紙からプラスチック、そして再び紙へ

Laudato Si’ Action Planを通じた地球へのコミットメントの一環として、私たちのカリスマ性を共有するすべての人に、毎月のエコ・チャレンジに参加するよう呼びかけています。

1970年代、子供の頃、地元の商店では商品を入れるのに紙袋を使っていた。ある時、「このまま紙袋を使っていると、東南アジアの森林が切り尽くされて無くなってしまう！」というプロパガンダが始まり、あっという間に紙袋はプラスティック袋に置き換えられた。

そして50年たった今、「プラスチックは自然破壊につながるので、紙袋を使おう！」と言っている。東南アジアの森林の話をする人は、今や誰もいない。森林は私たちがプラスティック使うことによって守られたのだろうか？ 思い返してみると、当時、プラスティック工業の量産体制も整い、大量に売り出したかったがために、あんなキャンペーンを打ったのでは？という疑念も浮かぶ。

現在、プラスチックは悪者のように扱われている。海に浮かぶ大量のプラスティックごみ、ごみに絡まれて苦しむ海亀……。しかし、プラスチックが悪者なのではなく、人間の使い方が悪いだけなのではないだろうか。プラスチックの登場当初から科学者たちは自然界で分解困難、燃やすと有害なガスを発散する、という事実に気づいていたはずだ。大量生産が優先され、リサイクル・廃棄という観点は蔑ろにされてきたため、地球上、いたるところで自然破壊、健康被害が深刻な状態になっている。

確かに人間の生活は変わった。硝子瓶からペットボトルに代わったからこそ、軽量化され、安全に長距離輸送することも可能になった。真空パックや冷凍保存ができるようになり食品の長期保存もできるようになった。今や、私たちの生活は多くの部分はプラスチックに支えられている。今こそ、プラスチックと共存していくことを真剣に考える時ではないだろうか。

今、手にしたこのプラスチックはこの後、どのような旅をして行くのだろうか。どうリサイクルされていくのだろうか。最後の最後まで、感謝して見守ってはどうだろう。有害物質を出さず分解できる素材の開発、現在あるプラスティック廃棄物を安全に処理できる方法の研究を応援していこう。

歴史は繰り返される。誰が得をしているのか？これは現代の科学技術との付き合い方、全般に言えることかもしれない。「何をどのように使い、廃棄するのか」自分の頭で考え、選択していくことが、本当にこれから私たち一人ひとりに問われている。

千鶴の考察を振り返りながら、それを行動につなげるきっかけにしてください。

• あなたは1日にどれくらいの使い捨てプラスチック製品を使っていますか？ 1か月では？ 1年では？
• 自分が消費するプラスチック製品に対して、どのように責任を持つことができるでしょうか？
• 生分解性や再利用可能な代替品のために、どの程度の費用や手間を負担する覚悟がありますか？
• 自分の環境意識の変化について、誰かと考えを共有する機会を積極的に見つけてみましょう。

Eco-Challenge for Ecological Conversion: As part of our commitment to Earth via our Laudato Si’ Action Plan, we are inviting everyone who shares in our charism to explore the spiritual call to ecological conversion with us.

In the 1970s, when I was a child in Japan, local shops used paper bags to pack products. At some point, a propaganda campaign began, warning, “If we keep using paper bags, the forests of Southeast Asia will be completely wiped out!” Before long, paper bags were replaced by plastic ones.

Now, 50 years later, we hear people saying, “Plastic harms the environment, so let’s go back to using paper bags!” Yet no one talks about the forests of Southeast Asia anymore. Did we actually protect those forests by switching to plastic? Looking back, I can’t help but wonder—was that campaign just a way to promote the mass production of plastic, which was taking off at the time?

Today, plastic is treated like the villain. Images of vast amounts of plastic waste floating in the ocean, sea turtles suffering from entanglement—these have become symbols of environmental destruction. But is plastic really the problem, or is it how humans use it? Scientists must have known from the start that plastic is difficult to break down in nature and releases harmful gases when burned. Yet mass production was prioritized, and concerns about recycling and disposal were largely ignored. As a result, environmental destruction and health hazards have become critical issues worldwide.

It’s true that plastic has transformed our lives. The shift from glass bottles to PET bottles made containers lighter and easier to transport safely over long distances. Vacuum packaging and freezing technology have extended the shelf life of food. Today, plastic supports much of our daily existence. So isn’t it time we seriously consider how to coexist with it?

What journey will this plastic item in my hand take from here? How will it be recycled? Perhaps we should appreciate and take responsibility for it until the very end. Let’s support the development of biodegradable materials that don’t release harmful substances and research ways to safely process existing plastic waste.

History repeats itself. Who truly benefits from these shifts? This question applies not only to plastic but to our relationship with modern science and technology as a whole. “What do we use, how do we use it, and how do we dispose of it?” These are questions we must each think through and answer for ourselves.

As you reflect on Chizuru’s observations, let it inspire you to take action.

• How many single-use plastic items do you use in a day? A month? A year?
• How can you take responsibility for the plastic items you consume?
• What are you willing to pay for for biodegradable or reusable alternatives—in both money and convenience?
• Push yourself to find someone with whom you can share your thoughts about your ecological conversion.

The Heart of the Home

There’s something special about a kitchen. It’s a natural gathering space to talk while you’re cooking or snacking. It’s the origin of scrumptious smells that waft up to your room and entice your tastebuds as you wait for dinner. It’s the place to share your endearing secrets or funny stories over a cup of tea or coffee. It’s often what you picture when you think about “home”.

A Kitchen in Le Puy

Laying the Foundation

When the “Little Design” of Father Jean Pierre Medaille, SJ began to take shape in the mid-1600s, there was only one form of religious life available to women: the cloister. Groups of women had tried to create apostolic congregations, focused on ministry and service to the people of God, but they had been shut down or shut behind the doors of a convent.

Building the foundations of what would become the Sisters of St. Joseph, Father Medaille carefully described a new community of women in service of the dear neighbor. In the Règlements, he wrote: “This association is established to provide for many young women or widows not called to the cloister or who have not the means to enter it, and who, nevertheless, wish to live chastely in the world.”

In 1650, six women of the “Little Design” joined together in community under the patronage of St. Joseph in Le Puy-en-Velay, France. Offering their lives in service to God and the dear neighbor, this religious community devoted themselves to the needs of ordinary people, living among them.

These women had no monastery and no convent but were called to live together in a “common life.” So where did they gather? A kitchen. Living in a common house, the original six sisters cooked, ate, made lace to support themselves and grew together as a congregation in a small kitchen in Le Puy.

Enduring Revolution

By the time of the French Revolution, there were Sisters of St. Joseph in well over 150 communities, concentrated in the dioceses of Le Puy, Lyon, Clermont and Vienne. As the revolution took hold of France, the sisters were harassed and antagonized.

The National Assembly stripped the Church of its material goods and demanded the suppression of all religious orders. In 1793, the Sisters of St. Joseph in Le Puy were expelled from their premises, and their goods were confiscated. This included the Motherhouse where the original kitchen was located. When the building was confiscated, a regiment of soldiers moved in. The soldiers left a lot of damage. After the Revolution, it took 10 years to rebuild the site.

Returning to the Hearth

Thanks to the efforts of Mother St. John Fontbonne and other post-revolution sisters, the Sisters of St. Joseph were able to return to Le Puy and to the kitchen of our founding. In the second half of the 20th century, the sisters made the kitchen a heritage site. Today, the kitchen remains a meaningful symbol of community and sharing for sisters around the world.

Visiting the Kitchen in Le Puy

A profound pilgrimage for those drawn to our charism, we asked Sister Jeanne Marie Gocha, CSJ to reflect on the experience of visiting the kitchen in Le Puy. Here is her reflection:

For a Sister of St. Joseph, the kitchen of Le Puy is a very sacred place. It’s what we think of when we refer to our founding in 1650. The Congregation of the Great Love of God began there as our first six sisters gathered to discuss the presentations of Father Jean Pierre Medaille, SJ. The sisters shared the state of their hearts and the order of the house as they lived into the “Little Design” that Medaille had created with them.

It is from this kitchen that women were sent forth to live and minister with the Dear Neighbor, first in France and then, little by little, all over the globe. The stone walls and wooden floor embraced our very first sisters in the 17th century, and they continue to welcome our sisters and charism partners today.

My first visit to the kitchen in Le Puy was in 2014 with sisters from our province on pilgrimage to Le Puy, Lyon and Paris. Amid the hubbub of daily work at the nursing home, we were standing in front of an ordinary, green door. The door opened, and we were transported into the Kitchen of 1650.

There we were, in the place where our first six sisters—and many more after them—gathered to eat together, relate the adventures of their day, weave their lace, share the state of their hearts. And there I was, in the very same place 364 years later! A sacred presence embraced us as we imagined a fire burning in the hearth and sisters gathered for prayer, meals and lacemaking.

I was lucky enough to visit again in 2016. I sat in this sacred space and prayed for each of my sisters and associates by name, using our directory. What a gift! The memories of being there continue to excite and inspire me today.

We cannot talk about the kitchen in Le Puy without deep gratitude to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Le Puy, now the Institute of the Sisters of St. Joseph. They cared for and preserved the kitchen for over 375 years, almost 4 centuries! Throughout wars and epidemics, renovations and revolutions, the kitchen remains, well-preserved, as a testament to our origins and an inspiration for our future because of the centuries of care given to it by our sisters from the Institute. We are forever grateful!

アン・デイビス修道女は、2025年3月19日の聖ヨセフの祝日に行われたロサンゼルス管区の祝賀ミサで、この黙想を分かち合いました。

「終わるまでは終わらない！」という表現があります。ある人は、「修道生活は終わった。もう終わりだ」と言うかもしれません。そして、確かに、80年前にカスリーン・マーティン修道女（2025年ロサンゼルスで最も長寿のジュビラリアン）が修練院に入った当時の修道生活の形は、もはや存在しません。その形は今日には存在していません。しかし、修道生活そのものが「終わった」のでしょうか…？私はそうは思いません。なぜでしょうか？私たちは、このすべてが何を意味するのか、より深く省みるように招かれています。これは私たちのプロジェクトではありません。これは神に関わることなのです。それは、神の望み、神の夢、そして世界への願いに関わることなのです。修道生活の形は変化しており、その表現や応答も変わっています。しかし、神の望みと夢は変わりません。

では、今日ここに集い、聖ヨセフの日を祝い、修道生活への誓願の記念日や周年を祝っている私たちにとって、これは何を意味するのでしょうか？ しかも今年は、教皇フランシスコが「ヨベルの年」「希望の年」と宣言した特別な年なのです。

「終わるまでは終わらない」という表現は、私たちの心を神の驚きに開かせてくれます！ 私たちがそれぞれの人生を振り返るとき、それが修道生活であれ、結婚生活であれ、独身生活であれ、誰もが人生には多くの曲がり角や予期せぬ出来事があったと言えるのではないでしょうか。

今日、私たちが祝うヨセフの生涯も同じでした。なぜ私たちはヨセフに目を向けるのでしょうか？ その問いに対する答えは人それぞれかもしれませんが、私は「忠実」という徳に焦点を当てたいと思います。ヨセフは、おそらく大工として静かに暮らすことを計画していたでしょう。しかし、今日の福音書の朗読で聞いたように、彼の計画はすぐに大きく覆されました。彼は父親になることを知り、妊娠中の妻と長い旅に出なければなりませんでした。イエスは決して理想的とは言えない環境で生まれました。そして、ヨセフは神からの啓示を受け、マリアとイエスを連れて、言葉も文化も習慣も知らない異国の地へ逃れなければなりませんでした。

ヨセフとのこの連帯のうちに、私たち聖ヨセフ修道女会の姉妹たち、アソシエイト、オハナ、聖ヨセフ・ワーカーズ、宣教の協力者、家族、友人たちは、旅を続けています。私たちは、神の声、神の霊感に忠実に耳を傾けながら、生きる旅を歩んでいるのです。

私たち聖ヨセフ修道女会とアソシエイトは、フランスでの創立375周年を祝っています。これは決して小さな出来事ではありません。今年1月、私はペルーで黙想に参加しました。その際、ペルーで活動するある国際的な修道会の姉妹たちと出会いました。彼女たちは、自分たちの修道会がフランスで創立され、今年75周年を迎えることを誇りをもって話してくれました。私たちは共に喜び合い、私も「私たちの修道会もフランスで創立され、今年記念の年を迎えます」と伝えました。そして、私たちが375周年を迎えることを話すと、彼女たちはとても驚いていました。その「375年」という数字は、その後も私の祈りの中に留まり続けました。神が私に語りかけているようでした。「よく聞きなさい。終わるまでは終わらないのだ」と。

修道会のカリスマや使命がもはや必要とされなくなったとき、修道会は「もう終わりです。アーメン。私たちの使命は完了しました」と言うことができるでしょう。

しかし、聖ヨセフ修道女会の使命はまだ終わっていません。私たちには、この世界が切実に求めるカリスマがあります。それは「統合する愛」のカリスマです。

今日の第二朗読で聞いたように、CSJコンセンサス・ステートメントにはこう記されています。「愛の聖霊に促され、その霊感に心を開くことによって、聖ヨセフ修道女は、ますます深く神を愛し、何の区別もなく隣人を愛する方向へと進んでいきます…。」これは神の夢であり、私たちの使命なのです。私たちは、深い祈りと傾聴へと招かれています。それによって、私たちは確信をもって、神の夢に応える行動をとることができるのです。この聖堂にいるすべての人（また、ライブ配信で参加している方々も）この招きの中に含まれています。私たちは共に耳を傾け、識別していく必要があります。

終わるまでは終わらない。アーメン。

La hermana Anne Davis compartió esta reflexión durante la misa jubilar de la provincia de Los Ángeles en la fiesta de San José, el 19 de marzo de 2025.

Hay una expresión: “¡Esto no termina hasta que termina!”. Algunos dirán que la vida religiosa ha terminado. Se acabó. Y yo diría que sí, la forma de vida religiosa que se vivía hace 80 años, cuando la Hna. Kathleen Martin [la jubilada más antigua de Los Ángeles en 2025] entró al noviciado, se acabó. Esa forma ya no existe. Pero ¿ha terminado la vida religiosa?… Creo que no. ¿Por qué no? Estamos llamados a reflexionar más profundamente sobre lo que significa todo esto. Este no es nuestro proyecto… se trata de Dios… se trata del deseo y el sueño de Dios para el mundo. La forma de vida religiosa está cambiando, las expresiones y las respuestas están cambiando, pero el deseo y el sueño permanecen.

¿Qué significa esto para nosotros, reunidos hoy aquí para celebrar los Jubileos/aniversarios de compromiso con la vida religiosa en el Día de San José, en este año declarado por el Papa Francisco como “Año del Jubileo… un año de esperanza“?

La expresión “esto no termina hasta que termina” nos abre el espíritu a las sorpresas de Dios. Al reflexionar sobre nuestra vida, ya sea religiosa, matrimonial o de solteros, como Obreros de San José, estoy seguro de que todos podemos decir que nuestras vidas han tenido muchos altibajos y sorpresas a lo largo del camino.

Así fue la vida de José, a quien celebramos y honramos hoy. ¿Por qué nos fijamos en José? Puede que tengamos diferentes respuestas a esta pregunta, pero me centraré en la virtud de la fidelidad. José probablemente planeaba una vida tranquila como carpintero, pero como escuchamos en el Evangelio de hoy, sus planes se desmoronaron rápidamente. Se enteró de que iba a ser padre, tuvo que emprender un largo viaje con su esposa embarazada, el niño Jesús nació en un entorno desfavorable, y entonces recibió el mensaje de Dios de que debía huir con María y Jesús a otro país, donde desconocían el idioma, la cultura, las tradiciones… a una tierra extranjera.

Es en solidaridad con José que, como Hermanas de San José, asociadas, Ohana, Obreras de San José, compañeras en la misión, familiares y amigas, continuamos un camino… un camino de vida en el que nos esforzamos por ser fieles a la escucha de la voz de Dios, su inspiración en nuestras vidas.

Como Hermanas de San José y Asociadas, celebramos el 375.º aniversario de nuestra fundación en Francia. No es poca cosa. Estuve de retiro en Perú en enero y estuve con un grupo de hermanas de otra congregación internacional que sirve en Perú. Me contaron que su congregación se fundó en Francia y con mucho orgullo me dijeron que celebraban su 75.º aniversario. Nos alegramos juntas y les compartí que nosotras también fuimos fundadas en Francia y que este año celebramos un aniversario significativo. Se quedaron atónitas cuando les dije que nuestra congregación celebraba trescientos setenta y cinco años. Ese número, 375 años, permaneció presente en mis oraciones durante el resto del retiro. Dios me decía: “¡Presta atención!”. “Esto no termina hasta que termina”. Es cuando ya no se necesita el carisma ni la misión de una congregación que esta puede concluir que “se acabó”… Amén. Nuestra misión está completa.

La misión de las Hermanas de San José no se ha cumplido. Tenemos un carisma que el mundo necesita desesperadamente (pausa): un carisma de amor unificador.

Como escuchamos en nuestra segunda lectura, la Declaración de Consenso de las Hermanas de San José: Estimuladas por el Espíritu Santo de Amor y receptivas a la inspiración del Espíritu, las Hermanas de San José avanzan siempre hacia un profundo amor a Dios y al prójimo sin distinción. Este es el sueño de Dios, nuestra misión. Estamos invitadas a la oración profunda y a la escucha atenta para que podamos actuar con la confianza de que estamos respondiendo al sueño de Dios. Todos los que estamos aquí en esta capilla (y en la transmisión en vivo) estamos incluidos en este llamado. Necesitamos escuchar y discernir juntos.

Esto no termina hasta que termina. Amen.

Sister Anne Davis shared this reflection during the Los Angeles Province Jubilee Mass on the Feast of St. Joseph on March 19, 2025.

There is an expression: “It’s not over ‘til it’s over!” Some might say that religious life has ended. It’s over. And I would say that, yes, the form of religious life that was lived 80 years ago when Sister Kathleen Martin [Los Angeles’ oldest 2025 jubilarian] entered the novitiate is indeed over. That form does not exist today. But is religious life “over”…? I think not. Why not? We are called to reflect more deeply on what all of this means. This is not our project. This is about God. It is about God’s desire and dream for the world. The form of religious life is changing; expressions and responses are changing, but the desire and the dream remain.

What does that mean for us as we gather here today celebrating St. Joseph’s Day and jubilees/anniversaries of commitments to religious life, in this year that has been declared by Pope Francis as a year of jubilee, a year of hope”?

The expression “it’s not over ’til it’s over” leaves our spirit open to God’s surprises! When we each reflect on our life journey, whether it be religious life, marital or single life, I am certain that we can all say that our lives have had many twists and turns and many surprises along the way.

Such was the life of Joseph, who we celebrate and honor today. Why do we look to Joseph? We may have different responses to that question, but I am going to focus on the virtue of fidelity. Joseph was probably planning on a quiet life as a carpenter, but as we heard in our Gospel reading today, his plans were quickly turned inside out. He learned that he was going to be a father. He had to take a long journey with his pregnant wife. The baby Jesus was born in a less than ideal setting. And then he received a message from God that he had to flee with Mary and Jesus to another country, where they did not know the language, culture, traditions—to a foreign land.

It is in solidarity with Joseph that we as Sisters of St. Joseph, associates, ‘ohana, St. Joseph Workers, partners in mission, family and friends continue on a journey—on a life journey in which we try to be faithful to listening to God’s voice, God’s inspiration in our lives.

We, as Sisters of St. Joseph and associates, are celebrating the 375^th anniversary of our foundation in France. That is no small matter. I was on retreat in Peru in January, and I was with a group of sisters from another international congregation that is serving in Peru. They told me that their congregation was founded in France, and they very proudly told me that they are celebrating the 75^th anniversary of their foundation. We rejoiced together, and I shared that we, too, were founded in France, and we, too, are celebrating a significant anniversary this year. They were astounded when I told them that our congregation is celebrating 375 years. That number—375 years—remained present in my prayer for the rest of my retreat. God was saying to me, “Pay attention! It’s not over ’til it’s over.” It is when there is no longer a need for the charism or mission of a congregation that a congregation can conclude, “It’s over. Amen. Our mission is complete.”

The mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph is not complete. We have a charism that the world desperately needs—a charism of unifying love.

As we heard in our second reading, the CSJ Consensus Statement: Stimulated by the Holy Spirit of Love, and receptive to the Spirit’s inspiration, the Sister of St. Joseph moves always toward profound love of God and love of neighbor without distinction…” This is God’s dream, our mission. We are invited to deep prayer and listening, so we can act with confidence that we are responding to God’s dream. All of us here in this chapel (and on livestream) are included in this call. We need to listen and discern together.

It’s not over ’til it’s over. Amen.

September 15, 1928 – March 24, 2025

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Sister Nancy Davis, CSJ, who died peacefully on March 24, 2025, at Carondelet Village in St. Paul.

Selfless, generous, innovative, a big, bold and inquisitive thinker, a lover of family, friends and food, are among the many words used to describe Nancy.

She was born in St. Paul on September 15, 1928, to Karl and Florence (Sheehan) Davis. This lifelong learner began her educational path by receiving a bachelor of arts in physical education with minors in education, sociology and biology from the College of St. Catherine (now University) in St. Paul in 1950. A year later, Nancy felt the strong call of the Holy Spirit to join the community of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in St. Paul (CSJ), where she was given the name Sister Karl.

During the summers of 1964-68, Nancy earned a master of arts in religious education from Loyola
University in Chicago, where she was one of the first to attend the brand-new Institute of Pastoral Studies. This took place during Vatican II and profoundly informed and influenced the rest of her life.

Sister Nancy taught for 18 years at many CSJ-sponsored high schools. She then became the retirement coordinator and novice director for the St. Paul Province both in St. Paul and in Denver (1971-75). Nancy spent the next 25 years teaching religious education in parishes, including nine of those years in Missoula, Montana, calling it “the best part of my ministerial life. I was working with adults and loved the parish, people and the mountains.”

She retired and returned to St. Paul in 2000, where she flourished as a CSJ Wisdom Elder, inspiring many to explore the ever-evolving universe with her. Of her life as a Sister of St. Joseph, Nancy said, ”We were never promised a rose garden, but that the light and darkness are mixed together.”

Nancy is preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Richard. She is survived by many nieces,
nephews, grand- and great-grandnieces and nephews; dear friends; and the Sisters of St. Joseph of
Carondelet and Consociates.

A memorial service will be celebrated on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at 11 :00 a.m. in Our Lady of the Presentation Chapel, 1884 Randolph Avenue, St. Paul, with burial following at Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights. Memorials in her honor are preferred to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Paul Province Retirement Fund.

Dear Nancy, rest in love and peace.

During our Fuel the Body, Fuel the Soul meeting on March 13th, Sister Marilyn Lott, CSJ spoke with participants about living in the present. For fueling the body, Sister Suzanne Giro, CSJ provided her recipe for homemade shrimp fettuccini. Find the shrimp fettuccini recipe and a recording of Sister Marilyn’s presentation below!

Fuel the Body, Fuel the Soul is a monthly series held on Zoom. Each session features an introduction to a healthy recipe presented by a sister, a presentation focusing on a spiritual topic and discussion and prayer with a community of women from around the country. There is no cost to attend. Join us for our next meeting!

Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 2-3 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• Fettuccini pasta
• Bag of peeled shrimp
• Italian seasoning
• Salt
• Pepper
• Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Prepare fettuccini pasta according to its instructions. While preparing the pasta, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil. Add shrimp and seasonings to taste to the sauté pan. Let simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and return it to its pot. Add the sautéed mixture to the pasta pot and stir, making sure to evenly coat the pasta. Plate the fettuccini and serve with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. Enjoy!

The butterfly counts not months but moments and has time enough.

Rabindranath Tagore

This beautiful quote—which I used to keep it up in my classroom when I was teaching the little ones—I have carried it with me from mission to mission for a long time. It continues to move me, especially when I think of being present to the moment.

I worked at St. Louis University Hospital, which is kind of our inner-city hospital here in St. Louis, as a chaplain after I was with the novitiate. What I started realizing, especially in the emergency room, was we don’t know how much time we have. Do we have ten more minutes or ten more years?

After accidents or violence brought people to the hospital, I would go down to take care of families, bringing them in and being with them. People would come to the hospital after a horrendous accident and not make it. We would bring the family in, and they would say to me, “We argued last night. I didn’t get a chance to say I’m sorry.”

Even in my work at Nazareth Living Center, an assisted living community, you never know how long you have with people. I was talking to a resident the other day, and he said, “I’m here because this will be the last place I live. I have no regrets. I love the life I’ve had, and I want to continue as long as I can now.” And I thought, Oh my gosh, he’s got it together. He has since passed, but he amazed me. He was so put together, knowing he was dying and he loved it. He loved life and wasn’t fearful.

He and the words of that quote remind me to slow down, to appreciate the small joys and to savor the magic of the present.

The butterfly’s perception of time isn’t bound by our calendars, our deadlines. It’s rooted in a deep appreciation of the now. They don’t live long, but they make the most of what they have. I’ve learned to see the world, most days, as a wonder. Interconnectedness with everything that we see is so important.

It’s so easy to live in the past. How often have you lived in the past, thinking to yourself, “Only if!” The secret of health, for both mind, body and spirit is to not mourn the past, worry about the future or anticipate troubles.

There are times we have to learn from the past. I believe the only true mistake is not learning from your mistakes. If we continue to learn from what we do, then that is a gift. However, while we must learn from the past, we cannot live in it. We get that self discovery of who we are and keep moving on.

Choosing to live the past or the future robs us of the enjoyment of today. Living the present moment means actively focusing on your current experiences and sensations rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. It’s about being fully aware and engaged in what’s happening right now.

Now, that’s not easy to do. I struggle with it too! It takes work and lots of practice. It’s so easy to get caught up in work and what needs to get done. When I go to work, I never know who I’m going to meet or what I’m going to face. I have to try to be present to the people I interact with and not worry about what I can or cannot get done.

Sometimes I’ll look at how many people who’ve just entered our long-term care or our rehab center and haven’t been seen yet, and I think, Oh my gosh! There’s no way! But when I go in, I have some of the best visits with people. Even if I don’t see everyone that day or get everything done, it is very powerful to be with people while living in the present moment.

Here are some tips for living in the present:

• Take a deep breath to settle yourself in the moment.
• Intentionally observe your thoughts and feelings without judgment.
• Try not to dwell on past mistakes. The only mistake is not learning from them.
• Set aside distractions. Take a break from things like social media and your phone. What are those distractions keeping you from?
• Actively notice details around you, paying close attention to your surroundings and bodily sensations.
• Try to focus on one thing at a time. While it might feel more productive to multitask, constantly juggling tasks makes it hard to be in the present.
• Pay close attention to what you’re doing. If you’re eating something, think about it. How does it taste? What does it smell like? What is the texture?
• Let go of how you think things should be, and be open to the way that they are. You cannot control everything that happens around you.
• Take time to be grateful for what you have in the moment. Appreciate where you are, what you’re doing and who is with you.

As it’s Lent, I want to tie living in the present to prayer. Prayer encourages a pause to intentionally focus on the presence of God in the present moment, allowing a deeper level of communion and a more authentic expression of your spiritual life.

Are you aware of God working in you as you meet somebody? Before visiting with or counseling someone, I say a prayer that I have open ears, an open heart and an open mind to hear what they’re saying. Just a little quiet prayer to pull me into that moment, saying, “God be with me in this.” My intention is to open up to God, trusting God to lead me one moment at a time. Colossians 3:17 reminds us that whatever we do, whether in word or deed, we must do in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God through him.

Creator God, I trust you to lead me one moment at a time today.

Lord, your presence brings significance to the small moments of my day.

Show me, Lord, what you’re already doing today, that I might align my ways with yours.

Open my eyes to attitudes that grieve you today.

Let me hear your voice, see you in others and, above all, live today with you in the present moment.

Amen.

“Striving to be beacons of hope, we commit to…use our collective voice to accompany others in speaking their truth.”

Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, 2019 Acts of Chapter

Every six years, delegates from each location in our congregation gather for a congregational chapter. During this meeting, they agree on priorities and directions for the life of the congregation for the following six years. In 2019, one of those priorities was to “use our collective voice to accompany others in speaking their truth.”

Here are some of the ways our congregation has used our collective voice in the past few years.

Developing Diverse Voices

Our sisters wanted to find a way to support the dear neighbor in telling their own stories and advocating for themselves personally, in their communities and in politics. We believe that we should do all we can to help elevate the voices of our dear neighbors, especially those who come from under-resourced communities. To that end, we developed the Developing Diverse Voices curriculum.

Developing Diverse Voices is a free set of workshops for not-for-profit organizations to use to train their clients to tell their own stories. The program has two main goals:

• To help people hone their stories, so they can tell them with conviction and
• To connect clients to service organizations in new ways, including as spokespeople and colleagues.

Women’s Voices

As a congregation, we have sought to lift up the voices of women.

During the Catholic Church’s Synod on Synodality, we invited everyone to pray with us a womanly novena, each month for nine months, for a more inclusive church.

Ahead of the synod, Discerning Deacons asked us to affirm a statement published by the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) and the men’s Union of Superiors General for increasing women’s ability to contribute to the life and mission of the Church. The decision to support this statement and to promote the vocation of women to the ordained ministry was unanimous.

Language Learning

As a part of the Immigrant Home English Learning Program (IHELP), many of our sisters help provide at-home English tutoring for immigrant adults and children. Volunteering with the Immigrant Home English Learning Program, our sisters help equip immigrant families to function with increased confidence and independence, handle emergency and medical situations, gain financial literacy, and other practical living skills.

Our sisters have also started a language learning program teaching English to Sisters of St. Basil the Great via Zoom.

An Ongoing Effort

As a congregation, we have sought to use our collective voice to accompany others in speaking their truth. The above list of actions does not catalogue every effort we have made, and there is much deeper and farther to go as we accompany others in speaking their truth. Boldness, creativity, and collaboration will be the hallmarks of our future actions.

“Striving to be beacons of hope, we commit to…walk with women as we claim our voice and work toward an inclusive church and society…”

Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, 2019 Acts of Chapter

Every six years, delegates from each location in our congregation gather for a congregational chapter. During this meeting, they agree on priorities and directions for the life of the congregation for the following six years. In 2019, one of those priorities was to “walk with women as we claim our voice and work toward an inclusive church and society.”

Here are three of the ways our congregation has support women in the past few years.

Womanly Novena

The worldwide Catholic Church held a Synod on Synodality, which sought input from Catholics around the globe “to provide an opportunity for the entire People of God to discern together how to move forward on the path towards being a more synodal Church in the long-term.”

As the church prepared for the second stage of the synod, we invited everyone to pray with us a womanly novena, each month for nine months, for a more inclusive church. Each month, we shared:

• A quote from the synod document, entitled, “‘Enlarge the space of your tent’ (Is 54:2) Working Document for the Continental Stage of the Synod,” specifically paragraphs 60-65 on “Rethinking women’s participation.” 
• A brief biography of a woman in the church who inspires us 
• A prayer for our church and society

Discerning Deacons

Discerning Deacons, a group founded in 2020 to support women discerning their vocation to the diaconate in the Catholic Church, asked us to affirm a statement published by the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) and the men’s Union of Superiors General. The following statement comes from their joint contribution to the Synod on Synodality in which they made 13 proposals for increasing women’s ability to contribute to the life and mission of the Church. 

The international superiors requested that the Church:

“Allow women to discern and respond to the call of serving as permanent deacons. This proposal was supported by many. A more limited number of respondents proposed also ordination to priesthood.” 

Our congregation supported this request, pledging that we would make our support known to our congregation, to Discerning Deacons and to any synod delegates we can contact. We agreed that:

• We affirm that now is the appropriate time to allow women to discern this call, to have access to the necessary formation and to be ordained as deacons; 
• We commit ourselves as a congregation to partner with the global and local Church in implementing the synod processes that would allow women to discern and respond to this call; 
• We will pray that this discernment continues in a synodal manner, trusting in the movement and guidance of the Holy Spirit. 

The decision to support this statement and to promote the vocation of women to the ordained ministry was unanimous. We encourage every sister and charism partner to act on this commitment in whatever ways possible and welcome them to invite any others who are willing to promote this dimension of increasing women’s contribution to the life of the Catholic Church.

Supporting the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment in the U.S. Constitution

As one response to our 2019 Chapter directive to work toward an inclusive society, we are supporting the full implementation of the Equal Rights Amendment for the United States.

A bit of history: the needed 38 states have ratified the Equal Rights Amendment, and the required two-year waiting period following the last state’s ratification was fulfilled on January 27, 2022. The only thing preventing the full implementation of that ratification is a procedural issue. On the original item, Congress indicated a date by which the amendment should be ratified, but the Constitution demands no specific time period for ratification. That impediment can be overcome if the National Archivist publishes the legally approved amendment.

We have been following the lead of the Equal Rights Amendment Coalition in advocating for ratification of the amendment. President Biden declared it the law of the land shortly before leaving office. Though this will surely be challenged in court, we are hopeful it will be added to the constitution.

An Ongoing Effort

As individuals and as a congregation, we have sought to lift up the voices of women. The above list of actions does not catalogue every effort we have made, and there is much deeper and farther to go in our walk with women as we claim our voice and work toward an inclusive church and society. Boldness, creativity, and collaboration will be the hallmarks of our future actions.