I read somewhere that when Venus — the morning star — first appears, the atmosphere breaks its light into many different colors, like a rainbow. The glory of God is like that —it embraces all of the beautiful rainbow colors of humanity and creation, and we, as God’s people, as lovers of Jesus, celebrate this rainbow of light.
We have to be brave and we have to be vigilant, and shine this Christ-light into the darkness and share our hope with each other and all who fear or despair.
So let us speak, or write, or pray, or feed, or heal, or teach, or visit, or protest, or protect, or report, or show up, or stand up, or stand with, or go to jail, or sing, or serve, or help, or love on, or walk alongside.
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Call it another world, call it heaven, call it cosmic beyond-ness; maybe it’s that for which I’m pining. Truly no place on Earth could satiate this longing. But here’s the crux – I believe that, through acts of hospitality, we actually co-create moments of heaven on Earth by way of intimate connection with others. To me, the practice of hospitality is sharing space and consciousness with friends and strangers. There I can land and experience my truest Self through right relationship, and, in those moments, I feel completely at home in the universe.
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I am mostly pre-Vatican II but I was excited to enter the modern world. I didn’t sit back. I was open to the evolving religious life and because of openness I was able to do many new things.
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During my early years in our formation process (nun training), I had to practice responding not reacting. Take a few deep breaths and ask for clarification. Begin a dialogue, not a monologue. Find some level of commonality and move from that point. Bring some sense of hope to situations that seem insurmountable.
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In seeking greater unity, we started on our own doorsteps. We were all women religious who wear common clothing similar to those around us. But women religious come in all clothing types. There has been a historical division between those who chose to remain in their habits and those who chose to shed their habits following the Second Vatican Council. Similarly, approaches to authority and the vow of obedience differ greatly, and often line up with differences in dress. Conversation throughout the weekend focused on bridging those historical divisions and developing strategy that allows for true collaboration.
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My teaching experience took me to different schools in different cities and towns where I met and fell in love with more children. Teaching double grades and constantly working on meeting the individual needs continued to challenge me.
Then it came time for me to dust the chalk off my hands, put myself confidently in the hands of Providence and change the focus of my “mission.” I became a hospital chaplain. Like teaching, I loved this work
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My religious vows have offered me the freedom I needed to give all my energies to love and serve many and in various ways. Together with my sisters, who have always inspired and supported me, we have reached out wherever there has been great need. A wonder that dawned early in my mission life was that I have always received so much more in this life than I ever could give.
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What do you know about the Sisters of Providence today? Ever wish you had a way to tell your friends and family about the SPs? In this Congregation video, you’ll…
Read more‘Soft’ opening tentatively set for late April
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The only way we can bridge that which divides us is through encounter. We must seek ways of listening to understand rather than listening to respond. That is why I chose to stand up publicly for a culture of civility and inclusion at our own Gathering in Solidarity at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods last Saturday. That is why I refused to let one point of disagreement with March organizers exclude me from participating in standing up for the very foundation of society: civil, respectful discourse. Similarly, that is why I participated in calling to task the organizers for excluding others based on one point of disagreement.
Read moreWelcome to our blog. Here, we will share with you stories of our lives as Sisters of Providence. We invite Providence Associates to write in this space also. We hope you find these posts enjoyable and inspirational.
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