Field Trip to Bahai Temple- Ecumenism

Last Sunday a group of us went to the Baha'i Temple here in Chicago. It made me think deeply about where I find God and where God is. First a little about the Baha'i faith. As you can see the structure is beautiful. I picked up a very nice brochure about the principles of their religion. They are:

• Elimination of all forms of prejudice
• Equality between men and women
• Harmony of science and religion
• World peace upheld by a world government
• Spiritual solutions to economic problems
• Universal education

These principles look much like those found in Catholic Social Teaching. Imagine the changes that could be brought about to make the world a better place for all people if we sought solutions together rather than fight over our differences--at times myths of one faith or congregation about another.

The inside of the temple, the only one on this continent was a very quiet and peaceful prayer space. A place where many people find the quiet and peace they need.

As a Catholic Christian, I appreciate the gift that is shared at the temple yet I felt a longing to be in the Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It is so much part of my daily life and as the constitutions of the Daughters of Charity says,"The Sisters are conscious of the vital importance of the Eucharist, center of their life and mission and an indispensable meeting each day with Christ and their brothers and sisters" (C 19b).

Even though the Eucharist is a powerful, essential part of my life where I connect with God--it is not the only place. I find God in the scriptures. I find God in my interactions with others. As a Vincentian, I believe that Christ is present in a special way in those who are poor. I also believe God is present in other faiths. Each faith is made up of humans and so will be filled with human frailty, but do we judge God's love and presence by the sinfulness of some?

The Holy Land is sacred to Christians, Jews, and Muslims. It has been fought over for centuries! I think it is fitting that the most sacred piece of land is claimed by us all. Maybe there is a message buried in there for us all if we but open our hearts to those who seem so different from ourselves.

Dear Lord, thank You for the gift of faith You have given me. Thank You for the gift of Yourself in the Eucharist. Thank You for speaking to the many nations in so many ways. I pray that we may see Your hand working and that we may become unified in Your love for humanity. May we respond to Your call that all persons be respected and honored as Your children. Amen.

Visioning for the Mission Celebration

The end of September 4 provinces of the Daughters of Charity from the United States met in St. Louis to "Vision" for our future. It was a wonderful gathering of many Daughters as you will see from the video. The days ended with a Eucharistic celebration on Sunday, September 27th--the feast of St. Vincent de Paul, our founder (along with St. Louise de Marillac). It is exciting to look at the future and how God is calling us to meet the new needs of those who are poor. In honor of St. Vincent we had a special collection of socks and shoes for those who are poor in the St. Louis area. Since we have a number of Daughters of Charity in the St. Louis area they will take care of distributing the goodies. As you will see there are 2 over-flowing tables.

We sat at tables that were mixed up so we wouldn't know everyone. I was touched by the great unity we all experienced. No matter where we live in the U.S. or around the world, we are still strongly united in our mission of serving Christ in those who are poor. It is amazing that since our founding in 1633 that our identity is still so strong! Those days served as a great boost to one's vocation and excitement about the future!

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton's Bicentennial

July 31st-August 2 was the big celebration in Emmitsburg, MD for the celebration of 200 years since Mother Seton began her little community. The video below shows highlights from the weekend. Friday night was a wonderful celebration of the history of the Sisters and Daughters of Charity! It was a powerful prayer connecting the beginning, the past, the present, and a sense of the call for the future. If you look at the clip that shows three women dressed in the black bonnet and dress walking down the aisle side by side--I'm the short one in the middle! There were a number of special Masses during the weekend. The biggest one was noon on Sunday. There were students from Seton Keough High School, Elizabeth Seton High School (music and singing), Mother Seton Academy, and Mother Seton School. As you will see from the clip there were many priests, a couple bishops, and a cardinal celebrating the Mass. The basilica was so full another large room was set up with video screens so everyone could fully participate.

Sr. Liz Sjoberg interviewed the Sisters in her local community (where she lives) and asked about their thoughts about celebrating Mother Seton's bicentennial. Enjoy her "Sr. Liz Investigates" video!

The weekend for me was a powerful witness of how the vocation, the call, of one woman could have such a great impact on a nation and so many lives. It is a wonderful feeling knowing that I am part of Mother Seton's legacy. As a Daughter of Charity, I am a member of a prayerful group of women who seek to serve the poor and support one another through our community living---something we have done in the U.S. for 200 years, internationally through St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac for 376 years.

I see many young people searching for their place in the world. It is very exciting to witness how many are praying about what God desires for their lives. This generation of young people is so much more open to letting Christ work in and be a daily part of life. It is a terrific time to see this new life and energy in the Church! I can't wait to see what God works through the Church and our community in these years to come!

Sr. Cecilla makes her vows for the 1st Time!

Sr. Cecillia Tsao made her vows for the first time August 22nd on the feast of the Queenship of Mary. She will renew them on March 25th, on the feast of the Annunciation, when all the Daughters of Charity renew their vows. She is a medical doctor serving those who are poor at a clinic in Baltimore.

The Daughters of Charity are not nuns--one difference is that we make annual vows. Here is a link to a Daughter of Charity explaining our vows: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp7zUSmPqPQ&feature=PlayList&p=AE9E007D252D5165&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=2

Annual Retreat

Each year I get time to visit my family, have a vacation and have a retreat. I have just returned from my annual 8-day retreat. I hope everyone enjoys my halo while it lasts! It is truly a gift to have these days of quiet to reflect on my life and my relationship with God. When I first came to the community, I thought I could never make it through 8 days of silence. However, now I relish the time of quiet. There are 3 different types of retreats possible. The most common type is the preached retreat. This is where a retreat director gives a talk to a large group for a period of time each day. Individuals may sign up to visit with the director to talk or if it is a priest to have confession. We also had several sessions available to us for the sacrament of Reconciliation. Then there is the guided retreat. In a guided retreat, the group is about 10 people. The group meets altogether each day for a short presentation by the retreat director and maybe some sharing by the group. Those attending this retreat may sign up to visit the retreat director individually. Then, there is the directed retreat. This is the one I now like to make. In a directed retreat, the director may have up to about 6 directees. Each day of the retreat the director meets one-one to with each directee. In addition to time with the retreat director we have liturgy of the hours together and Eucharistic liturgy also each day. A couple of days we can pray the rosary together and there are opportunities for Eucharistic Adoration--usually we call it Exposition.

I feel amazingly blessed to have this gift of retreat! As Daughters of Charity we seek to be contemplatives in action. Our annual retreat is a way to make sure we don't lose that contemplative side in the midst of the busyness of service of the poor. Each month we are strongly encourage to take a day of retreat. Usually this is done privately, but sometimes a local community (the Sisters with whom you live) will plan a retreat together. Globally, the Daughters of Charity are in retreat on December 31st as we reflect on the past year and the new one to come.

I pray that each of you can find some quiet time in which to center your life more deeply in Christ. I know most people don't have the wonderful opportunity for a long retreat. It would be great if everyone did! However, there are little ways to find some quiet. Sometimes, it could be as simple as not turning the radio on when you are in the car alone, take a couple of quiet minutes when you get up or go to bed, read the gospel of the day and ask God that it may speak to you personally. We need to seek those small opportunities to keep us growing closer to Christ each day--not just maintance!

Daughters of Charity in March 2009

March was an exciting month for the Daughters in the Emmitsburg Province! March 15th we had Sr. Elizabeth Ann (Liz) Sjoberg's "sending on mission". Here she is signing on the dotted line in the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Basilica.

Then on March 25th, the Feast of the Annunciation we renewed our vows. This is the 200th anniversary of Mother Seton's vows made at St. Mary's on Paca St. in Baltimore (where her she lived for a year and St. Mary's Seminary had been located). Archbishop O'Brien celebrated Mass for about 36 of the Daughters of Charity in the small downstairs chapel on Paca St. It was a powerful experience renewing my vows in the same space that St. Elizabeth Ann Seton first made her own vows. In all my years renewing my annual vows, this is the first time I have done it with so many Daughters. I was very touched by the experience. What a great boost for my vocation!

Daughter of Charity Novitiate: Day in the Life

Sr. Liz is supporting vocations through her creative video skills! She has created a video featuring herself and other seminary sisters (novices). I can't seem to upload videos today, so I will put the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-HTpU7wnng. Sr. Liz will be sent on mission March 15th--the feast of St. Louise de Marillac, our foundress. She will then begin a new phase of her religious vocation out on mission.