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REFLECTION FOR JANUARY 20, 2008 – 150th Opening Celebration
Readings: Song of Songs 8:6-7
1 Cor. 1:26-31
Matthew 13:44-46
Will religious life continue? What is our identity? Why is there such a dirth of vocations to our way of life? Where are we going?…..These are just some of the current sentiments of the many congregations of women religious in the United States.
But here we are today, gathered to open the celebration of a 150 year legacy of the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes. We were welcomed through the proclamation of the celebration of a CALL, a DREAM, a VISION to the ongoing mystery of a journey that grew out of need, out of the lack of spiritual and educational resources in the frontiers of Wisconsin.
For Father Rehrl the dream, the vision, was not all that breathtaking, at least not as visions are portrayed on television. He did not have a plan or map to guide him. The CALL came to him as a compulsion to do something, to do anything that was necessary to bring God to the people, to the poorest of the poor.
We felt that type of motivation in today’s first reading…Set me as a seal upon your heart…. a love so strong… a passion that is fierce…. And further, many waters cannot quench love, nor floods sweep it away. Was it not such a love that brought Clara Rehberg back only a few short months after she left the community,seemingly disillusioned by the deprivations and hardships that the small group had to endure? Love…stronger than life! Did seventeen year old Mary Hazotte have a clue that after responding to a friend’s invitation she was going to lead the community she entered for 41 years? ..a passion that is fierce. Did Francis Haas ever conceive when he brought the Capuchin Franciscan charism to North America that he would become responsible for CSA’s spiritual life as well? ..like a seal upon your heart.
In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul invites us to consider our own call, noting that it has nothing to do with WHO we are, how IMPORTANT we might be, how much INTELLIGENCE we might have been gifted with, or how much money our family may have had. There are things greater than all of that --things of true value that grace our history, things that we need not boast about except to acknowledge what is God’s work through us. God gives us what we need.
In a presentation during the 2007 LCWR National Conference, Lynn Levo spoke of religious life today as being in the “nowhere between two somewheres.” We have our past, which as we read our history of Ordinary Sisters is quite extraordinary. And we know there is a future out there somewhere though we are not sure what that will look like or how it will come to be. During this no-where time we wait, we wait for a call, a vision, a dream. Surely it will come. Surely, it has always been part of our life.
I doubt, however, that we can be comfortable in this nowhere space. We do, after-all know about the treasure, the pearl of great value. We bought into ownership of the field in order to protect the treasure, to further the reign of God. At the same time I believe we have, in the course of 150 years, both simplified and complicated that which is buried in our field. Our founders and foremothers knew about the treasure, just as we do today. It lies deep within each of us both individually and collectively. It is that passion for living the Gospel, the passion for mission. It is a passion that calls us into a deeper relationship with God and with one another. It is this passion that keeps us mindful that having the treasure in our field does not mean that we are sole owners, that we dare attempt to keep it from others, that we hold on to it for our own sake. If we go that route we, as a community, will surely die. Our lives, our passion, our ultimate purpose is to bring about the reign of God.
We have created a number of statements to not only safeguard our treasure but to be purposeful in our use of it. We find it somewhat easy to talk about our mission statement. But to live out of it bit by bit, circumstance by circumstance, agreeing on the reality of each facit, acknowledging that this particular treasure, perhaps designed by a committee and accepted by membership, may look different today than it did even in 1990. Society has changed. Our Church is different, and we have grown—the treasure is still a treasure. How is God calling us today?
I am reminded often of something that happened a number of years ago when I was principal of an elementary school. As part of a liturgy, the children used prayerful movements to praise God. After Mass a mother came to school very angry and told me that if we ever did that again she would pull her children right out of church. I told her that when we do it the next time I will let her know beforehand so she wouldn’t have to embarrass her children.
Months went by – in silence. Then one day that same woman came to the office and stated that she owed me an apology. Her words were this…"I’ve wanted desperately for my children to grow up with the same traditions that I had. After much thought and prayer I realized that my tradition is no more, and if I deprive my children of what they are experiencing here, they will have nothing."
We, as a community, are passionate about our stance on nonviolence. Who would ever stand up and say violence is a good thing. We like millions of others in our world have paid the price for acts of violence. How can we be promoters of peace and reconciliation? How is God calling us today?
We have our statement on the role of women in both Church and society. We are passionate in our cry for inclusivity and mutuality. How can we be more intentional in our own efforts to facilitate the very thing we ask for, to be that voice for those who have no voice, to stand tall for what we believe knowing that others even those closest to us may think and believe differently. How is God calling us? Are we ready?
And so, as we begin the celebration of our heritage on this eve of the feast of St. Agnes, our hearts are filled with a sense of awe, with a deep gratitude to God and to each person who has journeyed with us in any way over the past 150 years. Each woman, man, or child, each situation is a strand in the fabric, the beautiful tapestry of CSA.
As much as we try we can’t begin to imagine what life was like for the various generation of sisters. Even today, as we receive warnings about the dangerous temperatures we are experiencing I couldn’t help thinking about Father Rehrl walking miles in the wilderness with a shabby coat and some excuse for shoes to bring the love of God to the people. I think about Mother Agnes worrying about finances and the well-being of the the sisters, yet being so in touch with the needs of the people for health care, education and other necessities. I imagine her, in addition to the demands of her call to leadership, being up on that hill in Marytown ministering to the needs there. I sometimes wonder what might have been had not Father Francis, who despite his many duties, graced the community with his insights and ability to create an acceptable constitution. I have a running tape in my heart of the lives that have been our life. Each of you, sisters, associates, friends are treasures of the heart, and we thank you.
Today we celebrate a CALL, a DREAM, a VISION…Surely it will come.
Julia Wiegerling, CSA
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