Edition No. 208—May 17, 2022 |
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Mt. St. Joseph Convent
SSJ Associates in Mission
Commitment Ceremony
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On Monday, May 9, 2022, SSJ Associates, sisters and friends welcomed Carolyn Keenan, Rebecca Elon, Patricia Sommers, Sylvia DeSantis and Paulette Price in a commitment ceremony in the Scholasticate at the Motherhouse. The joyous occasion was a long time in coming. Because of the pandemic, these women have been waiting for this day for almost two years.
Sister Rita Woehlcke SSJ led the prayer service via zoom. "Gathered by love, and in love, led by the Holy Spirit of Love and receptive to Love’s inspirations, we, Sisters and Associates of Saint Joseph, move always toward profound love of God and the dear neighbor, from whom we do not separate ourselves, for whom we work to achieve unity both of neighbor with neighbor and neighbor with God. We pray to be open to receive all the graces being offered to us. May this time, this space, all gathered here, and all creation be blessed. This we ask in the name of Jesus, who became one with us in our humanity and lived a life of love outpoured. Amen"
Rebecca Elon joined the group commitment ceremony via zoo.
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Paulette Price receives the SSJ Associate in Mission pin from Terry Pierson SSJ |
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Carolyn Keenan receives her SSJ Associate in Mission pin from Dannah Addalli
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Patricia Sommers receives her SSJ Associate in Mission pin from Dannah Addalli
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Pictured from left: Carolyn Keenan, Terry Pierson SSJ, Patricia Sommers, Sylvia DeSantis, Dannah Addalli and Paulette Price |
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Mount Saint Joseph Convent
Prayer for Ukraine
May 9, 2022
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With deep faith in God, Sister Colleen Dauberbach SSJ, led sisters and the Motherhouse staff in prayer for the people of Ukraine.
Lead Us from Death to Life
Lead us from death to life, from falsehood to truth,
from despair to hope, from fear to trust,
Lead us from hate to love, from war to peace:
let peace fill our hearts,
let peace fill our world,
let peace fill or universe
And to this we pray AMEN!
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Dr. William Latimer & Sister Cathy Nerney SSJ, Ph.D.
Interview
May 5, 2022
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Dr. William Latimer, PH.D., M.P.H., newly named President of Chestnut Hill College, conducted an interview with Sister Cathy Nerney SSJ, regarding the College’s Institute of Forgiveness and Reconciliation. As a professor of Religious Studies at Chestnut Hill College, Sister Cathy also serves as Founder and Director of The Institute for Forgiveness and Reconciliation. Sister Cathy’s area of specialization is the Theology of the Church. |
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A Concert for Racial Healing
Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul
May 15, 2022
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A concert for racial healing was held on Sunday, May 15, 2022, at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter & Paul in Philadelphia.
Father Stephen D. Thorne, the chairperson of The Archbishop’s Commission for Racial Healing, welcomed and thanked everyone gathered in the Cathedral and those live streaming, to the celebration. “This is an opportunity to heal the wounds that afflict us as a people. I want to thank in a special way Archbishop Nelson Perez, whose idea it was to bring this commission together as a moment to bring about healing in our community. Today, we come together to give witness to the power of music to bring people together and to heal our world, a world at war—afar and in our own streets."
Sister Owen Patricia Bonner SSJ, a member of the Commission, shared her thoughts on the sin of racism. “My Name is Sister Owen Bonner. I am a Sister of St. Joseph. I have spent most of my religious life in elementary education. I served in city schools in Washington, DC and here in Philly. I thought I knew what racism was and is. Boy, was I wrong! Working that many years in the city schools changed my life. it was an amazing grace for me. So, I stand here today to denounce the sin of racism.
As a Christian and as a Catholic, I believe we are all made in the image and likeness of God. As a Sister of Saint Joseph our mission flows from the purpose for which our Congregation exists: we live and work so that all people may be united with God and with one another. Wouldn’t it be a great world if that were true today. Two of our maxims say it more clearly:
Maxim 4—Let your life be a continuous act of love
Maxim 49—Treat everyone with the same care as if you were meeting God
I wonder what God would think if God walked into this place today. Regardless of what we face in our world, in our culture, or even in our church—there is no room for discrimination. There is no room for hatred. Pope Francis calls us to stand in the Gospel. Our readings throughout the Easter Season are great examples of this. As it has been said by so many others today, Jesus commanded us. He didn’t ask us or suggest it. He commanded us to love one another as he loves us. We are called today and every day to walk in the footsteps of the One who gave His Life that we might live.”
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Father Stephen D. Thorne welcomed and thanked everyone gathered in the Cathedral, and those live streaming, to the celebration. |
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Sister Owen Patricia Bonner SSJ, a member of the Commission, shared her thoughts on the sin of racism. |
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Villa Zoom—Caring for Our Common Home
by Julia Gabell, Associate in Mission
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When early warnings flashed across the radar screen, few outside the scientific community paused to blink. Busy, blind, or otherwise occupied we sped across the landscape of our lives with absolute certainty that things would be unchangeable and last forever—at least on our watch. Then along came COVID and we suddenly began to realize that maybe things weren’t so right after all. There were little cracks in our “perfect” worlds. What we didn’t expect were the senseless wars, the broken earth, the disease, the fires, floods, and raging winds that resulted from our lack of stewardship.
It's not that someone didn’t try to warn us. As far back as the 1500s there were cautions about our indifference to the environment. The Green Environment Movement of the 1800s made a small impact, but it was not until John Muir ‘s prophetic message reverberated across the untamed West that people began to sit up and take notice. By the mid twentieth century, Rachel Carsen’s book, “Silent Springs,” had emerged as catalyst for the contemporary environmental movement. Other far-sighted conservationists came afterword, but their efforts were often considered extreme and got lost in society’s ongoing rush to “have it all.”
We are now at a crucial juncture. The die is cast. Scientists tell us that the earth’s timeline is dwindling so rapidly that by 2050 the world will be split between two extremes: drought, wildfires, and disease on the one hand; heavy rains, acidic oceans, and surging tides on the other. Because some parts of the world will be hit harder than others, these hazards will trigger mass migrations leading to widespread humanitarian crises.
Whichever way you slice it, it’s not a pretty picture. Our future world depends on what we do TODAY. To help lessen environmental impact there are simple changes that may help: turning off lights and TVs; filling water glasses with only what you plan to drink; recycling paper and magazines; washing with environmentally friendly detergents, taking one less nonessential trip in the car, etc. Following such guidelines now can help us all make a difference in the quality of tomorrow.
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Looking for Inspiration?
You can find it by clicking on images below!
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"With the help of God's grace and in fidelity to our founder's expressed wish, we live and work lovingly among all persons with a special preference for those who are poor, which calls us wherever we are to be in union with them."
— SSJ Constitutions #21
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