When we sisters started the Women's Global Connection ministry, we didn't know that the seeds would blossom with young people in conversations with participants all over the world. In 2021, young women worked together for successful presentations at the UN's NGO CSW Forum.
Having spoken with Catholics in Ireland, we knew there was a need for witness to the faith and for evangelization. We would open a convent there. It was a small way to say "thank you" to the church that had given us so much.
Sisters in Nigeria go out daily to give hope to people all over the country, in spite of physical dangers. Our experiences as sisters in Nigeria will be an encouragement to others in other parts of the world.
The thought of retirement has not even entered my consciousness yet. I've got a lot of life left in me – God willing. But I am getting older. For those who come after me: I have done what I can, I'm sharing what I can, and I'm letting you run with things now.
Horizons - I took a break to shake off burnout from being in the classroom during COVID-19. In Alaska, I watched salmon swim upriver. I saw hundreds try to swim up a waterfall. The approaching school year turns my thoughts back to those fish.
Contemplate This - I wonder whether our lives and all that happens in the world might be a "600-pound leaf" we are asked to carry. If we simply carry it, it is a burden. But through the lens of the Gospel, could it be a source of life?
I have been a physical therapist assistant for almost 28 years. During the pandemic, I adjusted to physical distancing, faced the fear of contagion, and coped with losing others, while not being able to sit with them before they pass.
The one and only prejudice that every living person is subject to is ageism: judging, characterizing a person or a group based on age. This prejudice — based on false myths — is largely unrecognized in our society.
As we re-member and recall the history of slavery and the suffering and the human lives destroyed, may we make human Pope Francis’ two goals and allow this to be our opportunity of grace, empowering us to action and improving the lives of the less fortunate.
Horizons – Can I make space for uncertainty? For imagination? For uncomfortable moments? Mistakes? Hope? Joy? I pray for the freedom to be hospitable to the emerging future already present among us.
What if, in the chaos of our new reality, a subtle learning beckons? That God is here in the dark and unknown and in the questions — present in a way that was not possible when all was going well.
The joy in the air from celebrating the Resurrection was not long-lasting: We began to get news of many religious testing positive for COVID-19. When you lose cherished people, what hurts most is knowing that you'll never hear those voices again.
Elsykutty and I lived very few years together at home, but eventually she became my mentor, guide and best friend. Her strong faith and love influenced not only me but all who came to her life.
Encountering sisters who were younger and older has truly enriched my life as a woman religious. We all share the same vocational call, and we express it through our particular charisms. This was a personal aha experience for me and one that I will continue to nurture for the remainder of my life.
Someone was killed outside my window. I saw nothing. I heard everything. My heart broke for the family. And I stayed on the other side of the wall, hidden from view, holding them in prayer.
Through our students, we make a difference in the lives of others, especially when we see the international sisters who study at the Assumption College for Sisters return to minister in their native lands.
To live life according to the best version of one's self requires creativity. As a social center team, we have worked to enhance women's lives through workshops on creativity. We notice progress in their self-confidence and changes in their skills.
Vatican II's call for religious congregations to reform themselves into communities of true equals points the way for the entire church. Only when each person is important, only when each voice is heard and only when each person determines their path, can there be the community Jesus wanted — a community where all belong because all are one.
Mum gave her children a wonderful gift of theology: Come on in. Stop over. Don't be a stranger. No need to guard your heart. No need to measure your generosity. She had no tolerance for racists or bigots. She had a capacity for anger for anyone who hurt or mistreated children.
Horizons - Multilevel conversations about the future of religious life will inevitably bear many fruits. Our challenge will be recognizing, balancing and reconciling these fruits of the Spirit: We're making fruit salad.