News from Blessed Sacrament Province
Honor, Respect, and Protect our Common Home in the Spirit of Marguerite
On Sunday, April 3, about 80 Sisters and Associates participated in a second session of “Living Out Our Orientation Together” hosted by the Associate Sustainability Committee. Facilitator Sr. Kathleen Deignan, CND led an enlightening and empowering Zoom conversation. Here are some highlights.
Sisters and Associates in the Congregation have the most critical piece needed during this time: the will to be born again, the capacity to regenerate the vitality of spirit, and the ability to cultivate and activate hope. We must gather up the blood of the Savior in the crucified Mother Earth and become midwives of the new Mother Earth by supporting a new generation, partnering and engaging with others, and becoming allies, mentors, mothers and comrades in sacrificing our old nature and birthing the new. … By doing so, we help and support each other on the path of ecological holiness.
The rule for our community (WMB, 180): to love God, to love our neighbor, to love all things in the cosmos. …The rule is proclaimed by all the creatures and things in the universe. They are our spiritual masters. We, Marguerite’s chosen apostles, have been sent to the novitiate to learn from them…the garden, living water, cabbages, charcoal, snowflakes, remora.
We must enter into this cosmic, paschal mystery as “wide awake” mystics and missionaries. Soul power and soul force will help us to help the world. Marguerite was about the construction of a new civilization. The Creator begs us. Mother Earth begs us to take up the great work of our age.
How then shall we live today?
Rooted in Jesus Christ, in love and compassion and in contemplative dialogue, we, CND sisters and associates, dare to go further to humanize our relationships and to allow ourselves to be transformed. We commit to honor, respect and protect our common home, committing ourselves to concrete actions motivated by an integral ecological conscience.
FROM OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM
We began planning for the Summer Gathering and heard from the Province Communications Loop Group, Mission Advancement Office, and Associate Relationship. We also discussed options for vacation venues, and we reflected on our way of celebrating funerals.
CND at the Border
Joan Lewis, CND, as well as Associate Donna Wuhrer and Novice Christa Gesztesi will be going to Douglas Arizona from May 10th to the 24th. They plan to purchase needed supplies (water, socks, toiletries, etc.) at the local Walmart and at La Familia, a family-owned convenience store in Douglas.
Kindly send all e-cards and donation emails to dmrwuhrer@gmail.com NO LATER than May 17 so that there is ample time to purchase items.
Marguerite Bourgeoys Scholarships: We were happy to approve the Scholarship Committee’s recommendation for the 2022-2023 school year:
- 18 to elementary school students at Catholic Academy of Waterbury CT; Children’s Community School, Waterbury CT; Notre Dame Academy, Staten Island NY; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Waterbury CT; Villa Maria Academy, Bronx NY.
- 35 to high school: students at Bishop McNamara, Kankakee IL; Holy Cross, Waterbury CT; Mercy, Middletown CT; Notre Dame Academy, Staten Island NY; Pensacola High, Pensacola, FL; Sacred Heart Academy, Hamden CT; St. Jean Baptiste, NY NY; St. Joseph, Trumbull CT; St. Paul Catholic, Bristol CT.
- 11 to university students.
Vocation Ministry Committee
We are especially happy that three Associates—Mary Jo Hoag, Judy Laffey, and Jeannie Cooper—have joined Ann Marie Strileckis, Eileen Dorney, Maco Cassetta, Kathleen Deignan, Kathleen Dorney, Ann Perrin, Peggy Doyle, Deanna Sabetta, Cathy Molloy, and Mary Anne Foley in exploring options for vocation ministry in the province. We are convinced that Associates and Sisters have gifts for accompanying people—especially the young—who are seeking meaning in their lives. Stay tuned for opportunities to become involved. (On Sacred Heart University’s main campus, where they were exploring options for ministry by Sisters, Mary Anne Foley and Kathleen Dorney met SHU mascot Big Red.)
LA VIE VOYAGÈRE – 21st Century by Cathy Molloy, CND
I am happy to introduce you to my friend from Cameroon, Ivoline. As a Primary School student, she regularly came to the Notre Dame Sisters’ Library in Tobin/Kumbo with her sister. The girls enjoyed reading everything available to them and continued visiting the library for many years until completing Secondary School. They then enrolled in the University of Buea as computer majors. Returning home for holidays they gave back to the library by creating a digital book inventory. Both women continued further studies, and Ivoline after three years studying in Turkey is now at the University of Vermont pursuing a doctoral degree and adjusting happily to life in Burlington.
In March the CND formation community invited Ivoline to visit White Plains and New York City for her spring break. We made fufu and njama for dinner, walked across the bridge of the Kensico Dam and had a great time talking to the girls at St. Jean's, they were wonderful!
ASSOCIATE NEWS– Maria Vazquez and Donna Wuhrer
West Haven Associates in Service
Associate Judy volunteers in the religious education program in her parish. As we celebrate 40 years of Associate Relationship, we are reminded of St. Marguerite’s life of service to others. How then can we be of service to others in this coming year?
Southside Chicago Associates: Reflecting on why they became Associates
After so many months of not meeting in person Chicago Associates gathered to pray, to reflect on their commitment as Associates and to make tentative plans for the next year. At this meeting, the primary question was to reflect on what inspired them to become Associates considering the upcoming commitment renewal in May. It was important for them to remember that fire that was awakened within them when they were introduced to St. Marguerite Bourgeoys.
It was a joyful gathering but also a sobering one. They shared the isolation of Covid-19, the struggles of their parish merging and the subsequent changes, the loss of the meeting space at the parish where they were gathering other women and sharing the story of St. Marguerite. And yet they also shared the challenges that St. Marguerite faced in her time and how that is an inspiration to not give up but continue with the plans of gathering women from the community. Currently, they met in a new restaurant run by a former priest and will continue to meet there until a new place can be found. Juana and Maria Eugenia will make an appointment with the new pastor and ask for space for the gatherings. But even if that does not happen, they feel that with St. Marguerite guiding their way, something new will come to fruition. After the gathering, they felt the spirit of St. Marguerite, energizing them and filling them with hope for the future.