The Gift of Professed Women

By Mary Erickson

This blog can serve several purposes it seems to me. We can use it to impart reflections on our personal spiritual journey or to shed light on something that seems important to say. What I hope to offer here is perhaps a bit of both.

I have been gifted since the early 1970’s with the sporadic influence of professed religious women in my life. Getting to know and appreciate the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary has been a blessing that accompanied me through two academic programs at Marylhurst University. The Benedictine sisters helped me forge my way through a two year spiritual direction program at the Shalom Center. For the last four years I have had the privilege of working with the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia here at the Franciscan Spiritual Center. The experiences have had a profound effect on my life journey and my world view.

Watching with interest over the last year or so, I have seen and read the information related to the Vatican’s decision to investigate the women’s religious orders in the U.S. and find it to be fascinating that in the midst of such a tumultuous time for men religious related to the sex abuse scandal that the hierarchy of the Church finds time to engage in such an undertaking and can only ask why.

My personal study of the last one hundred years here in the US and the work of various religious orders has proven to me that the American Catholic Church owes it strong existence to the consistent hard work, tenacity and overwhelming vision of the sisters. Many of the orders risked all to send their sisters out to start schools and hospitals in areas that unaccompanied women had never ventured to previously. These women collectively built the largest private school and hospital systems in our country and it appears they were single-minded in their commitment to bring the highest quality healthcare and finest education to thousands throughout the US.

I believe that the work and the accomplishments of the sisters have gone largely unrecognized and unappreciated by many within the Church. My experience in working alongside sisters is that in many cases they are selfless, incredibly well-educated and dedicated to their vocation, their Church and their God. It has been my great honor to work with these women and to be invited to share their mission and vision for their ministry.

The motives of the investigation have been thoroughly discussed, debated and challenged by many supporters of the sisters both inside and outside of the Church. I wholeheartedly support these challenges and throw my hat into the ring of rising voices that are calling for Vatican officials to cease this effort and to publicly recognize that the truth wealth of the Catholic Church is not in the Vatican museum in Rome but in the incredible integrity and dedication of these very powerful women. We must all do our part to voice our support and love for the women that have played a monumental role in shaping our faith through their example and efforts. My life has been incredibly enriched by their influence and I remain steadfastly grateful for the gifts of their friendship.

Solitude and Contemplation

By: Sr. Mary Jo Chaves

We have often heard the phrase that “silence is golden.” That was probably true for our elementary school teachers who treasured those moments when her students were intent upon some project that required a quiet thoughtful process. What about our lives as adults? What place does solitude and silence have in our spiritual journey? Does the TV, radio or IPod, immediately get turned on when we walk into our homes or get into our cars? When are we comfortable with silence or do we fill up the “air waves” when silence is pending?

Here at the Center Marilyn Kirvin and I are coordinating a silent directed retreat from July 13 – 19. Each day each retreatant meets with her spiritual director to walk the retreatant’s spiritual journey together and to discern God’s spirit at work in the retreatant’s life. There are optional contemplative prayer opportunities throughout the day. Except for spiritual direction and prayer together the retreatants keep silence from the evening of July 13th until the morning of July 19th. Though it may take a day or two to settle into the retreat it soon becomes quite a “luxury” to have ample time to rest, pray and contemplate without interruption the mystery of God at work in their lives through spiritual reading, personal reflection, art work, or other creative activities. The silence and solitude deepen as the week progresses. A community of prayer and reflection is formed around the sense of solitude.

St. Francis of Assisi encouraged his followers to make silent retreats periodically in order to get a new lens on one’s life and then to carry the retreat in one’s heart as one went about daily life. How might we respond to such an invitation? Maybe the radio or TV can wait when we have an opportunity for a “mini-retreat” for a few minutes. Our God doesn’t necessarily need much of our time; our God needs our presence and full attention to God’s work in our lives. Solitude, silence and contemplation can empty our minds and hearts so we can hear the still small voice of our God within our inner being.

In these “lazy days of summer” take time to smell the roses, to sit and be silent. Psalm 46 encourages us to “Be still and know that I am God.” May silence and contemplation bring you to a deeper knowing of our abundant God!

Summer, Summer, Where for Art Thou Summer?

By: Sr. Guadalupe Medina

Here we are in the month of June and today it is summer, at least according to the calendar. Yet, the spring showers or better yet the heavy spring down pours continue to bless us with plenty of water. It appears that spring has spring hasn't really arrived, so how can summer be upon us?

If one looks beyond the unpredictable climate, one realizes spring did arrive in it's full glory. Now, the harvest fields and gardens are thriving with plenty of beauty and bountiful harvest. Despite the grey gloomy rainy days, the mystery of the Creator of all continues to reveal His unsurpassable power. We have seen some small glimpses of sunshine, the magnificence of nature quietly continues to give of itself. Trees have new abundant leaves, flowers have sprung and blossomed, and crops are beginning to flourish and ripen.

What it speaks to me is "The Great Mystery" of the unseen ray of life; to which NO ONE can keep from penetrating this bountiful world we call Mother Earth.

Peaceful Reflections

By: Michelle Kroll

Below are some reflections from a gathering I did this weekend and co-facilitated. I thought this might be a nice platform to share. The delphinium flower was drawn by me :) Enjoy!

You Are There
I see you,
before that...
I felt you.
I know that you
are always there
watching over me,
to help me
right the wrong.
You are there
to calm my storm.
I am cautious
and carfeul
to be only my best
for you!
If I fall,
you are there
helping me to rise.
I try to see only good,
for you.
For you always
see the good in me.
You are there,
I see you,
helping me, be me.

I had several people in mind when I was writing that. So, I think it goes out to all my family, moral and creative support.

Passion Engaging All Calm on Earth

_______________________________________


And a special haiku for someone near and dear.

Abundant is she,
So good and strong and love filled,
Inspires you and me!

Welcoming the Season of Spring and Easter

by: Sr. Mary Jo Chaves

The Season of Spring blossoms all around us as we smell its fragrance and enjoy the April showers! Tulips open to the sun; rhododendron buds are ready to burst in myriads of colors and lilacs lure us into their many blossomed stems. I find myself pondering these flowers and their connection to the Easter mysteries.


TULIPS
I like to think of the tulip as a reminder of all the nurturing that it takes beforehand for that flower to bloom – plantings in the fall, resting in the winter, breaking through the soil, growing in the sun and finally blooming! It might be compared to all the nurturing that Jesus did with Mary Magdalene. He healed her and she accompanied him all the way to the cross. Mary Magdalene is the first person to whom the resurrected Christ appears and she recognizes him when he says her name, “Mary.” I ask myself how am I nurtured and how do I nurture others.


RHODODENDRONS
The rhododendrons dance in the sunlight and when in full bloom they burst with beauty and awe. The only appropriate response is WOW! Mary, the Mother of Jesus, stood beneath the cross as well. Though we have no scripture passage about the Risen Christ appearing to Mary, it seems to me that she would be the first one to whom he would appear. She would have been filled at the moment with wonder and awe and she would have had the strength to keep living in the light of the Resurrection. I ask myself how willing I am to dance the dance of my life, letting others see God’s goodness and beauty through me.


LILAC
As I ponder the lilac I am amazed at the mass of blossoms, each one perfect in form, each one bigger than imaginable when with the other blossoms. The disciples must have felt like that when faced with the challenge of establishing the church once Jesus had ascended to the Father. They would have to be bigger than they possibly imagined their lives could be before encountering Jesus. I, too, have the same call to follow in the footprints of Jesus. Will I say yes daily with all my brothers and sisters to living the Gospel message, being bigger than I could possibly imagine?

This season of spring and Easter will soon give way to summer and ordinary time. Don’t miss its message! Celebrate each blossom! Celebrate the Risen Christ!

Letting Go

by Marilyn Kirvin

Yesterday the Catholic Church celebrated the Feast of the Annunciation. The Gospel for that day, “and the Angel said to Mary, do not be afraid….” is one of my favorite readings in Scripture. Over my desk I have a print that I love of the painting “The Annunciation,” by African-American painter Henry Osawa Tanner - unlike in some portrayals of this moment, Mary here looks like a woman in her early teens… and her expression is not one of fear, but of curiosity, wonder… “How can this be?” (to see it, go to http://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/104384.html )

Often we think of this story as being associated with Christmas, but listening to the reading yesterday, so close to Holy Week, I thought instead of how , when she said “yes” to the angel’s invitation to bear a son, Mary could not have known that her yes would one day lead to watching her son as he was executed as a political prisoner. Mary, like all of us, could not see into the future… she only had that moment in which to respond, and so she said that yes – trusting somehow in the God who called her, and letting go of knowing and controlling, all the rest.

Perhaps I am thinking about Mary a bit more this week because last Saturday my oldest son moved to Corvallis to start school. He is excited, as am I for him, for he has worked hard to make this happen, and I think he’s as prepared as can be at this point. But I can remember holding him when he was a baby, and not being able to imagine that he wouldn’t be with me forever (fortunately, of course, living with a teenager tempers this desire for them never to leave home). And yet, when the time came, I did it, just like every parent does it, as every person does it when it’s time. It’s not that we don’t worry, of course. But we have to let go, and trust in God’s grace and mercy.

As a spiritual director, I suspect that the challenge of letting go and trusting God is a theme that comes up in almost every conversation that I have with the people who see me. It is there for women in their 60’s caring for parents with dementia, and in men whose marriages are ending. It is the challenge for people who are losing employment in this economy, those who are struggling with addiction, and those who grieve the passing of a loved one. It is even what underlies every time we are called – to parenthood, to marriage, to a new ministry or a new town, to retirement - we are also being called to letting go. It is what we hear from Jesus on the cross: Into Your hands I commend my Spirit….

As we enter in Holy Week, then, we will walk with Jesus on his journey of letting go… of his mission, his friends, his sense of closeness to God, and his very life. As we hear these stories, may we find inspiration there for our own journeys of trust, and may we know that we are not alone - that Jesus, his mother, his disciples, all those who have gone before us, and those who pray with us are on the same journey, accompanied by our loving God.

The Experience of Pilgrimage

During the past two weeks, three of us from the Franciscan Spiritual Center had the opportunity to accompany eleven other people on a pilgrimage trip to Assisi and Rome, Italy. This was the second pilgrimage trip sponsored by our center and appears to have been a successful endeavor to those who participated.
The experience of traveling to holy and historic sites in Europe is a marvelous way to meet others and share meaningful dialogue. Places where St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clare routinely lived and wandered were simultaneously very spiritual and impressive. We had the benefit of learning a great deal about both saints through the lens of Sr. Mary Jo Chaves who has spent a lifetime in study and contemplation of Franciscan theology. Through her descriptions we could feel the holy presence of both Francis and Clare which allowed us to more fully understand their continuing impact on people throughout the world. The pilgrimage sites in Assisi continue to draw large crowds of the faithful in spite of the fact that they lived in the twelfth century.
Having been on three pilgrimage trips I know that such a trip changes one’s perspective. It is impossible to go and not feel the challenges that saint’s encounter as they make their spiritual journeys. To see the adverse conditions that Francis willingly chose to endure in his devotion to the Gospel message was indeed remarkable. Through the stories of Francis and Clare I learned about their love of God, love for their fellow religious and loyalty to their church. The strongest message that I returned with is that the tough choices they made were made willingly and with love for their fellow human beings. Francis of Assisi is known for his rather peculiar behavior during his lifetime but there can be no doubting of his devotion to God and the Gospel message. The willingness on both his and St. Clare’s part to challenge authority when necessary to remain faithful to their vocations is a fine lesson to all.
Most of us probably don’t know of any future saints in our midst but we can learn more about remaining faithful to our values and what we believe from those who have gone before us. To me, being a saint is less about performing miracles but is all about following one’s convictions to lead a life of kindness filled with hope and gratitude. Francis and Clare embodied those characteristics and continue to influence thousands of people yearly in the beauty of the Italian countryside. How lucky were we to experience the sanctity of their homeland and to gain a better understanding of why we call them saints.