After all the challenges and excitement of my first year as a teacher, I was delighted to have a summer break that allowed me to take time for other endeavors, beginning with a retreat right here at the SSMO Motherhouse. This retreat provided me with the opportunity to refocus and give greater attention to my prayer life. It was propitious that following this retreat, I needed to move out of my room temporarily while the heating system was upgraded. This move gave me the opportunity to sort through and re-evaluate my material possessions. These two experiences made for a wonderful cleansing, both internal and external.

Throughout the rest of the summer, it seemed like I was doing something different nearly every day, whether I was cleaning, gardening, sewing, or researching. Among the highlights of my summer were Community Days, summer trips, and the renewal of my vows. As you may already know from our news article, Community Days is a time when we Sisters gather together to catch up on what has happened over the past year, and to dream and plan for the next year.

We Sisters tend to vacation together in small groups. I took a trip with Sr. Janice to Cannon Beach where we enjoyed walks together and taught each other card games. I also met up with some other Sisters who (like me) are in the process of joining a religious community, and we spent a few days on a recreational retreat at Cannon Beach. Ours was a small group that consisted of a Benedictine, an SSMO, and a couple of Franciscans. I learned many things from these Sisters, such as how to make omelets in a bag, and how to make a bonfire on the beach.

Finally, the most meaningful event of the summer for me was the day I renewed my vows for another three years. This celebration took place on August 15, the Feast of the Assumption of Mary. Sr. Rosina made her first vows on the same day. While Sr. Rosina’s first vows celebration was quite the public event, my renewal of vows was quieter. A friend of mine (Chelsea Florence) performed a few songs at the reception, and a couple of close friends took me out for dinner afterwards. By comparison to my first vows ceremony, this was much more relaxing, and I had the presence of mind to really hear the words of the songs and the liturgy, which struck me with special significance that day. I am grateful for the many blessings of this summer, and I look forward to continuing to deepen my relationship with God with each new adventure this coming school year.

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As you may have gathered from my last blog, I am something of a movie enthusiast. I am short of being a cinephile, but only because I have found a calling to something greater in my life. When I moved into the convent, I gave away many possessions and even canceled my Netflix subscription. This move has been a blessing in so many ways. One such example is that it has been the impetus for my re-connection with the public library system, which has enabled me to enjoy books, movies, and audio books at a price in keeping with the vow of poverty (free). I am glad to be able to share this blessing with my Sisters when I bring home videos at their request (or on my recommendation) for them to enjoy.

As part of our community’s commitment to caring for the earth through sustainable practices, I try to walk (rather than drive) to the library whenever possible. During my last trip to the library, I enjoyed the weather of a gorgeous spring day when the blue sky was speckled with wisps of clouds, the grass seemed as green as could be, and blossoms were giving way to new leaves. A day like that can bring out the whimsy in me, so I took a side street that I had never walked before. I was so glad I did. I was blessed to see a part of my neighborhood that was unknown to me. I was delighted by the number of roofs with solar panels, entertained by the folk art, and intrigued by a wooden wagon displaying homegrown bouquets for sale. As long as my walk was, I found it invigorating and refreshing to witness so many sights that were new to me.

When my desire to sit in a dark room watching prerecorded mass entertainment can actually compel me take a walk that enables me to appreciate the transitory beauty of nature and the people who surround me, I know that God must be at work in my life in mysterious ways…and that God has a sense of humor.

Well, I’m back in the classroom after a refreshing spring break. Over the break, I had the opportunity to see two movies in the theater: The Hunger Games and October Baby.

I indulged in watching The Hunger Games as part of a friend’s birthday celebration. I had read the book last spring in order to stay current with today’s literature, and I found that I really enjoyed it. In case either of my readers is unfamiliar with the story, let me give a brief description: it’s a coming of age story about a teenage girl who volunteers to take her sister’s place as a “tribute” in a gladiator-like competition. Her courage, skill, intellect, compassion, and naïveté make her a captivating character, and the images described in the book make for a visually delightful movie. My friend was a little weary of watching this movie as it has often been compared to Lord of the Flies, but as this movie brings a message of hope in the power of the human spirit, she enjoyed it as much as I did.

I wrapped up my spring break by organizing a trip to watch October Baby. Sr. Ruth Etzel and I wanted to support this movie because we heard that it is a wholesome movie with a Pro-life message. After coordinating our schedules, I put up a notice of invitation to our fellow Sisters. With only a few hours notice, we managed to gather a group of eight Sisters to attend this positive and moving film that is inspired by true events. Everyone who attended was deeply touched by this story of a young woman learning about herself, her family, and how to forgive. I think we all highly recommend this film, and I think we can all agree: this movie requires A LOT of tissues.

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These past few weeks have been an adventure in technology for me. From trying to create shared documents for a class activity to experimenting with possibilities on Facebook, I have found surprising challenges at every turn. For instance, I learned how to create a page on Facebook, but then I managed to disconnect that page from my email account. Now I find myself with a perfectly good page that I cannot use. It’s currently floating in the limbo of cyberspace with no one to care for it.
Fortunately, my in-class interactions with technology tend to be considerably less disheartening. Some of my greatest victories thus far have been in the world of PowerPoint. In lieu of overhead projectors in every room, our school boasts ceiling-mounted projectors which enable me to post daily assignments, prayers, maps, diagrams, and videos to aid student learning. I typically use PowerPoint to post whatever information I want to convey. When I plan everything right, all the things I want to share with my students are already typed up on the slides, and I can simply push a button on the remote control to move from slide to slide. It’s so easy and convenient.

While using Facebook may not be quite as intuitive for me, I have managed to create a page that I do have access to. Feel free to visit facebook.com/SrAlisonGreen to “like” my Facebook page and read my posts and links throughout the week.

I have spent the last four months teaching eighth grade religion at Valley Catholic Middle School here on our Beaverton campus, and I am enjoying the fun and craziness of being a first year teacher. From roller skating to school wide Masses to outdoor school, this semester has been filled with a variety of activities. In class, I am teaching my students about the Catholic faith, traditions, and history. We have prayed the rosary, had a crash course in navigating the Bible, and have covered the first 1000 years of history of the Catholic Church. Recently, we learned about St. Genesius, the patron saint of actors. In his honor, some of the students put on a skit reenacting the trial of another saint, Perpetua (and they did a lovely job).

In addition to teaching Church history, I have been brushing up on Christian history by taking a class on the subject through the University of Portland. Much of the material we covered is a bit too advanced to discuss at the middle school level, but I appreciate how this class has ignited my enthusiasm for the subject. I wrote a term paper on Thomas Merton’s teachings about how detachment can lead one to live as the best version of oneself, the person God has created one to be. It’s a deeply moving topic which tends to make my head hurt when I try to comprehend what is beyond comprehension. All in all, this has been an interesting semester, and I am looking forward to what comes next.

This August we, the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon, gathered together for our annual celebration of Community Days. We looked back over this past year, toured the new K-8 school we are building, and looked to the future by considering how we can better live our commitment to stand in solidarity with the vulnerable and to care for God’s creation. This year’s gathering was particularly special as we are celebrating our 125th Jubilee with gratitude for the past as we serve in the present and hope for the future.

We were also delighted to welcome Sr. Thuy as a full member of our community on the Feast of the Assumption of Mary! We met her family members who joined us on our pilgrimage to Jordan and Sublimity where our community was founded. This trip was brimming with prayer, song, fellowship, and the sharing of memories. I particularly enjoyed learning more of our history, exploring one of our former convents, and going to a beautiful shrine. Our lives are different from those of our foundresses, but we carry on their legacy through our ministry as we live the same charism they lived:
We, the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon, living as women of prayer in simplicity and sisterly love, are called to be compassionate, joyful servants of the Lord.

For my annual retreat this year I headed down the street to Our Lady of Peace Retreat House for a week of quiet reflection. The grounds are lovely and verdant with a Stations of the Cross path that guides the retreatant in reflections on how one can apply the meaning of each station in everyday life. The Franciscan Sisters who run the retreat house are so sweet, and they were very attentive to my needs as was exemplified by the kindness and understanding they showed me the day I realized how very like a grenade a poached egg can be. I should have realized this due to its shape, but it was not until I tried to microwave the egg that I realized its explosive power. I tried to clean up my mess, and was scooping a pile of egg-shrapnel into my hand when Sr. Agnes Clare came upon the scene. There was a moment of awkward silence between us before I explained that my egg had exploded when I tried to firm up the yolk. Sister just laughed and took over cleaning up my mess so that I could eat what was left of my breakfast. She is gracious model of Franciscan charity.

God seemed to bless me with teachings from a number of different Catholic spiritualities. This is fairly typical of the spirituality of my order; we draw from various Catholic spiritualities in order to find how we can best develop a relationship with God. During this retreat I practiced the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. I not only saw the Franciscan spirituality modeled in the Sisters at the retreat house, but I also learned about it from the Retreat Master who spoke on Franciscan spirituality. He himself is a Carmelite and so I got a taste of that spirituality. Additionally, there was a Brigantine Sister from Mexico on the retreat who modeled the spirit of her order. Her spirit seemed to pour forth in a way that enveloped me in beauty and love when she sang and played the guitar at mass one day. She performed hymn in Spanish to the tune of “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” with a voice somewhere between Mariah Carey and Gloria Estefan, and accompanied by Mexican-style strumming on the guitar.

Retreats are very interesting to me because they never play out how I imagine they will. This year I came to retreat with ideas of what areas of my life I needed God to help me heal so that I can become a better Sister. Instead, through prayer, I found God’s acceptance of me as I am. I also found a desire to grow in detachment. Throughout the week I practiced (with some minor degree of success) the art of detachment in the hopes that I would develop this habit while at retreat so that I will continue to practice it when I return to my daily life; we’ll see what happens.

Well, I have enjoyed the freedom and excitement of being a graduate (in between filling out job applications and going on interviews, that is). I am delving into the pile of books I have been wanting to read. I spent weeks contemplating which books I absolutely want to read this summer: The Hunger Games, Tender is the Night, The Odyssey, Dear Mad’m, A Brave New World, Ian Barbour’s When Science Meets Religion, and Robert Mesle’s Process Theology. At this point I have finished The Hunger Games, and I am reading Tender is the Night and When Science Meets Religion. So far my goal seems attainable!

With extra time on my hands, I decided to put it to good use by volunteering to help chaperone Central Catholic’s Senior Retreat. This retreat focused on helping seniors to make the transition from high school to college and to appreciate what they have in life, particularly their relationships with others. We guided them through this with activities such as prayer, small group discussions, viewing memory boxes from their families, and working with one another on ropes courses. I can personally attest to the effectiveness of these activities; after riding on a zip-line (primarily upside down), I had great appreciation for the students who helped me get back down on solid ground.

After this eventful weekend, I wrapped up my time off with a trip to Cannon Beach where I soaked up several minutes of sun and found plenty of rest. Now it’s back to work, this time as a substitute teacher. I am working with several language arts classes which means that I get to read yet another book: Into the Wild.

Well, the spring semester at the University of Portland is drawing to a close, and I will be graduating with a Master of Arts in Teaching soon. I am so happy! It seems like these past few months I have either been writing a paper or grading a paper at any given moment. As a Language Arts teacher who taught four classes of students how to write thesis papers, I have been grading a lot of papers while trying to put together a work sample (93 pages) and a research paper (55 pages). At this point I am trying to finish the last of my grading and prepare for a rest.

I have had many blessings this semester, not the least of which was having the opportunity to spend a night with my Sister who lives in Keizer, Oregon (Sr. Julie) during Spring Break. We talked, watched movies, sampled soups and Mexican food, and graded papers. It was while taking a number of breaks from grading papers at her apartment that I discovered the joy of watching Swamp Loggers. The Discovery Channel must have been running a marathon because every time I turned on the T.V. that show was on. That show is inexplicably enjoyable.

I also have to give a shout out to all the students, faculty and staff at Central Catholic High School. I taught some wonderful students this semester who brought me a great deal of joy, and the faculty and staff have been so friendly and supportive. Thank you! Also, I am very grateful to my fellow Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon for their prayers, support, and relaxing movie nights. Bless you, Sisters!

Over the past few months I have participated in a number of different groups that reflect on reading materials. Currently, I am reflection on elements of community with one group of Sisters and am relfecting on the Sunday readings with another group of Sisters. This is a way wonderful to build community and nourish the spirit. We find God’s message in the words we read, in our personal relfections, and through the presence and reflections of each other.

This past week we decided to shorten our time to reflect on the upcoming Sunday readings so that some of the Sisters could attend the musical that the drama department is putting on here at Valley Catholic (“Singin’ in the Rain”). Even in a short time we were able to share insights and ponder the gospel message on salvation. We read Matthew 7:21-27 in which Jesus told that parable about the wise man who built his house upon the rock and the fool who built his house upon sand. We asked one another what we build our faith on. The answers were beautiful: prayer, trust in God, love, etc. It was nice to feel compelled to get right to the heart of the matter while being surrounded by women supporting on e another.