The time has come....

Well, I moved into my new community....
...and decided to begin a new blog.

Please follow me to "communitas et caritas--community and love."

Blessings to all!

Feast of the Sacred Heart!

I've posted this before, but it's worth a repeat. The image can be purchased from Bridge Building Images.

Happy Feast Day!

A Whirlwind

Well, life is complicated, and extremely busy these days. I've been out of town for the last two weeks: New Orleans, St Louis, and Milwaukee. This week, I have family visiting. To add to the confusion, I move in a week and a half!

But all is good. I greatly enjoyed the Giving Voice Conference in Milwaukee--and there, I got to meet Sister Susan from the Musings of a Discerning Woman blog, Sister Nicole from Life of a New Sister, as well as many other amazing young women religious. It was so exciting to hear their stories and get some advice for the many changes that are approaching in my own life.

And now, the "good-byes" are beginning. I saw my wonderful spiritual director of the last two years yesterday, for the last time (at least as my s.d.). Next week, the farewells begin in earnest. I have to admit that they are not my favorite thing. Yet it seems incredibly important to take in the sadness so that I can move on to new things.

Catching up

It's been a long time since I've looked at some of the blogs I like to follow, and so I thought I would throw in a couple of recent highlights here.

A Nun's Life talks about adopting a religious--what a great idea! It seems like an innovative way to get the word out about what it means to be a religious or a priest.

There is a lovely comment about the peace of the Benedictine monastic routine at Colwich Novitiate's blog.

The Sisters of the Holy Family's blog led me to the Women & Spirit website. They are presenting a traveling exhibit of artifacts about the history of women religious and their impact on American history in general. It looks fabulous! I think I need to try to get to it at some point.

Exciting things are going on in our world!

Memories

Well, I move in less than 6 weeks. It's amazing how fast the time goes.

Most of my furniture has been claimed, along with some of my kitchen stuff.

The first of at least three goodbye parties is on Tuesday.

Since classes are over, I've been working more on the moving thing--going through the stuff that I've been hoarding for the last 10-15 years. It feels really good to be cutting the strings, in many ways, but it also means leaving part of me behind. I've found letters from old friends, pictures, books, journals, calendars.... all sorts of things that I really don't need, and really never intended to keep forever anyhow.

Why do I say that it means leaving part of me behind? It's not that I will forget any of these things. It's just that, when I look at the old pictures and read the notes from friends, I realize how our lives have moved on. I think that's a good thing, really. We've all "grown up" a bit, become more who we are and who God wants us to be.

Seeing the old photos and notes also reminds me of how blessed I have been, how I've always had friends who loved me, and whom I've loved. I feel very loved.

Graduation reflections...

I'm preparing a short reflection for our graduating students, and I thought I would share part of it here. The graduation ceremony takes place in the context of Evening Prayer, and the reading is Colossians 3:12-17.


Love, says the reading, is the "bond of perfection." Love is the one thing that will improve all other facets of our lives, the one thing that can bring us into unity with each other.

With that LOVE in mind, Colossians says, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another..." It seems to me that no one here is studying theology for their own edification. Each one of us -- in being called to service -- is here to become a better servant to others, to offer God's LOVE and WISDOM to those we serve. We have been transformed by our knowledge, and we continue the transformation in our ministry to others.

My little bit of advice today is that you remain open to the transforming power of God. It is only when we are open to receive love, and to share our love with those around us, that we are able to transform and to be transformed. I never dreamed that I would be called to study theology, or to teach it. It never crossed my mind that God would call me in the direction I now turn.

But if each of us remain open to God's transforming love, the world itself will be transformed by love.

A beautiful experience

I was talking with my last class today, and I told them about how I was leaving the area to join a religious order. They were all really happy and supportive. I told them a little bit about the Society, and about why I chose the Society of the Sacred Heart.

Afterward, one of the women came up to me and showed me a bookmark, asking me if the picture was of the foundress--the text was all in Chinese.

It was St Madeleine Sophie Barat, much like the one above. It turns out that the student went to a Sacred Heart boarding high school in Taiwan. She had tears in her eyes as she told me about how she remembers the love of the sisters, and that she still goes back to visit the school when she's in the country, even taking her grown daughters.

It was deeply touching.