General Conference Day 1

Today, Monday June 16, was the first full day of the General Conference and we began it in prayer. We asked for the graces needed to be open and ready for whatever the week held, like a diver on the edge of a cliff, aiming for the deep waters of life which would surely bring opportunity to connect with the Holy.

We were reminded that one of the most powerful actions we can do in the midst of a dark stormy world is to stand up and show the light of our souls. Another line from the morning prayer that would resonate throughout the day was “it does not take everyone on Earth to bring justice and peace, but only a small, determined group who will not give up during the first, second, or hundredth gale.” (Clarissa Pinkola Estes) Reassured by these words, we began the work of our day.

After a quick review and adoption of the minutes from our last meeting as well as the agenda for the week, we moved into Province and Region Reports. Sisters Sachiko Date and Atsuko Nakamoto from Maria Province were the first to present the lived reality of their province.

The next presentation was done by Sisters Danielle Dubois, Nicole Bernier and Yvette Dubois from Marguerite-Bourgeoys Province.

After lunch we had time for two more reports. Notre-Dame-des-Apôtres Region’s report was given by Sisters Angèle Ngo Ngok and Lucie Mekoulou Me-Zambo. The final presentation of the afternoon was Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Region, done by Sisters Clara Q. Martínez and Claudia Juárez.

Each report shared the struggles and challenges, the questions and worries, the changes happening now and the ones still to come. At the same time, each one also focused on the new life happening, the signs of hope alive and flourishing, the future planning, the projects underway, the work with the most vulnerable, the collaboration occurring and the many lives changed.

Though the reality of the four areas presented today are very unique, many of the stories mirrored each other in some ways. Each is a small plot in the same garden. The energy and compassion behind the actions flow from the same source.

At the end of the day, I had a sense of being part of a “small, determined group who will not give up” in their work to bring about justice and peace as mentioned in the morning’s prayer.

We ended our day together with a mass where we sang and prayed together the following words:

“Will you let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you; pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant too. We are pilgrims on a journey, we are trav’lers on the road; we are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load. I will weep when you are weeping; when you laugh, I’ll laugh with you. I will share your joy and sorrow ‘til we’ve seen this journey through.”   (The Servant Song).

Thank you for continuing to hold us in your prayers,

Karen Kelly

Visitation Province