A Sister of St. Joseph Professes Final Vows and Soundings Update

Last Saturday one of our sisters professed Final Vows. Last Thursday, two days before her vow liturgy, Sister Pat led a midday prayer service at our health care center in Framingham. You can click on this link: http://www.csjboston.org/su-Sept-30-2009.pdf to read an article about this prayer service in the latest issue of Soundings Update
I selected the picture at the left for this blog post because when Pat professed First Vows three years ago the image of seeds growing and spreading where they will was central to that celebration. The dandelion puff is actually from our side yard this past spring.

As I reflect on Pat's journey, I've prayed with these passages from The Constitution of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston:

• Membership in our Congregation is the relationship which results from each woman's response to the Lord and the decision of the Congregation and the Church to accept the religious profession which she makes as a Sister of Saint Joseph of Boston.

• Membership requires a dynamic fideltiy to the purpose for which the Spirit brought our Congregation into existence in the Church and to the charism with which we are gifted.


• ...we, the Congregation, open ourselves to her influence and to the Spirit speaking in her, just as she undertakes continuing conversion into membership. Together we enter into a process of change that carries our past into the promise of the future.

As I ponder these words, I realize that not only has Pat become more fully the woman God calls her to be but we, in turn, have indeed been influenced for the better by her presence among us.

A Sister of St. Joseph Professes Final Vows and U.S. House Praises American Nuns

Tomorrow, one of our newer members will profess final vows as a Sister of St. Joseph. I’ll be posting more on this in the days ahead. However earlier this week, I received this blog from "Musings of a Discerning Woman" and thought it was interesting in light of Sister Pat's Final Vows. The sister described in this post is professing First Vows. As Sister Pat prepares for Final Vows as a Sister of St. Jospeh, I'm inpsired by quote on her invitation and on the cover of her program:"Live out your life with one desire only: to be always what God wants you to be, in nature, grace, and glory, for time and eternity." This is Maxim 73 of the Maxims of the Little Institute written over 350 years ago by Fr. Jean-Pierre Medaille, SJ. This priest was the spiritual companion for our first sisters and wrote these 100 Maxims for our sisters.

It's nice that in the same week as Pat professes Final Vows, the the U.S. House of Representatives voted unanimously for a resolution (H Res. #441) praising American nuns for the work they have done in this country over centuries. The lead sponsor of the resolution was Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH). There is a lot written about this in various places online. I had written about this bill in on June 5, 2009 when I spoke of the Women & Spirit exibit.

Here is the text of the resolution that passed last Tuesday:

• Whereas today, there are approximately 59,000 Catholic sisters in the United States;
  Whereas Catholic sisters participated in the opening of the West, traveling vast distances to minister in remote locations, setting up schools and hospitals, and working among native populations on distant reservations;
  Whereas more than 600 sisters from 21 different religious communities nursed both Union and Confederate soldiers alike during the Civil War;
  Whereas Catholic sisters cared for afflicted populations during the epidemics of cholera, typhoid, yellow fever, smallpox, tuberculosis, and influenza during the 19th and early 20th centuries;Whereas Catholic sisters built and established hospitals, orphanages, and charitable institutions that have served millions of people, managing organizations long before similar positions were open to women;
  Whereas approximately one in six hospital patients in the United States were treated in a Catholic facility;
  Whereas Catholic sisters have been among the first to stand with the underprivileged, to work and educate among the poor and underserved, and to facilitate leadership through opportunity and example;
  Whereas Catholic sisters continue to provide shelter, food, and basic human needs to the economically or socially disadvantaged and advocate relentlessly for the fair and equal treatment of all persons;
  Whereas Catholic sisters work for the eradication of poverty and racism and for the promotion of nonviolence, equality, and democracy in principle and in action;Whereas the humanitarian work of Catholic sisters with communities in crisis and refuge throughout the world positions them as activists and diplomats of peace and justice for the some of the most at risk populations; andWhereas the Women & Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America Traveling Exhibit is sponsored by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) in association with Cincinnati Museum Center and will open on May 16, 2009, in Cincinnati, Ohio:
  Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
  (1) honors and commends Catholic sisters for their humble service and courageous sacrifice throughout the history of this Nation; and
  (2) supports the goals of the Women & Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America Traveling Exhibit, a project sponsored by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) in association with Cincinnati Museum Center and established to recognize the historical contributions of Catholic sisters in the United States.

Thank you Rep. Marcy Kaptur and all who brought this resolution to life.

Autumn: A busy time for Sisters of St. Jospeh

The latest issue of Soundings Update is available on our website at: http://www.csjboston.org/su-Sept-16-2009.pdf . This issue doesn't have any articles. There is so much going on during the next six weeks that I needed to devote the issue to listing those dates. If you are in the Boston area, know that you are most welcome at Taize Prayer and our evening liturgies. We welcome our Dear Neighbors to join us in prayer during these times. The issue also advertises a weekend coming up called: Come to the Sea: A Women's Weekend. All the dates for Taize Prayer and more on the Women's Weekend can be found on our website. http://www.csjboston.org/NEWS_Upcoming_Events.htm

Perhaps the most important happening in the near future is the Profession of Final Vows of one of our sisters. It's been a real privilege to journey with Sister Pat as she prepares for this day. Last October, she and I participated in a pilgrimage/retreat to Mexico. It was an immersion experience in the spirituality, life, and culture of the Mexican people. I've written about this before and you can learn about it at: http://www.westonpriory.org/mexico/index.html. I'll certainly be writing about her profession of vows in the near future. Many of the women who were part of our Mexico pilgrimage retreat are coming to her Final Vow Liturgy. It will be great to see them again.

A few weeks ago a sister-friend of mine sent me the link to a new blog. I linked it to my blog but want highlight it in this post.

• St.Joseph's Worker New Orleans is a new venture of the Congregation of St. Joseph. The St. Joseph Worker Program is a one year volunteer experience for women who are passionate about social change. St. Joseph Workers (SJWs) commit to the values of justice, leadership, spirituality, and living simply in intentional community. The SJWs are sponsored by the Congregation of St.Joseph. With the opening of the new SJW house in New Orleans, the program now boasts a nationwide presence!

Just for the record -- the sunflowers at in this post are all from our Motherhouse garden. The sister who cultivates this piece of the garden told me that she didn't even plant sunflower seeds this year. They just wanted to come. Isn't it amazing what the earth knows about where and how to grow?

Interrupted Lives: Catholic Sisters Under European Communism

Interrupted Lives: DOCUMENTARY ON CATHOLIC SISTERS TO AIR ON TV

A one-hour documentary entitled Interrupted Lives: Catholic Sisters Under European Communism, will be aired on ABC-TV stations and affiliates on Sunday September 13. You are advised to check local listings, as scheduling is at the discretion of the local station. This documentary, produced by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, KS, explores the experiences of Greek and Roman Catholic sisters during the 40-year Soviet domination of Eastern and Central Europe.

From the end of World War II to the fall of the Berlin Wall, these sisters survivors endured imprisonment, exile to Siberia, forced farm and factory labor, deportation, seizure of their schools and hospitals and underground survival. Their interviews offer a powerful testimony of faith, courage and endurance.
This documentary is part of the Vision & Values series and has been funded in part by the USCCB's Catholic Communication Campaign and Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe.

Sisters of St. Joseph: Seized by Love

A few years ago I was asked to prepare a prayer for our Chapter Year. Chapter is basically a series of meetings where we pray about where have been and how the Spirit is moving us into the future. All religious communities have meetings like this every few years. It's sort of like a mini-synod. The meetings are very important in terms of setting direction and selecting new leadership.

Why I'm writing about this now is because I want to share a slightly adapted version of the prayer we used for our last year of Chapter meetings. The picture is the logo from that Chapter year. It was created by one of our sisters who teaches graphic design at our college [Regis College]

I've heard from a couple of other groups of Sisters of St. Joseph who actaully adapted this prayer for use with their group and are still using it. I'm also planning to adapt it for use with our Board of Directors and Trustees of our Sponsored Ministries. When I shared a prayer for St. Joseph's Day a few months ago a number of people asked to use it.

September is always a time of new beginnings. So it seemed as good a time as any to share this prayer. If you decide to use or adapt this anywhere, please just let me know.

God of Inclusive Love,
Christ of Outpouring Love,
Spirit of Communal Love,
breathe in us and among us,
Sisters of St. Joseph,
during the year ahead.

May we participate in this year
with the zeal of Jesus,
a zeal marked by generous courage
and humble self-emptying love,
the fidelity of Mary
who was filled to overflowing
with every kind of grace,
and the cordial charity of Joseph
whose service was grounded
in relationship with God
and neighbor without distinction.

Rooted in the rich heritage
of the women who are our past,
seized by the same Love
that impelled them to be in relationship
with the reality of their changing world
and changing times,
inspired by their vision, integrity, and fidelity,
we enter into this year
with courage and hope.

Our God, the people of our world,
our Earth, and all creation,
call us to embrace
ever widening circles of communion.
Impel us to action,
action that stirs up Love,
is connective and inclusive,
and deepens our commitment
to be and become Your people.

Adapted from Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston, Chapter Prayer 2005-06

Prayer by Joanne Gallagher, csj, Logo by Ann Marie Grady, csj