This morning a number of our Sisters woke up to the sound of our fire alarm. Thankfully there was no fire. The wind blew dust into our house and set off the alarm. Unfortunately, this has continued to happen throughout the day. The alarm blared every two minutes throughout the entire Mass this morning. Many of us found this distracting, but I am grateful that I found a delightful way to look at our plight.
I am currently taking a class on the Catholic Mass and have been assigned to write a paragraph about my observations on how the Holy Spirit is at work during Mass. Often the Holy Spirit is described as a wind, and the wind today was setting off an alarm that kept us alert, and prompted some people to action. We may have been distracted, but we were sharing an experience in common with one another that united us in a sense. Being attuned to the present moment and living in unity seem to be two goals of prayer that we were privileged to experience because of the wind this morning.
This reflection prompted me to notice how many times throughout the Mass we were called to be alert or called to action. For example, we prayed that God would help us to provide for others and to proclaim the Good News. Additionally, we had a visiting priest at Mass who said things a little differently which also kept us alert. I appreciated the fact that instead of saying, “The Lord be with you,” he would say, “The Lord IS with you.” This seemed to imply the dynamic nature of God through the Holy Spirit, and reminded me that God is present (with us and in us) in the moment and is calling us to be alert, to be ready this advent season, and to put our faith into action.

They call it a “work party” with the emphasis on party! Several elves (Sr. Alberta, Sr. Marilyn, Pam Coussens, and Pat Culligan) have been busy for many weeks making various ornaments for the Maryville Christmas Gift Bazaar scheduled for Friday and Saturday, December 4 and 5 from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Stop by, enjoy the refreshments, and win a prize!

Although a seasoned chaplain, Sr. Josephine is always ready to learn more about her ministry to the dying. She currently serves as the Director of Pastoral Services at Maryville Nursing Home. Recently she attended a workshop titled “The Sacred Art of Living and Dying” at the Salem Community Hospital. Sister Josephine appreciated the opportunity to connect with people who also assist others at the end of life. She resonated with the suggested value of being a listening presence.

While other groups provided an opportunity to make an Advent wreath or to create other crafts with an Advent theme, Sr. Charlene and Sr. Diana Jean participated in the St. Juan Diego Advent Fair by providing handouts describing the Old Testament characters who prefigured the Savior. They also had a display of a Jesse Tree, using the wonderful ornaments created by Sr. Rose Mary. As noted by Kathy Yee, pastoral associate: “When I ask one Sister for help, I get the whole Community.”

What would you do with a large supply of socks? Given Sr. Anna Evers’ talent and creativity, she is in the making “monkey-business”. She has made at least ten monkeys and only has a couple on hand for sale ($10) at the moment.

Last summer Sr. Barbara Rose received a grant from ExxonMobil to participate in a seminar for teachers on teaching Science. Recently she received another invitation from the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy. She was invited to a seminar to learn how to score applications for the programs offered by the company. Sr. Barbara Rose spent the weekend of November 20-22, in Dallas, Texas with nineteen other teachers. During the Christmas break, Sr. Barbara Rose will be busy scoring approximately 120 applications for the grants offered next summer.

While in Dallas, Sr. Barbara Rose visited the Women’s Museum to view the Women and Spirit exhibit which features the contribution of religious Sisters in the areas of education, health care and social services throughout the history of the United States.
To visit the website of the exhibit: www.womenandspirit.org.