Ursuline Newsletter Celebrating God’s Faithfulness 6 0 1 YEARS ` ` 4045 Indian Road, Toledo, OH Vol. 38 No. 3 March 2014 Go forth in hope with deep prayer and courage. An Irish Prayer May your day be touched by a bit of Irish luck, brightened by a song in your heart, and warmed by the smiles of the people you love. ~ An Irish Wish If God sends you down a stony path, may he give you strong shoes. Prayer to St. Joseph O St. Joseph! Always be our protector. May your inner spirit of peace, of silence, of good work, and of prayer for the cause of the Holy Church always be an inspiration to us and bring us joy in union with your blessed spouse, our most sweet and gentle and Immaculate Mother, and in the strong yet tender love of Jesus, the glorious and immortal King of all ages and peoples. Amen. (Prayer by Pope John XXIII at the close of his Apostolic Letter, March 19, 1961, making St. Joseph the Patron of the Second Vatican Council.)
Transcript
UrsulineNewsletter
Celebrating God’s Faithfulness
601Y E A R S` `
4045 Indian Road, Toledo, OH Vol. 38 No. 3 March 2014
Go forth in hope with deep prayer and courage.
An Irish Prayer
May your day be touched by a bit of Irish luck,brightened by a song in your heart,
and warmed by the smiles of the people you love.
~An Irish Wish
If God sends you down a stony path,may he give you strong shoes.
Prayer to St. Joseph
O St. Joseph! Always be our protector.May your inner spirit of peace, of silence,
of good work, and of prayer for the cause ofthe Holy Church always be an inspiration to us
and bring us joy in union with your blessed spouse, our most sweet and gentle and Immaculate Mother,
and in the strong yet tender love of Jesus, the glorious and immortal King of all ages
and peoples.Amen.
(Prayer by Pope John XXIII at the close of his Apostolic Letter, March 19, 1961, making St. Joseph the Patron of the Second Vatican Council.)
“Sing to the Lord a new song” (Ps. 95:1) What is this new song? It does not consist of words, it is not a melody, it is the song of your life. It is allowing our life to be identified with that of Jesus, it is sharing his sentiments, his thoughts, his actions. And the life of Jesus is a life for others. It is a life of service.”
Active Hope, How to Face the Mess We’re in without Going Crazy byJoannaMacy&ChrisJohnstoneisavailableforyourreading.PleasecallValifyouwishtoborrowacopy.
St. Angela’s spirit was of influence and relationship building.
What motivated Angela to listen, reflect and act?
What will we carry forward to keep Angela’s spirit alive?
Reflection Day
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Ursuline Center
“My Way of the Cross”
10:00 ReflectionPresenter:
Sr. Claudia Holtz
10:30 ExpositionQuiet Time
AssociateNews
I have shared with you before that I belong to a faith sharing/book club at the Center. We have been together for at least four years. One of the books we have read is titled, “Uncommon Gratitude,” by Joan Chittister and Rowan Williams. The authors look at happenings in their lives that, at first thought, would have a negative connotation. Somehow, with reflection they become “alleluia moments.” There are many things we feel grateful for: God, peace, security, life and faith. But when these things are set alongside things such as death, suffering and divisions, we would never think to sing “alleluia.”
In her introduction, Joan Chittister says that, “Life itself is an exercise in learning to sing “alleluia” in order to recognize the face of God hidden in the recesses of time. To deal with the meaning of “alleluia” in life means to deal with moments that do not feel like “alleluia” moments at all.”
In these various reflections offered, it becomes clear that singing alleluia is not a way to escape reality but opens one up to a reality beyond the immediate and helps one understand what is now and what will be.
Perhaps you might use this book during this Lenten season. It is published by Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota.
May our journey through this Lent be a fruitful nurturing of those who have difficulty in recognizing their “alleluia” moments.
Thebookwefirstchosewas“Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World,”by JoannaWeaver.Her ideasweresomethingwe could all identifywith.We progressedto “Having a Mary’s Spirit” by the same author andarenowworkingourwaythroughherbook“Lazarus Awakening.” Joanna is thewife of a pastor living inMontana.
On a more personal note, I emailed JoanneWeaverearlyonemorningasIwashavingaverydifficulttimedealingwiththedesertthatGodhadmein.Ineededtoreachouttoaconcrete“website”“person.”Wasthereanyonethere?Wellwithin24hoursIhadaresponseand I was friended on Facebook. Was this Joanna?Sure!ButitwasalsoalovingFathersendinganangeltohelpmeinmywalk.
The book club continues and is always open to newmembers.Wherewillwegofromhere?Iamnotsure,butIamcertain,ifweareallopenwewillreceivethedirectionGodisleadingusin.
WithPeaceandLove,GeraldineMiles
ThankyouGeraldine foryour reportonourUrsulineAssociates’ Book Club! How wonderful to haveJoannareachouttoyou!HerstoriesofMontanaaresuretobefamiliartoourToledoAssociates.
Wehada“kickstart”forLent!SisterDonnaShannahanwas able to give our Lenten Retreat at our Februarygathering. She had many inspirational messagesmakingusawareofourlifetimejourneyinbecomingaservantofGod. ShetalkedaboutpovertyofSpirit.We learned to avoid all things thatwe feel could bemoreimportanttousthanGod;lettinggoofthingsthatkeepusfromGod.SheremindedusofmodelssuchasMotherTheresaandSt.Theresa.SisterDonnatoldusofabookonSt.Theresa’slifebyDr.MarkFoley,titled,“Context of Holiness.” Shealsogaveusworksheetsandtimetoreflectontopicssuchas“WheredoesmyTreasureLie?,”“WheredoesmyHeartlie?”andWheredoIneedtogrowinmyloveforGod?”
OurLenten“Little Black Book”arrivedintimetobehandedoutattheendofourday’sRetreat.Thislittlebook is tobeour companion for thenext50daysofLent.Weallhopetotakeatleastsixminutesofquiettime,daily,toreflectandcontinueourdailydevotionslearned from this Retreat with Sister Donna, alongwiththedailyreadingfromourlittlebook,andalwayskeeping St.Angela’s inspirations close at hand. Asusual,weendedourdaywithmuchloveandlaughterandinSaintAngela’sSpirit.
PS.Special“thankyous”forallyourOhioprayerstoend theCalifornia drought!! Wepray for the endofyourwinter!!
Blessings,CarolAnn
Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it is about learning how to dance in the rain.
By Sr. Mary Kay Garvin, OSU In November 2013, over 85 women religious and
friends volunteered to join the St. Bernard Parish Project, a non-profit organization, established in 2006 to rebuild homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans is the only county in the history of the United States to be rendered 100% uninhabited following Katrina. As of March 2013 the project had rebuilt 479 homes. One week a year the project focuses on women religious volunteers.
Prior to leaving for New Orleans, I contacted Ursulines from the Roman Union Central Province and Eastern Province with whom I would be working and living. We were urged to bring warm clothing since the job sites did not have electricity or running water. I laughed when I read that we should be prepared to get dirty and to bring old clothes not quite ready for the rag bag. With that in mind I packed old clothing with the plan to discard them before leaving New Orleans.
We scheduled our arrivals at the airport in close proximity to each other. Much to my surprise our planes arrived at the same time. We hailed a cab to one of the homes where we would be staying. Although none of the resident Sisters was there because they were involved in Chapter meetings, we received a warm welcome. The bedrooms listed our names and we found many nice little surprises. The Sisters would not be returning until the following Monday so they left a car for our use.
On Monday morning the women religious and friends gathered at St. Bernard Project headquarters for orientation and to receive our assignments. I was scheduled to work with the Sisters from New York and a gentleman from Massachusetts.
Our job supervisors greeted us when we arrived and explained what projects we would be working on during the week. The first task was to lay laminate flooring in the bedrooms and the second was to lay tile in the kitchen and laundry room. We divided into two groups and I chose to lay flooring in the bedrooms. Before we could begin, we were instructed how to use the saws. For days after we crawled on our hands and knees fitting boards together so they would be a perfect length.
Many days lunch was provided by the Knights of Columbus. On other days we were encouraged to
SISTERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN NEW ORLEANSy
support the local establishments. Since none of us knew restaurants, we found a local gas station that served hot dogs and beverages. Since there were no tables or chairs, we took our food and sat on the curb and enjoyed lunch and many good laughs as we enjoyed each other’s company.
Thursday was the highlight of the week. We joined St. Bernard Parish Project in welcoming a family home after eight years. Their new home is called a “shot gun” home because as the story goes you can shoot a bullet through the front door and it will exit through the back door.
At the end of the week I came away feeling blessed and enriched from working each day with the Ursulines from the Eastern and Central provinces. During the course of the week as we shared prayer and meals, I was inspired by the young men and women who volunteer for a year of service to help others.
Looking Ahead ….
Spring Retreat WeekendMay 23-26, 2014
Watch for more details in the next newsletter.
NEWS From PEru
I have been eagerly awaiting my opportunity to trek in real snow with you. I have been told by several people burrowed in Ohio that I would
surely get my wish since it seemed like Ohio was frozen in for the duration. I just took a look at the Internet Weather Channel because I am in the packing stage of preparations and wanted to know what kind of clothes to carry. What a shock to see that the forecast marks a drastic change in weather both in Ohio and in Peru. The day after I arrive in Toledo for Chapter, they are predicting temps in the 50s and rain!!!!!! I couldn’t find another snowy day for the rest of the season! Somehow it doesn’t seem fair, does it? In Lima, Peru our weather is predicted to also have a drastic change starting tonight. We are on the tail end of summer. Our 90s are now 70s and tomorrow should drop into the 50s with gray skies. Not normal for here either.
Last night Yuli and I and 3 Ursuline Associates went downtown to Lima to participate in the grand concert-demonstration of One Billion Rising (Un Billon de Pie). It is an international movement celebrating respect and dignity for women and demanding that every woman and girl stand up for her rights and that we eradicate violence against women and girls in the home, work, and society. Each year there are more men attending and promoting and honoring the women. There were tens of groups who gave testimony to why and how they promote non-violence for women. They came from all over the country. There were people from many ethnic backgrounds, religious backgrounds, musicians, famous stars, singers, dancers, politicians, unions, and thousands of families, couples, and friends adding their enthusiasm and convictions to the celebration. Vilma found us a space on the grass to sit and listen. Children played with balloons, accompanied the clowns and the stilt walkers, ate churros (like donut cream sticks), sugar covered peanuts, popcorn, and drank soft drinks. The entire family danced and sang along for hours. We had taken the lyrics for
the theme song to sing along. It is called “Break the Chains” in English and in Spanish “¡Basta Ya!” (“Enough!”). Hopefully the children will grow up expecting the lack of violence in their lives as girls and as boys.
We are bracing ourselves for another outdoor concert tonight just behind our house. Custom is for parties to start at 11 pm or midnight and to continue all night till after sunrise. Last weekend the volume was so loud that our 2 Kathys who sleep at the back of the house suffered most. Gladys, an Associate, lives catty-corner from the stage. Her hearing was affected all the next day. I don’t know why the hosts have to rent such high volume loud speakers. Conversations are impossible. The beer helps many to ignore the noise as they dance away the night.
The new school year begins March 3. Stores are stocking up on school supplies. Our teachers have their opening retreat next weekend in the country. May the new year be blessed for all, children, teachers, and parents.
Love, Carol
SAVE the DATE !
Our annual Sunday Night to Provide Supper for the Students at Corpus Christi University Parish is Sunday, April 6. In the enclosed flyer you will be asked if you can help cook and serve, provide baked goods, or give a donation toward the cost of the dinner. You have been most generous in the past and the students and Campus Ministry personnel are always most appreciative.
