The REAL Meaning of CHRISTmas

A few months ago I went to a presentation on mindfulness in the classroom and I have recently found myself coming back to what I learned. In a room filled with teachers and administrators, the presenter literally walked us through an experience of mindfulness or "wise attention." Sitting up straight, eyes closed, hands resting on my lap, I joined in the activity as she asked us to become mindful of our breathing. As we moved through the activity, the presenter asked us to visualize a flashlight; when we found our attention drifting away, we could notice what was distracting us, then, focus our flashlight back on our breathing.

This is a wonderful activity to use with children in the classroom to help focus their attention and I have also found myself using it to help ground me during prayer.
In the midst of a recent transition, I have found it challenging to sit quietly and pray. I've been very distracted with my own emotions as I moved into a new living situation. However, as I was setting up the Nativity in our chapel this year, I found myself able to refocus my flashlight on what is important...Jesus.

The Son of God, Jesus, came into this world as a baby, born of a virgin in a humble stable surrounded by animals.  Jesus willingly took on the human form so that he could experience love coupled with immense suffering. He is the greatest gift given to us by God, and the Wise Men knew this as they risked everything and followed the ultimate flashlight, the Star of Bethlehem. They knew this Baby was a special gift to the Jewish people.  He was the sign they had waited for, and the Star of Bethlehem lit their way, as they journeyed to bring gifts to the newborn King.

It's not about the gifts they brought; it is about the seeking and how the Wise Men refocused their own flashlights on finding Jesus and how each of us is called to do the same.

The Wise Men had their own distractions during their journey, yet they continued to pay attention to what was really important.

We are called to notice the distractions that come up when we are still, then try to refocus attention back to Jesus.

Notice the distractions; then come right back to Jesus.

Notice the distractions. Come back to Jesus.

Notice. Come back.

As I move through these days of Christmas, I will try to remember to keep my flashlight focused on the real meaning of the season...Jesus.

 Sister Meaghan Patterson, SSJ

 

Meaghan entered the Sisters of Saint Joseph in 2002 and has had many varied experiences since then.  Currently, she is ministering at Saint Martin de Porres Catholic School in North Philadelphia and living at our newly established hospitality house in Chestnut Hill.

When Words Become Flesh

I’m a… word nerd? language geek? literature junkie? I was intrigued by my grandparents’ magical ability to communicate with words I couldn’t understand. As a student in grade school, through high school, college and a teacher in grade school and college, I have loved vocabulary, Voyages in English, reading, writing. Yes, my students diagrammed sentences and memorized poetry. I’m silently correcting your grammar. I majored in languages… you get it!

I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to communicate with people in their native tongue and to travel where Spanish is spoken, opening doors into people’s lives and relationships. This puts me in new worlds, invites me into realities other than my Northeast US white culture and stretches my seeing the world. Often it feels like two worlds! My training, profession and ministry move me in the circles of higher education administration, research and immersion in beautiful language and literature. Relationships, community and ministry connect me to dear neighbors near and far who speak the same beautiful language but have little or no access to literacy.

If you feel my walk in two worlds, you will appreciate my delight when they converged in October at a professional conference for literary types (mostly university professors). I heard an amazing address by Stuart Day of the University of Kansas. Professor Day is an accomplished teacher, scholar and literary critic, thriving in the “ivory tower.” He shared his efforts, building on the work of scholars like Kimberley Nance and Marta Caminero-Santangelo; teaching Latin American and Latino theater in a way that helps students to understand privilege, systemic oppression and the power of community. I was deeply moved as I listened to this kindred spirit clearly in love with the beauty and power of words; seeking to share not just literature but the reality it depicts. Included in Stuart’s “student learning outcomes” are empathy, understanding and identifying entitlement and privilege and then movement to action and social justice.

I was especially taken by an assignment he designed: “dialogical shadow acting.” Students must write themselves into a text with three conditions: they are not a hero, they must help someone already in the play, and they must respond to this question from a character, “What gives you the right to be here?” In processing this assignment, Stuart reminded us, he is evoking a principle of teatro campesino or of the theater of the oppressed – in engaging these plays, we are “rehearsing the revolution.”

Is this writing in of ourselves not a reflection of what Jesus does in the Incarnation, what Father Medaille means, perhaps, when he speaks of Jesus’ humility as he comes to us in Eucharist? In whatever “world” I find myself, how can I write myself into the text? How am I called to be a helper, to further good? What gives me the right to be here? As followers and lovers of Jesus, how are we called to “practice the Revolution?” How do we say, “¡Presente!” with our lives? 

Sister Cecelia J. Cavanaugh 

Cecelia J. Cavanaugh SSJ grew up just outside of Philadelphia. After entering the Sisters of Saint Joseph, she taught in elementary and junior high school before beginning doctoral studies in Spanish literature. She joined the faculty of Chestnut Hill College, a sponsored work of the Philadelphia SSJs in 1991 and was appointed Dean of the School of Undergraduate Studies in 2001. She is the author of two books about the Spanish poet Federico García Lorca.

The Urban Sea

One of my earliest recollections of being called to religious life involved the scene of Jesus walking along the Sea of Galilee--calling ordinary folk to follow Him. So, leaving their nets behind, they did.  Centuries later, I did as well.

While the sea in every form captivates me so much still, my "sea" has, for most of my religious life, been urban city streets in Newark and North Philadelphia.

I could never have imagined this life for myself! I could never have scripted how this living, working and "being with" my sisters and brothers at the margins has both challenged and enriched me.

Community prayer, church and school prayer as well as private prayer have led me to a place of inner and outer freedom. This freedom has allowed me, in the way I am able to live my life as a Sister of Saint Joseph, to respond and to be present to all kinds of folks, with few limits or boundaries on my service or my presence. This both humbles and excites me...especially on days I am fully attentive...

As an SSJ, never knowing on any given day exactly what will be "required" of me, I am daily re-awakened and stretched to live this call. I have come to know and to trust that "the little I have" will be enough as Jesus' spirit transforms and enlarges. I have the daily opportunity, along with my Sisters, to be impelled and emboldened as we attempt to “be Jesus” in this day, in "whatever" place.

Fasten your seat belts. God is in charge! Let’s go!

Sister Nancy Fitzgerald, SSJ

Sister Nancy has spent her entire religious life in Philadelphia and Newark serving in urban education, a field to which she is committed and about which she is passionate. She currently serves as the Principal of Saint Martin de Porres Catholic School in North Philadelphia.

Wonder and Mystery

I have always been drawn to Wonder, and intrigued by where it has led me, whether it is about things and their origins, or about the kind of Wonder that takes me deeper, into Mystery. I have often tested some of my wonderings with my trusted friends. An example of what I wonder about is the “egg!” Who had the thought, “That looks good, let’s eat it?” Better yet, how long did it take before we said, “Let’s fry it?” I hope you are laughing or at least smiling. Most of the time my friends offer a polite smile, and continue to wonder about me!

Seriously, I love to wonder, and I believe I will always ponder what it takes to elicit this in others. What is it like to be caught in the Mystery of God, revealing through time? I ask, “How do I live a life of Wonder and Mystery, while inviting others to do the same?

When I considered college, and my future, my sense of Wonder drew me further inward. I began to experience an awareness of Mystery in a place where answers are elusive, and words disappear. I wondered if this sensation was real or was it the pressure to move on with my life? Was I being lured by Mystery. Was I being chosen?

Time passed, my horizons broadened, and I became attracted to a woman who brought me to another level of Wonder about my life’s direction. I wondered why she came into my life? Why did she become a Sister of Saint Joseph? It was evident she could have chosen any vocation she desired? What was it about her person that was radiant whenever I saw her? Why did I feel more me when I was with her? What was it about her that made others want to be in her presence? I have come to know and believe it was Mystery that found her heart, called her into being, forming her true self. Something happened I could not explain. I asked myself, “Is this the same Mystery that caught and is wedged in my heart, which continues to mold and shape me to become my best self?”

Presently, I keep asking myself, do I make people wonder, are they taken by my presence in a way that makes them wonder about their future? Do they see or feel something inspiring when I am with them? Do I make them wonder about the Mystery of being chosen by our God?

How does one cultivate Wonder and Mystery in one’s life? Pray, wonder about eggs, pray, make people laugh, pray for Mystery to embrace you, laugh some more, fry an egg, pray for the grace to be attentive to God’s breaking through each day, and say “yes” to Mystery and the place where there are no words. Wonder some more!

Kathleen Brabson, SSJ

Sister Kathleen serves as the president of Mount Saint Joseph Academy, where she has been in ministry for over twenty years. She sees each day as a new day with the young women of the Mount community. S. Kathleen finds wonderful role models in the women who have "laced a legacy," of courage, vision, and great love that inspire her everyday. She enjoys walking on the Wissahickon, sharing a meal with family and friends, and being with the Mount community.

At Every Moment, God Awaits

Two years ago I was drawn to an excerpt from Pierre Teilhard’s Hymn of the Universe and used it on bookmarks for my writing center colleagues.

                        . . . at every moment
                        God awaits us in the activity,
                        the work to be done,
                       which every moment brings.
                      God is, in a sense,
                      at the point of my pen, my pick,
                     my paint brush, my needle . . . .

God awaits us. . . at the point of my pen. . . .

Although I believe that I am always in the presence of God, there are times when I have a deep experience of God’s presence in “the work to be done.”

Some of that work is with student writers who come to discuss their personal narrative essays, an assignment that includes elements of conflict, tension and resolution. Students—some whom I have never met before—share a story in a conference that invites their active participation. Our goal is that the students will improve a specific piece of writing and, in the process, learn or practice skills that they can apply to their next writing project. At its best, this process is highly interactive and usually offers more than I anticipate.

What some may see as dry details of essay structure, paragraph unity, coherence and sentence variety, actually yield treasures hidden in folds of a narrative piece—expressions of gratitude, worry, compassion, regret, friendship, humor, optimism, challenge, success or failure. In a diverse student body, these stories flow through a rich spectrum of cultures.

Unlike the objective style of a research paper, the narrative is self-revelatory. It’s a way of saying “this is a snapshot of who I was at a particular moment in my life when I was challenged, and this is what I learned about myself.” Even in an atmosphere of welcome and appreciation, this type of writing is so personal that it takes a certain level of openness and trust to share a story face to face with a tutor. In the season of the narrative assignment, these interactions have offered me unexpected glimpses of God, our gracious Mystery. What gifts!

They prompt me to ask myself how I can share more openly and be more trusting. Both qualities are central to a practice that we Sisters of Saint Joseph call Sharing the State of the Heart. Simply, this is a prayerful gathering to share how we have experienced a deeper awareness of God’s action in our everyday lives. It is an opportunity to honor grace among us and to notice our response so that we might be able live our mission more authentically. This SSJ prayer, that I value deeply, is a communal process that builds on awareness, trust, and simplicity.

Student writers may be surprised to learn that they have had an influence on my relationship with God and others. But maybe not. In an environment that honors each person as “dear neighbor,” some may recognize that every interaction holds the potential for a sacred encounter.

Yes, God awaits at the point of my pen, at the click of my keystroke, and in every story.

Sister Roberta Archibald, SSJ

Sister Roberta Archibald SSJ works with an amazing team of student-faculty writing tutors at Chestnut Hill College. She also serves as Archival Associate for the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Philadelphia. If you are interested in the founding stories of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, Sister Roberta will be happy to arrange a tour of the SSJ Heritage Area for you and your friends. Check your calendar and call for a visit @ 215-248-7270.

 

Captivated by Autumn Leaves

One way I experience God each day is in the beauty of the autumn leaves. Growing up in a town called Maple Shade, I have been literally surrounded by leaves my entire life. I grew up on a street that was lined with maple trees, and from a very young age I was captivated by their leaves. Autumn leaves have always been a reminder to me of God’s creative love and abounding goodness. To this day, autumn leaves bring back memories of the joy of childhood…collecting leaves on the way to school - a sign of cooler weather with the promise of Halloween and Thanksgiving, and the thrill of jumping into a huge pile at the end of an afternoon of raking. Realizing that each colorful leaf is different and beautiful in its own way serves as a concrete reminder to me that each of us is also incredibly unique and beautiful in God’s eyes. It’s a gentle challenge for me to recognize God’s love in each person I encounter.

Another lesson I seem to learn anew every year from the leaves that decorate the trees and gracefully fall to the ground is that if I am open to it, I can see Divine Providence in the so called autumns of my own life…times that bore great fruit. I can accept the invitation to reminisce about the faithfulness of God and the graces and blessings which have been bestowed upon me by a loving God who cannot be outdone in generosity.

Without fail, every autumn fills my soul with a joy and an energy that can come only from a creative God abounding in kindness.  I still find myself picking up a maple leaf that has caught my eye and admiring its vibrant colors and original design.  I think about the countless times I have done that since I was a little girl in Maple Shade and am reminded anew of the God with whom I walk this journey and who delights in my humble efforts to live the Gospel message each day, even when I am happily jumping in a big pile of leaves. :-)

Sister Marie Leahy, SSJ is an Assistant Professor of Education at Chestnut Hill College.  In her free time, she likes to read, go to the gym, and travel.

It's the Simple Things...

My days are filled with privileged visits with patients and families.  And often, as I head out the door of a hospital room I hear myself say, “Now where did that come from?” or “Did you hear what you just said?”   One of my favorites has to do with a woman patient whom the nurses and doctors described as depressed.  I had had at least three visits with this woman before she went home. All three visits did not seem to go anywhere.  Two weeks went by and a nurse on oncology sent for me to visit “Helen” who was back for treatment and was despondent.  I went to Helen’s room, introduced myself, indicated that we had met before and offered a time and space for identifying and responding to her needs.  Again I got no response, no eye contact, and no seeming acknowledgement of engagement.  The next thing I hear coming out of my mouth is, “Helen, I don’t know what would be a comfort to you at this time, but I could talk with you, be silent with you, I could even just curl up like a cat and be at your side so you are not alone.”  With that there was a giggle and a turning to meet my eyes.  Then, Helen resumed her previous shut down. 

The next morning the same nurse sent for me again to go to Helen’s room.  She did not give me any new information.  Helen had the shade up, her hair fixed, she greeted me coming into the room and we had a “regular” pastoral visit.  The nurse later told me she had sent for me just because she wanted me to see the difference which had unfolded after I had visited the previous day.  Helen had two more hospitalizations before she died.  I found out she had three cats at home. 

God is so simple with each of us.   God says, “Can I just curl up at your side and be with you through this time of grief, of emptiness, of insecurity, of loneliness, of confusion?”  “Can I just be with you?”

Simply,

Peg Conboy

At Any Given Moment

Finding God in my life is very simple and rarely complicated. God thoroughly knows me, and therefore, has little trouble catching my attention at any given moment. God’s awareness of my radar-like detection of all things tiny, ordinary, and often unnoticed by others makes me fair game for the gentle personal nudges God slips into my daily life. I am the one who sees a gorgeous monarch butterfly soaring around the bushes outside the church after a funeral and recognizes the message of peace and hope its presence wishes to extend. The miniature violet poking its way through a crack in the sidewalk can draw me into its awesome strength and resilience. Clever and mischievous squirrels scampering up and down the towering oak tree outside my bedroom window transport me from Morning Prayer into the experience of God’s flourishing creation bursting forth into a new day. All of these otherwise hidden messages would go unreceived if it weren’t for my desire and ability to find God in the whisper of the world around me. For this I am grateful.

However, one of my most powerful experiences of God each day is in, of course, a most unlikely place: the girls’ restroom at an inner-city elementary school where I am the First Grade teacher. Twice a day, my Aide and I take the boys and girls for their restroom break. It is during these trips that I have the privilege of seeing one or more of my 13 girls stoop down to tie a classmate’s shoe lace, straighten another’s collar and snap on her tie, or simply step aside to make room at the sink as they wash their hands together. All this goes on silently in a matter of 10 minutes as we wait alongside the wall for each to have her turn. These multiple forms of charity and kindness began one day a few weeks ago when I simply said, “Let me see whom I can recognize as a good friend of another classmate or a friend of God.” With that invitation came these simple, yet sincere, acts of love and service.

Our Sisters of Saint Joseph Constitutions states: “Our spirituality is a basic gospel call to love of God and our neighbor.” The 24 six and seven-year-olds I’m with each day remind me of this. Certainly some of us will do absolutely phenomenal things within our lifetime. However, the majority of us are ordinary children of God who live extraordinary lives of Christ-centered witness due to the fact that we remember from whom we have come!

Before my class dismisses each afternoon, I lead them in this two-part mantra. The first part is an adapted quote from the movie “The Help” and the second is a quote that one of the Novice Directors sent us out with on our ministry day. I say, “Now girls and boys remember: ‘You are kind. You are smart. You are important.’ Therefore, ‘Go out into the world and make God look good today!’”

Sister Ann Marie Gass, SSJ

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.