"As a relatively new and relatively young Sister, I am frequently asked what I think the future of religious like will look like, and each time I respond that I really don't know. But I think it will look a lot like the view from the top of Victoria Falls. It looks like standing on the edge.
Members of the Giving Voice Core Team spent August 6-10 in St Louis for the LCWR Assembly. We also took the opportunity of being together in the same city for our own core team meetings.
This August, Kristin Matthes, SNDdeN transitions off of the Giving Voice Core team. Kristin has been a constant presence to Giving Voice from its very beginnings, serving both as the public face and behind the scenes organizer at the same time. While Kristin is no longer a member of the Core Team, she has graciously agreed to be available for questions and advice as she holds the history of Giving Voice and knows so many of you personally.
Summer just recently officially started in the Northern Hemisphere of our world and being that I live in the United States, my summer has just begun. Thank God!! When I think of summer, I think of 4 Rs-rest, relax, re-energize and recreation. The beautiful weather that we in New York State experience at this time of year allows me to experience those 4 Rs.
Are you in community leadership? Please be sure to stop by our booth in the exhibit area at the August LCWR meetings. Our new Giving Voice Core team members will be on hand to introduce ourselves and tell you more about the exciting opportunities for your younger Sisters to develop peer relationships and connections across congregations.
Earlier this month, I was invited to give a presentation on human trafficking to the 8th grade class at a local Catholic girls school here in the Seattle Area. As I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed this slogan painted on the side of the school's vans: "Giving Girls Their Voice." What a wonderful way of framing the ministry of education--helping young women to find their voice, so that they can in turn be voices for justice and positive change in the world!
Sisters in their 20s & 30s are invited to join us for our annual peer-led retreat MLK Weekend at Our Lady of Guadalupe Monastery in sunny Phoenix, Arizona. Gather with other younger women religious for prayer, reflection, conversation and relationship building. Visit the GV website to !
If you are a formation minister or in community leadership, encourage your younger members to attend! The connections they make will sustain them for years to come.
We offer our prayers and support to all of the women in leadership of our communities and LCWR. If you have not yet seen it, there is a beautiful prayer by Chris Koellhoffer, IHM on the . In the words of this prayer: "May we continue to faithfully live the questions of our time and witness to the people of God that we are women at home with mystery and filled with fierce hope for our shared future."
Thank you to each of the who have responded so positively to our . Your generous support will give us the resources we need to create a sustainable structure and continue to provide opportunities for networking and relationship building for younger women religious across congregations.
These Easter days I am finding myself caught up with all the signs of hope and resurrection I see around me. In the past couple weeks I have had a number of experiences which illustrate new life bursting forth and a Spirit that will not be quenched while: