France and then jumped the Channel to England and beyond.

We often characterize the Holy Spirit as a fire – a great passion of love that moves people to great things – or small things in a great way, as Mother Teresa of Calcutta characterized possibility for most of us. I wonder at the greatness of heart of young women like Clare and Agnes and those who caught the call of God beaming out from their lives and followed. Where does that fire exist today and how can we fan the flames? How can any group of us make it our task to create together and to inspire others in the name of love?

 

 

 

 

 

Works of Which Women Are Capable

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capable, Congregation of the Great Love of God, discernment, diverse, needs, religious community, Sisters of St. Joseph, Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, strong women, teaching, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, visiting, voices, women, women religious

INTRO: As I opened to the Catholic Bishops’ website this morning to find the lectionary readings for today I began to sing because the heading was “The Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas.” I expect that you, too, are immediately singing now: “…my true love gave to me five golden rings.” That may be a little hokey but even a little more far-fetched perhaps is my follow-on thought that five golden rings might signify a 50th anniversary, the year that I have just completed as a Sister of St. Joseph. (Sorry, it’s actually how my mind works!) I was recently asked to talk about what that means so at the risk of posting the longest message you will ever have from me, see what follows here if you are interested.

Women religious have been living for hundreds of years by looking deeply into the eyes of the dear neighbor and seeing the radiance and love of Christ reflected there. To be that love in the world is the reason the Sisters of St. Joseph came to be.

It began with six women sitting in a kitchen discussing the world situation – the immediate world of 17^th century France, that is. They saw the poverty and tension visible in the lives of the people of their town, Le Puy en Velay, and decided they had to act. They chose to divide the city up according to need and then went out to meet those needs, visiting prisons and teaching young women to make lace so they would have a way other than prostitution of earning money to feed their children. The Holy Spirit was surely guiding these ministries and continued to do so when the first call came from the United States for Sisters.

In 1836, another small group of six women sailed for St. Louis to teach the deaf and the Native Americans in the surrounding area. In the 180 years since then that the Sisters of St. Joseph have ministered in the United States, times have changed significantly as have the needs of the world. After nearly two centuries of ministry in this country, first building and serving in schools and hospitals, Sisters have now returned to the Spirit of our founding mothers whose vision was to do all the works of which women are capable and which will benefit the dear neighbor. “All the works of which women are capable”…That’s everything, right? We now still serve in schools on every level from daycare/pre-school to universities. We are nurses and healthcare providers of every kind but also artists and spiritual directors, house parents for the disabled or the homeless, musicians, lawyers, officers of organizations, and those whose primary ministry is prayer. We are strong women, not bowed by adversity, who make their voices heard for justice. We are also kind women, peaceful and caring of the poor, and caring as well for this beautiful world in which we live.

We are diverse lovers of God. Oh, yes! We are diverse! In becoming the Congregation of the Great Love of God, (a moniker that we often call on to define ourselves at our best), we have come to understand that diversity does not mean division but rather gives the possibility for growth at every turn so that we can grow together for the good of the world. Religious life is an awesome call, but it is just that: a call. And it is a mystery.

Most Sisters today would be able to speak about their call to some extent, but at the heart of things, definition is impossible. Why, for example, of the 45 young women in 1966 who were discerning their role in life, did five of us who entered the Sisters of St. Joseph move to the novitiate, take temporary vows, all the while continuing to discern the rightness of the call, and then take the step of professing lifelong dedication to God. Why us? If asked we might have to say: “It’s a mystery.” And it is God’s grace that has allowed it to unfold.

Today the life of a woman religious seems not so dissimilar from that of other women and in some ways that is quite true. We are indistinguishable these days from other women in our dress, our activities – and we work alongside other women and men in any number of professional roles. There are also many women I know who are not Consecrated Religious whom I consider much holier than I, although it is useless to judge that. Though the outer framework of our lives seems much like that of others, however, there is a significant difference. There are many women and men who cherish their faith and our religious rituals and whose love of God and prayer life are extraordinary, and yet the fullness of their lives does not abide in a religious community. Some of us, however, after an extended period of discernment come to the conclusion that religious life is, as one writer has expressed it, “the native country of their soul and nothing else can finally satisfy them.” I believe I can say with certainty that after fifty years of living the life, we would most assuredly agree with that statement.

 

Looking Back; Going Forward

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Abraham, faith, Isaac, leave home, leave the nest, religious order, Sarah, Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, trust in God

I’ve been doing a lot of remembering lately, not unusual for one who has reached a milestone in life like 50 years as a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. I smile as I think of the three women who are celebrating 80 years in our religious order – all of whom “have their wits about them” and I wonder about the flow of their memories at age 98 and 99 years.

The first lectionary reading today is about the death of Sarah at age 127 years and Abraham’s concern about a wife for his son, Isaac, so that his family line should continue as God had promised him. Abraham had a lot to look back on at this juncture. The Scriptures say that he was already 75 years of age when he was called to leave his home and establish his family in a new place that God would show him, a move that would begin his life and that of his descendants anew. God promised that they would be a people uniquely (or particularly, in some translations) God’s own. Abraham kept that covenant with God and although his life was blessed, it wasn’t always easy.

This morning, in addition to those women who left their homes for the convent in the 1930s, not knowing how their lives would unfold but feeling God calling them, I think of my own mother and her mother before her. Actually, all four of my grandparents left Ireland at an early age to seek a better life in the United States of America. Having no idea what was in store for them, they trusted God to lead them. My mother was 46 years of age, having lived in the circle of her extended family in the same town all her life, when my father’s work necessitated a move to a new place that seemed like the end of the world for her. It was 8 hours away, if the trains ran on schedule, a rare thing in 1960. It took commitment and a love that would admit of no compromise to follow my father, who was himself in that same position of loss and unknowing, and it was their faith in God that led the way. As it turns out, we were the first in a majority of family members to “leave the nest” and who now are located all across the country and beyond.

This reverie brings me to the conclusion that whether our lives are lived in relative familiarity of all kinds or are disrupted by choice or necessity, it takes courage and a willingness to choose each day and what it holds for our growth. My mother’s pain at leaving her sisters and friends became the seedbed for her growth as a person in ways that never would have happened had she not leaned into the new opportunities and challenges afforded her in the second half of her life. Even should we ourselves not be the prime mover in change – rather like Sarah or my mother, moving as a spouse, or my siblings and myself as the new generation whose roots have been set on both coasts of the USA – we are all affected by change. I believe that our willingness to embrace it will always be the measure of the blessing change brings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jubilee

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celebration, gratitude, Jubilee, kindness, Leviticus, mercy, milestone, religious community, Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

One of my favorite biblical concepts comes from the Book of Leviticus where the practice of “Jubilee” is defined. It speaks of a time – every 50 years – when slaves are freed, land that has been taken is given back to the rightful owners and all remember the kindness and mercy of God. Even the land is given consideration as the fields are allowed to lie fallow, so that they can rest and be restored. All of this was done not only in reparation on a human level but to heal relationship with God. The resulting celebration was one of great rejoicing.

Adaptations of this ancient custom are many depending on culture and religious practice, the most common of which being wedding anniversaries of 25, 50 and nowadays occasionally 75-year celebrations of marriage. In my religious community, we celebrate on the Saturday closest to the feast of St. Joseph, our patron saint whose feast is March 19th. Thus, today there are 25 Sisters celebrating anniversaries in increments spanning from 50 to 80 (yes, 80) years in religious life. In an amazing burst of longevity, we have 3 Sisters who are 98 years old who will be present with us in our chapel this morning in Latham, New York.

I am one of five on the younger end of the celebratory group, celebrating 50 years of God’s grace. It is, as was mentioned above, not just a day but a whole year of recognition, of reflection on how we have lived our lives so far, and a time to make a determination of how we want to proceed in the adventure of growing older physically and stronger spiritually. It is a time of great gratitude for the blessings of our lives and a recommitment to God and the community that has enabled our growth to maturity.

I invite everyone who has come to a milestone moment of any kind in life to join us today in remembering what brought you to that moment and to give thanks. And if, in this year, you celebrate a special birthday or anniversary of some kind, please remember us and join us in our prayer of gratitude today.

 

 

 

 

 

A Day to Remember

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appreciation, danger, gratitude, Hawaii, mercy, Peace, Pearl Harbor, pray, service, Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, sorrows, strength, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today is one of those dates that holds for many people the memory of both horror and bravery, especially as experienced by those in the United States of America who personally suffered the attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. There are two reasons why I am more aware than usual of this event this year. This is the 75th “anniversary” (not to say celebration) of the bombing and has already been in the news with a story of one of the oldest survivors who arrived in Hawaii on Monday to great fanfare. Today will be, I presume, more somber but also filled with gratitude for the lives of those who served our country on that day as well as before and after December 7, 1941.

I just finished on Sunday reading a book entitled Aloha Ke Akua (The Love of God) which is the story of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in Hawaii. As we look seriously at our future I decided it was time to renew and/or deepen my familiarity with history of my religious Congregation in the United States. Since the book appeared while I was going through a storage box, I decided Hawaii was a good place to start. The timing was perfect and the book very engaging. The Sisters were called to Hawaii in 1938 by a bishop who was desperately in need of teachers in his Catholic schools where populations were growing exponentially. In 1938 travel to Hawaii did not mean jumping on a plane and arriving later that day or early the next, depending on the point of departure. It took six days to travel by ship from Los Angeles, the closest of our four provinces to the Hawaiian Islands. This mission also meant little correspondence with “home” and no expectation of visiting for the duration of their stint in the Islands. I began immediately to feel pride and admiration for these courageous and generous women who responded to this new and very different call to ministry that took them eventually to several islands in the Pacific, some of which had never been heard of before by most North Americans.

The most revelatory chapter in this engaging book was, for me, the account of the attack on Pearl Harbor, written by one of the Sisters who experienced it first-hand. The Sisters had been there for three years and by then the weekend “job” of three of them was to teach religion classes to the children of the soldiers living on the army base at the Schofield Barracks. After reading the account of that day and the effects in the months and years that followed, I had a new and deeper appreciation of both our Sisters and all of the people in Hawaii who had lived through that time. Sister Kathleen Marie Shields recounted the horror and resultant sorrows experienced as well as gratitude for the strength and fortitude of the people in a way that reflected a line from today’s Psalm: For as the heavens reach infinitely beyond all space and time, we swim in mercy as in an endless sea. (Ps 103:10)

Today then, as we remember all those who lived through this and other events during World War II, let us give thanks for those people who show us the way through danger and disaster and pray for the end to all war. Let there be peace on earth!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Family

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family, generations, Jesus, Mary, Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Joseph, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

This past weekend was a whirlwind of celebration! On Friday evening I attended the wedding of my cousin’s youngest child (now 35 years old!). It was a happy gathering of family, cousins once living two blocks from each other whose neighbors couldn’t keep straight which of the ten of us belonged to which parents. Now spread across the country and even in Europe, most with children and grandchildren who rarely see each other, it was as if we had never left Newton Corner. The amazement for me was the interest and true delight with which the next generation embraced each of us. They are such nice people – and they belong, in a very real way, to me. The family line continues in a way of which I can be very proud!

The next morning I was again privileged to participate in a celebratory “family” event. Each year the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, the Roman Catholic religious community of which I am a part, celebrates those who have reached significant milestones in their commitment to God and our Congregation. This year we celebrated women who have served for 50, 60, 70 and 80 (yes, that was 80) years of love and service. Different in kind, our gathering was as joyful as the wedding. Sisters and our lay associates came from all over the country and our singing and sharing was a fitting reminder to us of how fortunate we are to be part of such a community.

Today, on the feast of St. Joseph – husband of Mary, who with her parented Jesus – the Scriptures remind us of the family line to which Joseph belonged. He was, the Scriptures say, “of the house and family of David” – the great, beloved king of Israel with whom God made a covenant of everlasting faithfulness. From what little the Scriptures tell us of Joseph, we know at least that he was a just man, choosing always the ways of God, especially in his relationships with his family. He was a loving and kind father to Jesus and a faithful husband to his wife – a credit to his family line and crucial to the accomplishment of the mission of Jesus.

Gratitude wells up in me as I think of the “families” of which I am a part: my own genetic family, my religious community, my Church and the local parishes that have touched my life, the communities in which I have lived in Massachusetts and New York and all those whom I call friend. All of these groups and individuals have informed my life and my choices and it is through and with them that I see the faithfulness of God,  the covenant that God has made down through the ages and now, forever, to me.