- July 31, 2023
From July 28-30, over 130 sisters and associates gathered at St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Parish Center in St. Louis for the annual province assembly. Sisters and associates heard from presenters and panelists, engaged in contemplative conversations, and shared their hopes, expectations and vision for the future.
Day 1
Walking Around in the Valley of Dry Bones
Sister Nancy Schreck, OSF, invited us to reflect on our experience at this unique time in religious life, in the Church and the world as a time of dry bones longing for a new spirit to be poured out on us.
S. Nancy said that the radical and rapid change in religious life mirrors the “collapses” that we are experiencing in the world today. She said it’s time to “get real.”
“All the work we are doing internal to religious life should not be looked at as something we do for ourselves but what it means for a larger world.”
So what do we need religious life for these days anyway? We may have once identified our purpose in our service, which was needed at the time. But today, S. Nancy said the world needs us as mystics and prophets, accompanying people on the journey into something new.
“What we most need now is to foster our relationships with each other so when we are walking around in the valley of dry bones, we know someone will be with us,” she says. “When someone encounters us, they have a sense of the love flowing from within us.
Health & Wholeness Update
Jessica Gamlin, the director of Health and Wholeness, gave an overview of the department, introducing the team members and sharing their gifts. The department includes both the Health and Wholeness staff, who serve the sisters across the province, and the Community Life department staff, who serve the sisters at Nazareth.
With a focus on wellness, Jessica noted their work goes beyond the physical, emphasizing balance, self-care and overall well-being.
Jessica said her team is available to support the sisters anytime and is just a phone call away. You can reach Jessica and the H & W Team at 314-295-4133 or [email protected].
Sister Agenda Committee (SAC) Report
The sisters’ groups met in March to discuss the province focus for the coming year based on the Province Direction Statements from Chapter 2022 and Congregational Acts of Chapter from 2019. Twenty sister groups met to identify the top 2-3 directions for the province to put our energy into going forward.
The one statement that received the most support was to “invest the energy in the available resources we have in response to today’s greatest needs.” Our broad sense of ministry is reminiscent of our early sisters who “divided the city” to respond to the needs of the times. It’s part of our identity as Sisters of St. Joseph.
The question posed for discussion was, “Given our diversity of mission involvements, commitments and interests, what unifying principle /value can move us forward to divide the city and do what is needed?”
Day 2
Dismantling Racism … The Work Continues
The province has committed to making dismantling racism an ongoing priority. Today, sisters and associates were invited to view the day through the lens of racism—to take an inventory of how racism or privilege manifests itself in systems and our personal lives. How can we open our hearts to make room for the transformation of deeper love that God calls us all to?
A panel of three women with three different perspectives shared their experiences with racism to help us listen, learn and break open our hearts for transformation.
Mary Armbrust, CSJA
Got Privilege? Maintain Urgency for Change
Mary shared her experience of growing up color blind to opening her eyes and ears to the experience of Black people. “When to listen? Always,” she says. Mary committed to educating herself through trainings and workshops. She came away with relationships being at the heart of it all. “Black people don’t need saving,” she says. “They need loving, authentic relationships. Be an ally.”
Cathy Hart, CSJA
Womanist Theology: Living the Promise of Possibility
As a Black woman, Cathy said we often take on racism from a white perspective. “But what do I do? My blues ain’t the same as your blues.” Cathy has chosen to immerse herself in the experience of “womanism,” a term used to refer to Black feminists who work for justice for themselves and the betterment of the whole community. “Womanism is to feminism as purple is to lavender … it’s deeper, more complex, bolder.” She says womanism is not only about self-love but about the entire community living in wholeness, unity and harmony. “We look for what matters and engage in it.”
Cheryl Archibald, CSJA
Racial and Cultural Justice - Be Like J.O.E.!
As the chair of the province’s Racial and Cultural Justice Committee, Cheryl outlined the ways the committee is organized around the framework of J.O.E. (justice, outreach and education). Various J.O.E. committees do the work from offering educational opportunities and speakers to researching topics of interest for development to writing articles to taking action.
As a Black woman, Cheryl talked about a personal reflection she wrote about her son and his encounter with racism for the CSJ publication, Province News Notes. In the piece, she said she was okay with not having grandchildren due to the racism they would experience. Today, Cheryl does have a grandson, and she says, “I celebrate his innocence for as long as I can as it will be taken away too soon.”
St. Joseph Educational Ministries (SJEM)
Cara McMahon, executive director of St. Joseph Educational Ministries (SJEM) along with a panel of SJEM members shared the purpose, background and latest news of this innovative model of Catholic sponsorship.
Approved by the Vatican as a Catholic sponsor for educational institutions, SJEM is an initiative of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Louis Province who believe in the empowerment of lay people to leadership roles traditionally held only by religious to sponsorship of Catholic education. In this way, SJEM is a bridge between the schools and the church. SJEM is the first ministerial public juridic person of higher education approved by the Vatican in the United States.
Learn more about it …
- Explore our website: stjosephedmin.org
- Follow us on Facebook and Instagram
- Contact Cara: [email protected] | 619-889-5225
Day 3
Congregational Leadership Report
Sisters and associates were updated on the latest news from the congregation with Sister Sean Peters, St. Louis Province liaison.
S. Sean shared the ways in which the congregation is living out the Calls to Action from the 2019 Chapter. She announced that the upcoming chapter will include three virtual sessions and one limited in-person session. (Sister Rose McLarney is the St. Louis representative on the planning committee.) In preparation for chapter, S. Sean invited all to consider what new questions are arising in our hearts? What is nudging us as we move into the future? Look for more information to come about chapter soon.
She also encouraged the sisters and associates to engage in the many ongoing communication and participation opportunities they offer such as joining a Zoom Sharing of the Heart and reading the biweekly We are Carondelet e-newsletter.
Association Report
Director of Association Mary Armbrust and her companions on the Associate Leadership Board gave an overview of Association, their purpose, their goals and their upcoming events.
Association, by definition, is a relationship. Mary says, “We are a relationship, committed to living out the love of God and love of the dear neighbor without distinction – together.” As a ministry, its purpose is to make sacred space to give and find inspiration, encouragement and spiritual companionship in partnership with the sisters.
Many Association events are on the horizon in 2024: a gathering in Kansas City in the summer, a pilgrimage to LePuy in the fall, and a celebration of the 50th jubilee of Association. Look for more information to come via email soon with information, registration and ways you can get involved.
Province Leadership Sharing
The new PLT continues to seek input from the sisters and associates to help them shape their priorities for their term. Priority areas emerged on Friday as the sisters were asked what conversations need to be had (sister to sister) and what are their hopes and expectations as we look forward to an unknown future. Some of the priorities revolve around relationships, structure and community as well as communication and collaboration.
Assembly Photos
Click here to view the photo album of our sisters and associates at assembly.