Retreat Reflections

 

Our lives are full of transition all the time: people come and go, the changing nature of religious life, the ways Covid has kept us apart. However, during the Giving Voice 20s and 30s retreat, we came together in joy, safety, and open space to create a life-giving atmosphere that refreshed us and filled our nets (Lk 5:4). Naming the fullness of our reality, from the ancestral guardians of our homes to dancing and laughing every night, freed us to be present with each other. The time together gave us strength and opened the opportunity for us to become “a new creation” (2 Cor 5:17).

 

Many chose to gather in Open Space and hold the grief we’ve carried as some of our sisters have discerned that God is calling them to other ways of life. Sharing our common experience, we acknowledged our grief and were able to find strength in the support of our community in Giving Voice. This support was symbolized in our ritual Saturday evening as we lifted up the many gifts we each bring to transition. The gifts of perseverance, a willingness to wait for our nets to be filled, patience, and many more light our way. We held our candles, real and virtual, combining our light and our gifts to show that we will always move forward as one in the many transitions we traverse together.