We Are All Related

Each year since 2007, the approach of early October
brings my spirit back to that year when I lived and ministered
among the Lakota Indians on the Rosebud Reservation in
South Dakota.

Thanks to the time I was welcomed among these
beautiful people, my spirituality continues to deepen in so many ways.
One of the greatest gifts my Lakota friends gave to me is the phrase they
use as a common greeting.

Mitakuye Oyasin, translated “We are
all related,” serves as an ongoing reminder to me of the interconnectedness
of all “nations” (things and people, to the Lakota) in the great Circle of Life.

In addition, each October, I am reminded to stand in solidarity with my “relatives”
in the state of South Dakota where “Columbus Day” has been renamed “Native American Day.”

Someday, may all of Creation truly live as One..and may I do my part to help that happen.

Mitakuye Oyasin!!

Sister Peg Oravez, SSJ

Sister Peg has served in elementary, high school and college education, as well as adult faith formation and vocation ministries over her years since entrance into the Congregation. Central to all of these ministries has been her passion for spiritual companioning in both formal and informal ways.

Walk the Way of My Poor

The summer I made my Final Vows as a Sister of Saint Joseph, I felt a very strong call to be with people who are marginalized. What an awesome gift God gave me in July a few years ago.

“Gently, quietly,

and quite undramatically

a voice whispered, ‘Follow.’ All around me a presence persisted.

Amidst crowds, chimes, songs, and words of final consecration

a Love unwarranted - embraced me.”

“My anointing stirred flames of fervor in my heart,

and with wild surprise my life’s journey changed course forever.

In a gentle rush, the Spirit’s breath swept over my being.

God unveiled a new vision for me,

crystal clear and powerfully direct,

‘Walk the way of my poor.’”

The way of a Sister of Saint Joseph is about relationships. In my life God has given me many opportunities to meet all kinds of people and experience a vast number of cultures. All I can do is give thanks to God for allowing my path to cross with so many remarkable and courageous human beings.

Most of my religious life I have lived in a city setting. The landscape of the city is unique. It has small corner grocery stores, food trucks, vendors and traffic. The landscape is also filled with all kinds of people. The people make a drab barren cityscape a colorful canvas. It is in the faces of the people where I come face to face with God.

·      A vet who sweeps the pavement for a sandwich

·      An immigrant who longs to be with family

·      A homeless man who asks for a drink

·      A woman who is looking for work

·      Neighbors who help each other during bad weather

·      Volunteers who are generous and faithful

Walking the city-way for many years now, I know God is right at my side. As a Sister of Saint Joseph, God is asking me to be a “welcoming presence” to all who come and knock at our door. Each new face is God’s invitation to love all people “without distinction.” When I made my final commitment, I was so unaware of the abundance that would fill my heart. Religious life has granted me an opportunity to walk an amazing journey with God and others. My gratitude is tangible and my trust solid.

Many years ago a sacred voice penetrated my soul.

Today, stronger still, I listen to familiar, gentle urgings,

“Continue to walk the way of my poor.”

Sister Pat Madden, SSJ

On Looking More Deeply

“Technologically savvy” is not a phrase that I have ever used to describe myself.  Before this summer, I had never snap chatted, instagrammed, or tweeted and my relationship with Facebook was a totally casual one. I knew that moving into Vocation Ministry would demand that I embrace the online world - that social media would be a milieu in which I would need to feel at home, but I needed to start small.  First, I had to master the art of using the camera on my brand new smart phone – should be easy, right? I think not. 

Picture it, retreat August 2014 a sunset as beautiful as any I had ever seen. The colors turned the sky into an artist’s canvas and I felt compelled to immortalize it.  Instead, what I got was shot after shot of a blurry hazy ball of orange nothing.  Frustrated, I held the camera face down in front of me trying to figure out how in the world to “zoom in” so that I could see something, anything with a little more clarity.  I accidentally pushed the shutter button and this is what I saw:

This was most definitely not the lovely sunset still happening in front of me! In fact, it took me a few moments to realize what I was seeing - the sand magnified so many times that each individual sparkling grain can be seen in all of its glory! It caught my attention and touched my heart immediately. This brown, ugly, grainy dirt below my feet held such boundless beauty – talk about holy ground!

So, I “zoomed out” and took the same picture again and realized of course that this is what my own limited eyes always see whenever I look at the sand.  Not quite so wondrous.

Seeing this, I began to wonder what else I miss when I don’t look deeply enough - when I don’t take the time to reflect on the experiences that I have each day – to pray for wisdom and grace with regard to each interaction, relationship, phone call, task, etc.  What deeper meaning is right there just below the surface if only I take the time with God to look more deeply?

After all, isn’t this what our life as Sisters of Saint Joseph is all about – being contemplatives in action? Doesn’t it ask that we not only take the time to reflect on our experiences but that we become so in tune with God that every action is, in and of itself, a moment of contemplation? If, with the help of God’s grace, I live in such a way to cultivate that kind of contemplative heart and spirit, I have a feeling that more of my days would match the beauty, insight, wisdom, clarity and depth of the first picture. May it be so!

Sister Michelle Lesher, SSJ

Sister Michelle is a Sister of Saint Joseph of Philadelphia currently serving as Co-Director of Vocation Ministry with Sister Celeste Mokryzcki. She is passionate about Faith Formation, especially for Youth and Young Adults.