Hills

Bethlehem

Chestnut Hill College

Hills. They nestle us in their valleys and offer expansive views from their heights. Getting to the summit is empowering and beckons us on to a more challenging climb. It dawns on me that hills have been the backdrop for most of my ministry. There are the Ramapo Mountains of Bergen County, New Jersey, the Poconos in the Pennsylvania Slate Belt, the hills surrounding Bethlehem in the Lehigh Valley, and now, Chestnut Hill, the highest point in Philadelphia. Not only that, I live in Manayunk, a city neighborhood famous for steep hills that tumble down to the Schuylkill River and for cobblestone streets that challenge bikers from around the world. 

Manayunk

The ups and downs of hilly paths are reflective of my years. New ministries and neighborhoods have held their challenges, making progress slow, even difficult, at times. Yet the Spirit has offered consistent hints of the view ahead to tease me to the top. Once there, the sight has been amazing! The energy of students discovering themselves and the dedicated competence of colleagues in ministry never fail to offer a panoramic view of the overall graciousness of God's sustaining presence. The wonder of all of this propels the downhill trip and glides past cherished memories, with the delight of animated conversations and spontaneous laughter in the breeze. At the bottom, the expanse of a backward glance can be breathtaking. The view of what's been offers me just enough momentum to set out again and stretch up to the challenge of another new day, another new relationship, another new ministry. 

Ramapo, New Jersey

How blessed I've been to enjoy the hills and valleys. More than monotonous turnpikes, they've drawn me on an awesome journey that climbs up to rewarding views from the high places, on down again to an exhilarating return to the starting place where the opportunity to do it all again awaits. T. S. Eliot's "In the end is my beginning" may be the poetic expression of a life, but the surprises, sights and sounds of the hillsides I’ve journeyed over and over offer the third dimension. A blessing indeed!

Sister Mary Jo Larkin

Mary Jo Larkin SSJ has enjoyed a range of involvement in the field of education, from teaching at primary, middle and high school levels, to administrative roles at both Mount Saint Joseph Academy and Chestnut Hill College.  She is currently Dean for Library and Information Resources at Chestnut Hill College.

Take Nothing for the Journey

Take nothing for the journey

he said

and I realized

all I was carrying.

And slowly I began to wander

a journey that had already begun

And like a bird I flew free

no arms to hold what could hold me back

Go slow

Be open

See the sights

and see to the fact

that you only pick up what you need

And so I went

the journey deep

the darkness dark

the steepness steep

Seeing what

was there to see

in time

with grace

deep inside of me.

Like the crop circles of my soul

conveying a message

I am still figuring out

how to read.

You pinned me down

by the heart

so I could see the beautiful

markings on my wings

stopped still from the frantic beat

Take nothing for the journey

they said

Take nothing but who you are.

Sr. Colleen Gibson, SSJ 

Sr. Colleen currently serves as a campus minister at Chestnut Hill College. She is the author of the blog Wandering in Wonder,  columnist for the Global Sisters Report, and has been published in various periodicals including America, Commonweal and Give Us This Day. She made first vows as a Sister of St. Joseph in Philadelphia in August 2014. 

Meeting God at the Beach

We are all called to become intimate friends with God, especially through prayer, and as we grow in prayer, we more and more find God at work in our world. Over the years I have found God in persons, in events both local and global, and in some places. One place very dear to my heart is Saint Mary by-the-Sea Retreat House, where I have worked as Assistant Director for the past twenty-six years. 

I first visited “the Cape,” as we call her, in 1962. We novices were there to help clean in preparation for the summer retreat season. We were all looking forward to the change of pace from our year at the motherhouse, but I was thoroughly surprised when we were given most afternoons “off.” Why, it was like a vacation! I came to see that this really was part vacation, a playfully surprising action of God, and I learned to trust that experience of God just as much as I did God’s more serious appearances in my life.

So I fell in love with the Cape. Of course, it isn’t hard to fall in love with an old Victorian hotel that sits right on the beach!

 
I’ve made retreat most years at the Cape and met God in solitude and silence. Many summers I volunteered to work on the kitchen staff, spending time blissfully escaping from classes and student papers as I cut tomatoes and cucumbers and carrots to make salad for 140. I felt much as I did as a novice: so very grateful and so aware that God takes wonderful care of me.

I am by nature an organizer and troubleshooter. At the Cape, I was always figuring out how to do things better through organization and communication. I was just itching for an opportunity to put some of my ideas into action. In 1989, I was so happy to do so when I joined the core summer staff as Assistant Director.

Since then I have spent almost every summer organizing reservations, room assignments, schedules, evaluations, and planning. Each summer I find God in the beauty of the seashore, the commitment of my fellow core staffers, the generosity of our many volunteer workers, and the prayerful presence of our retreatants. I love being part of a community that works together to create a place where people can meet God in so many ways. When I arrive at the Cape each May, I am always mindful of the long line of workers who went before me. I want to sing, “This is Holy Ground.”

Sister Patricia O'Donnell, SSJ

Patricia O’Donnell SSJ graduated from Chestnut Hill College, a sponsored work of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Philadelphia, and entered the Congregation in 1961, expecting to teach high school science. But God, it seems, had a different plan: she taught high school for six years, but has spent most of her ministry years teaching philosophy at Chestnut Hill College. At the same time, she has spent her summers helping to organize operations at Saint Mary by-the-Sea Retreat House, Cape May Point, New Jersey.

Where I'm From

Mother Saint John Fournier

Where I’m From

I’m from the Sisters of Saint Joseph—
women like Marguerite Burdier, Julie
Fournier, Alice Anita Murphy and Win
Grelis—women of grace, courage, 

talent, and humility

Humble because they knew their truth,

felt the earth beneath them and saw the stars above

Sister Win Grelis

I’m from women who are teachers,
nurses, social workers, spiritual guides,
generalists and specialists, sister-
companions at the margins of life and
at the centers

They’re the “you-can-do-it, you-can-be-
it, we’re-always-with-you” crowd

The ones at the end of the finish line no
matter what my time

I’m from the storytellers, the lace
makers, the ones who are perfectly
imperfect, the ones who know God’s
unconditional love, even in times of
doubt

I’m from the quiet and the raucous,
 the listeners and the talkers

I’m from the faithful ones who fall off or
get knocked down and get up again; the
ones who taught me not to take myself
so seriously, who were with me when I
laughed and when I cried

From the ones who learned how to bend,
how to be more open, more loving, more
forgiving, the ones who have taught me
the same and shared the way of the heart

They are women who search out
connections with “every neighbor
without distinction,” women who have
embraced mission with renewed passion
and energy

These are the women who build
relationships and try to lace them
together when they fray

Yes, I’m from all of them

                        —Roberta Archibald SSJ

Animated by “Where I’m From” by  George Ella Lyon

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.