Date post: | 12-Mar-2016 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | holy-spirit-missionary-sisters |
View: | 220 times |
Download: | 0 times |
November 2010, Vol. XXX, No. 9
Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters
Convent of the Holy Spirit – Techny, Illinois
EAR JESUS, help me to
spread Thy fragrance
everywhere I go. Flood
my soul with Thy spirit
and love. Penetrate and possess my
whole being so utterly that all my life
may only be a radiance of Thine. Shine
through me and be so in me that every
soul I come in contact with may feel
Thy presence in my soul. Let them look
up and see no longer me but only Je-
sus. Stay with me and then I shall be-
gin to shine as you shine, so to shine
as to be a light to others.
“If we judge people we have no time
to love them.”
Mother Teresa
DDDD r. Ira Byock, when speaking of embodied Compassion, says the four things that matter most
are: Please forgive me, I forgive you, Thank you,
I love you.
Compassion is the underlying theme of our
forthcoming Assembly and Chapter: Compassion in
Leadership, Compassion in Community and
Compassion in Ministry.
As I was musing on this, it struck me that
maybe the greatest way we can be compassionate is
to understand that “you can’t force the heart.” We
don’t wake up one morning and decide from now on
I will be compassionate. Being compassionate
evolves within our hearts as we go through the daily
conversions of thinking, feeling and choosing we instead of me and I. We see and look at ourselves
as brothers and sisters, one in the family of God.
And our hearts stretch and stretch until we include
more and more into this family, even those who
disagree with us, those who harm us, those who
believe differently from us and those who speak,
eat, dress and live differently from that to which we
are accustomed.
Fortunately, we belong to a missionary
family and so our education and experiences already
stretch our hearts to include the whole world.
However, that doesn’t negate the personal work we
need to do in order “to put on the mind and heart of
Christ,” who emptied himself and included saints
and sinners, apostles and tax collectors, pious
women and prostitutes into his circle of family, of
disciples. A great way to stretch our heart and mind
(continued on page 2)
2
(continued from page 1)
in community a bit more would be to have a cup of coffee or tea, or go for a walk or a ride
with someone who thinks differently from me and to get to know and understand this
person’s way of thinking a bit more. We can learn a lot that way. In fact, we learn a lot more
from those who disagree with us than from those who think the same as we do. In mission
we also need to stretch out our hearts to those we don’t appreciate or understand. For some
of us it may be inviting an immigrant family over and learning about their situation before
taking a stand on the immigration issues. For others it might be befriending a gay or lesbian
person and learning how they feel, their hopes, dreams and disappointments. For others,
having a conversation with someone of a different religion and finding out about their search
for God. And if we can’t get out anymore at least we could read what they themselves are
saying about their struggles, their situation. We can’t force the heart, but we can educate our
hearts and minds. When we really understand someone, respect and compassion grow in our
hearts.
Perhaps all of us could prepare personally for the Assembly/Chapter by asking our-
selves as leaders, as community members and as missionaries: What blocks compassion in
me? What can I do to stretch my heart and grow in compassion? How can I grow in love?
Sr. Carol Welp, SSpS
On October 16, Srs. Carol Welp, Marie
Sheehy and Anita Marie Gutierrez attended a day’s workshop entitled Compassion: One-
ness with All, given by Sr. Kathleen Bohn,
OP. The day was a watering of the roots of compassion with the universe story, with the
earth story, with one’s own story. Stillness,
deep listening and pondering bring about
change, growth and transformation that lead to
being, being human, being compassionate.
Compassion seems to be the greatest power
that healthily embraces systemic change and
enhancement in relationships, community,
communion, Gospel living and the kin-dom of
God.
Sr. Anita Marie Gutierrez
On October 9, Srs. Monica Darrichon and
Rose Martin Glenn attended the Silver
Jubilee celebration of Fr. Tony Clark's Ordination at St Joseph's Parish. Visitors
came from all corners of the USA, and
included past and present classmates of
Fr. Tony's. Sr. Monica, along with several
parishioners, was instrumental in
preparing a most inspiring liturgy with the
theme of Mission based on the Mission
Rosary. Fr. Melvin James, SVD, made Fr. Tony's vestment with matching
stoles for the priests who concelebrated
the Mass and there were many.
Fr. Chester and Fr. Charles Smith,
SVD, gave the homily with Alleluias and Amens! Since Fr. Tony is noted for his
laughter and joy, this occasion was none
other than that, yet everyone told also of
his deep spiritual insights which lift up so
many.
Other noteworthy events: Sr. Monica will
again make catechetical presentations to
the Hispanic Community here in the
Memphis Diocese… and … As Sr. Rose
Martin entered the classroom of three-
year-olds one little girl with eyes
sparkling like diamonds ran toward her
and said, "I saw you on TV!" Immediately
Sister knew it was Whoopie Goldberg in
"Sister Act”!
Sr. Rose Martin Glenn
Compassion Workshop
News from Memphis
3
Project IRENE is a program supported by
women religious leaders in Illinois, including
the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters; it is aimed
at promoting legislation that supports vulner-
able women and children. On October 23,
2010, Sr. Rose Therese Nolta attended the
Project IRENE Liaisons’ Annual Gathering at
the Sisters of the Living Word, Arlington
Heights, IL. After a ritual prayer, we shared
about the Project IRENE Vision and Mission,
had feedback from the evaluation forms, went
through a day at the Capitol with Sr. Rose
Mary Myers and received a number of up-
dates on tasks as liaisons, poverty in Illinois,
immigration, child trafficking, etc.
Sr. Elwira Dziuk took part in a Busy Person Retreat at the University of Chicago. Sixteen
students and four spiritual companions registered.
She reports: I met daily with three young people
from October 17-21. They shared their spiritual
journey with me. It was a treasure to be with them
and listen to their discoveries of God in their daily
activities! Let us pray that young people will be
inspired by the Holy Spirit to pursue the challenge
of religious life!
SSpS have been actively involved for several years
in Aid for Women, a mission helping pregnant
women who did not feel they could support a
child. Recently, Aid for Women held a fundraiser
and invited some of our Sisters. Encouraged by the
atmosphere in the room, the inspiring talks and
the possibilities for helping that were presented,
Sr. Margaret Hansen decided to host a baby shower in the Convent. Baby items were collected
to be given to Aid for Women. This was preceded
by 40 Days for Life, which involved praying for
life in all its forms. 40 Days for Life tries to have
someone outside praying at the Albany Medical
Surgical Center/Family Planning Associates in
Chicago at all times. Srs. Mary Jane Lusson and
Marie Louise Jilk took part in this vigil. While they were there, one couple came who already had
three children and were expecting their fourth.
They felt they could not afford another child, but
one of the counselors who comes every Friday to
this abortion clinic took them to a Women’s Cen-
ter nearby so they could receive the help they need.
Sr. Margaret Hansen blesses the fish.
The last week in October brought additions to
the pond in front of the main Convent in the
form of many fish. One hundred bluegill, 25
large mouth bass and 15 lbs. of fathead
minnows were placed in the water. The fish are
good for the pond’s ecosystem and it is hoped
the Sisters will enjoy watching them as they
walk around the grounds.
New Pond Residents
40 Days for Life and Aid for Women
Srs. Mary Jane and Marie Louise at a prayer vigil for life
outside a clinic in Chicago.
Project IRENE
Busy Person Retreat
4
Sr. Miryan Inés Céspedes Cañete
decided during her time in Tertianship to
transfer back to her home Province in
Paraguay. Sr. Helena Kujur, her Provincial, had been asking for two
years for her to come back and help in
their schools. She has decided to answer
this call. She will be coming to Techny
on December 18 and will return to
Paraguay on December 22. Miryan, we
thank you for your time with us and
wish you every blessing as you serve in
another part of the Lord’s vineyard.
Sr. Therese Mary Martinez and Little Mexico were featured in the Daily
Harold newspaper and in a Waukegan
Spanish paper. Sister was designated “a
saint!”
For Your Prayerful
Remembrance
Please pray for our sick:
Charles Regensburger, 75, brother of Sr.
Maryann, who had a stroke on October 20 and is hospitalized.
Jerry Miller, brother of Sr. Mary Miller, who is hospitalized in Florida with emphysema.
They have now discovered a larger tumor in or
on his lung. He and his wife, Marilyn, are in Florida away from the family.
Stanley Kielar, husband of Josephine Kielar, nurse in Maria Hall, who fell down the stairs at
home and broke his pelvis.
Luckily, at present, we have no Sisters in the
hospital, but our elderly and weak Sisters all
appreciate your prayers.
Please pray for our deceased:
Dennis McDermitt, brother of Mickey
Bachara, former Director of Nursing, who died on October 9.
We are preparing visas for three Sisters who we
expect to arrive in December:
Sr. Rosalia Service Galmin, from Flores West, who will come for three years,
and Srs. Philippa, Chen Jin Xiu and Monica,
Zhang Yan Ling, from China, who are also appointed for three years.
Sr. Petra Bigge, our Mission Secretary, will be visiting us February 12-24, 2011. She will then
go to New York for an internship with VIVAT
until April 1. Welcome, Sr. Petra!
Comings and Goings
Sr. Miryan
Kudos!
Sr. Therese Mary
ANTIGUA S.SP.S. COMMUNITY IN MISSION
We are a vibrant missionary community here in Antigua, touching the lives of parishioners,
prisoners, students, street people and patients.
Our local community vision/mission statement notes that “our outreach is especially to the
disadvantaged and the marginalized, aiding victims of violence, poverty, abuse and discrimi-
nation with special concern for women and children in pastoral and educational ministries.”
Each of us brings her own gifts to ministry. Srs. AnnIta Walsh, Alexis Tjahjani and Mar-
garet Anne Norris support the educational ministry through their service at the diocesan Catholic Schools. At Christ the King High School, Sr. AnnIta teaches religion and is a mem-
ber of the religion department team that coordinates the school liturgies and retreats. Sr. Mar-
garet Anne teaches Spanish. At St. John’s Catholic pre-school, Sr. Alexis is much appreciated
for her coordination of the arts and crafts program and as a teaching assistant for the class of
two-year-olds. Working with these young people offers many opportunities to call them to
Christian service and to deepen their faith in daily life.
The diocesan Hispanic ministry coordinated by Sr. Miryan Inés Céspedes Cañete and Fr.
Robert Ratajczak SVD, offers retreats, adult evangelization courses and days of recreation. Sr. Miryan and Fr. Robert plan the weekly Sunday liturgy. Sr. Miryan coordinates the choir
activities and the Thursday evening prayer meetings, as well as special times of prayer during
October, Advent, Lent and May. She has two weekly radio programs offering reflections on
the Gospel. Sr. Margaret Anne and Sr. Alexis offer their support in the Hispanic ministry by
accompanying the group on special occasions and collaborating with Sr. Miryan in different
events. For example, Sr. Alexis teaches liturgical and folk dances to the children for religious
and cultural events and Sr. Margaret Anne has given some courses and accompanied the
RCIA group.
As the liaison minister of the Cathedral in a very poor area in Antigua, Sr. Pat Snider encounters many challenges daily. In an effort to complete the building of a church
which can be used for worship, classes and outreach financial problems are sometimes
almost overwhelming.
5
Sr. Alexis and the liturgical dancers
Sr. Miryan Ines and Fr. Robert, who
coordinate the Hispanic ministry
Over the next few months, the bulletin will highlight the mission of
individual houses in the U.S. Province.
This month, we begin with the community in Antigua.
Since this is an area where many Catholics are present but most are not active, we try to of-
fer paraliturgies for the children during Sunday Mass which is celebrated in a classroom of a
school where Mass is celebrated twice monthly. Sr. Alexis has been a great help with these
paraliturgies since she is so good with children. The next step is for these children to begin sacra-
mental classes since most have not received First Holy Communion or Confirmation; some still
need to be baptized. Parents are very important in this and sometimes it is difficult to get their
support. We hope to start evangelizing teams that would make contacts in the area.
Sr. Pat coordinates a prison ministry team of which Sr. AnnIta is also a member. At this time there
are 29 male inmates who are participating in our Alpha Course which we offer twice a year for
ten weeks. Since this is both a learning and a sharing experience, our team is often amazed at
what happens in the lives of the inmates during this time. God is quite obviously working during
these sessions.
Another area of ministry for Sr. Pat is collaboration with Street Pastors who minister to street peo-
ple at night. She is a member of the team which meets for prayer while others are on the streets.
In connection with the parish, Sr. Pat does regular hospital ministry and others of our community
collaborate in that and in visiting the elderly. Both Sr. Pat and Sr. Alexis bring communion to the
sick and all of us are lectors and communion ministers or servers for Mass at the Cathedral when
called upon. Sr. Miryan and Sr. Pat both appreciate the opportunities for evangelization offered in
the baptismal preparation sessions they conduct. Sr. Alexis is a valued member of the Holy Fam-
ily Cathedral choir.
Srs. AnnIta, Margaret Anne and Alexis find that participating in the adult evangelization program,
ALPHA, in the parish supports their own faith growth as well. Both Sr. AnnIta and Sr. Margaret
Anne accompany members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul as spiritual directors for different
conferences, leading the groups in Scripture reflection. Sr. AnnIta collaborates with the youth
ministry when asked, for example helping with parish youth retreats.
Thus our ministries allow us to truly be an SSpS Community in Mission here in Antigua in the
diocese of St. John’s Basseterre.
Sr. Margaret Anne Norris
6
The Prison Ministry Team including Srs.
AnnIta and Pat in the center
Sr. Margaret Anne and students
JPIC
SSpS
USA
7
November 2010
We celebrate Halloween this weekend, and
so let’s focus on helping children. This
year we are joining the “Trick or Treating
for UNICEF” to make a difference in the lives of kids around the globe by helping
UNICEF provide lifesaving programs. For
60 years UNICEF has worked in more
than 150 countries and territories in the
following areas:
_ Immunization and Health
_ Education
_ Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
_ Nutrition
_ HIV/AIDS
_ Child Protection
_ Emergencies: complex emergencies and
natural disasters.
The Challenge of Child Survival
The number of children
under the age of five
dying each day has
significantly dropped.
In fact, over the last 50
years, UNICEF
and its partners have helped cut the world-
wide child mortality rate by more than
half. The following chart tells the story of
UNICEF’s progress.
From Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF pg 6.
Children across the world face many
challenges, including: - Malnutrition, which plays a major role
in a third of all child deaths.
- Pneumonia, malaria, HIV/AIDS, and
other diseases.
- Lack of safe drinking water and
sanitation, which can lead to disease,
diarrheal dehydration, and death.
- Poor or unavailable health care. From Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF pg 5.
To learn more about UNICEF see: http://teachunicef.org/sites/default/files/documents/
UNICEF_An_Introduction_Final_0.pdf
Chicago - USA – Children – Poverty
In an article in the Chicago
Tribune entitled “Suburbs
learning the value of pre-
school for at-risk kids” on
October 24, 2010, noted the
following: “Although Chi-
cago’s poverty rate is
higher, the largest 10-year
8
relative increases occurred in the suburbs,
where the rate nearly doubled in some
counties.”
The Child Poverty Rates by States in 2007 and 2009, by American Community
Survey noted the following statistics:
Each child is unique and special, so we con-
tinue to work with and for children in our
ministries, in our prayer and in our advo-
cacy work.
Universal Children Day – 2010
Universal Children Day is celebrated on 20 November every year with the purpose
of promoting international togetherness and
awareness among children, or we can also
say that this day is an occasion celebrated to
promote the welfare of children. This day is
declared as a holiday only for children.
Universal Children Day was established in
year 1954. November 20 is also a special
day as this day ‘Declaration of the Rights of
the Children’ was adopted by UN General
Assembly in 1959 and later in 1989,
Convention of the Rights of the Child was adopted by the UN General Assembly.
Since the last decade, this Convention is said
to be an important tool for promoting the
rights of children all over the world.
THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S
CHILDREN 2010: Child Rights
On 20 November 2009, the global commu-
nity celebrated the 20th anniversary of the
Convention on the Rights of the Child. The most widely ratified international human
rights treaty in history, the 54 provisions of
the Convention, and its Optional Protocols,
articulate the full complement of civil,
political, cultural, social and economic rights
for all children, based on four core princi-
ples: non-discrimination; actions
taken in the best interests of the child; the
right to life, survival and development; and
respect for the views of the child in accor-
dance with age and maturity. These princi-
ples guide the actions of all stakeholders,
including children themselves, in realizing
their rights to survival, development, protec-
tion and participation. Signed by every
country in the world, and currently ratified
into law by all but two countries. The USA is
one country which did not ratify it. The
Convention and its principles have taken root
in national and local legislatures, motivating
governments worldwide to place children’s
rights and development at the forefront of
their legislative agendas.
States 2007 2009 %
Child Poverty Rate Change
Illinois 16.3% 18.6% 2.4%
Iowa 13.1% 15.1% 1.9%
New York 19.1% 19.7% 0.6%
Tennessee 22.5% 23.5% 1.0%
The Convention on the
Rights of the Child
stands as a universal standard for building a
better world – a world in which the best
interests of children are a primary concern
of all. The challenge for the next 20 years is
to build on the progress already achieved,
working together to reach those children
who are still being denied their rights to
survival, development, protection and
participation.
— Ann M. Veneman
Executive Director, UNICEFUMMARY