Spring 2014 Journey page 1 Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Scranton, PA Vol. 32, No. 1 Spring 2014 Balance Finding and maintaining balance in one’s life is an ongoing challenge. So many demands—work and ministry—community and family—can leave one feeling fragmented and exhausted. Our writers in this issue of Journey share their practical experiences on the topic. May our readers be inspired with some new ideas for finding balance in life. page 2 Journey Spring 2014 The Gospel: A Call to Justice and Balance by Sister Therese O’Rourke, IHM recently received a gift from a this vocation and proclaimed it in ping out of the mainstream to go family member. It is a bumper Vita Consecrata (84): “There is a to the place of unmet needs (Sister I sticker that reads, “This Pope prophetic dimension which belongs Nancy Schreck, OSF), is a respon- gives me hope”. I think that the to the consecrated life, resulting sibility we share with all who are creator of the sticker speaks for from the radical nature of the fol- baptized. None is exempt. Each is millions of people. We are blessed lowing of Christ.” We are called to called to seize this moment to work with a leader of the Roman Catholic stand at the margins of society and together for systemic change. It is Church who is calling all of us to speak on behalf of those who suffer a moment we share on the deepest serve those in need. Pope Francis is at the hands of the powerful. We of levels and it is our time. It is the asking that we stop judging oth- must draw on the unique wisdom only time we will ever have. We are ers and rather, reach out to them as of those who are powerless. We can responsible for how we spend it. When the lack Jesus did. Jesus never left any doubt and must make our invisible sisters The IHM Sisters invite all of our in the minds of his friends or his en- and brothers dramatically present. friends and companions to join us as of balance is emies. It was clear that in his heart We spend our lives trying to bring we embrace the call and the chal- people mattered: all people. a Gospel-based equilibrium back to lenge to bring about a new sense of calculated, Furthermore, Pope Francis said a world that is misaligned. From a harmony, wholeness, balance and recently that it is time for us to stand shared contemplative core we labor justice wherever we work and live. planned for and up in a powerful way for those who to further the reign of God. “Proph- Travel with us as we search for and are less fortunate: “Today, we need ets are those who take life as it is try to meet the unmet needs of our even enforced by to say, ‘Thou shall not to an econo- and expand it. They refuse to shrink brothers and sisters who count on my of exclusion and inequality.’” A a vision of tomorrow to the bound- our prayer and focused action. Stand laws, we who have culture and an economic structure aries of yesterday” (Joan Chittister, with us privately and in public fo- that keep a few very wealthy at the OSB). Such is our call and chal- rums as we reflect and proclaim the expense of the many disenfran- lenge. core of Jesus’ message: All people a voice and vote chised who remain poor, is a system At the conclusion of our IHM matter. that is out of balance. When the lack Chapter 2014 (governing body of are responsible to of balance is calculated, planned the congregation), one hundred for- Sister Therese serves as president for and even enforced by laws, ty delegates clarified our intention for the IHM Congregation. bring Gospel values we who have a voice and vote are to serve a world that is crying out responsible to bring Gospel values for justice and hungering for mean- to the fore and to to the fore and to lobby for reforms ing. We pledged ourselves to lives that restore a sense of hope to those of service that will effectively bring lobby for reforms most in need. about God’s dream for this wounded As women religious, the Con- world. We continue to search for that restore a sense gregation of the Sisters, Servants of new and deeper ways to live our the Immaculate Heart of Mary share vowed lives as we meet new needs of hope to those a prophetic role with all who live in these rapidly changing times. the consecrated life. It was Pope (Chapter Direction 2014-2018) most in need. John Paul II who clearly articulated This journey to the edge, step- Editor: Sister Fran Fasolka, IHM Copyeditor: Sister Christine Koellhoffer, IHM Advisory Board: Sister Gilmary Beagle, IHM Sister Chris Koellhoffer, IHM Sister Suzanne Delaney, IHM Dr. Erin Sadlack Sister Ann Barbara DeSiano, IHM Sister Annmarie Sanders, IHM Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Scranton, Pennsylvania Journey is published by the IHM Congregation for its members, friends, donors, sponsored institutions and supporters of the IHM Sisters and their ministries. Opinions expressed by authors Our mission as Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Scranton, published in Journey do not necessarily reflect those of the IHM Congregation. Written portions Pennsylvania, is to follow Jesus as a community of disciples, aware that we are contained herein may not be reproduced without the permission of the IHM Congregation. Correspondence should be addressed to the Journey editor at: IHM Center, 2300 Adams Avenue, sent to be a clear and understandable prophetic witness to the presence of God in Scranton, PA 18509. E-mail: [email protected] the world. - from the IHM Mission Statement Journey is online at: www.sistersofihm.org/what-we-do/publications-library/ihm-journey-online-publication.html Spring 2014 Journey page 3 Stepping into the Places of Lack A Justice and Peace Perspective by Sister Chris Koellhoffer, IHM “I’m going out to connect the dots.” behind bars; recognizing, yes, and church, rummaged through the tab- then meeting their critical human ernacle, stole the ciborium and then This was the announcement need while also moving into ac- threw the consecrated hosts onto Sister Chris Mulready, CSJ would tion and advocacy around the root the muddy ground. A delegation, make every morning as she gathered causes of a broken or exclusionary clearly appalled, came to him de- her things for the day and stepped system. manding a ceremony of atonement out the door on her way to two My friend, Chris, and all the holy for such desecration. Dom Helder subway transfers that would take ones who have gone before, who agreed and first prayed for forgive- her from Brooklyn to Greenwich walk among, and who live beyond ness for the thief. Then he added, Village, New York. It was a journey us follow the witness of Jesus as “But my friends, my brothers, how of over an hour but in some ways, a described by Jan L. Richardson in blind we all are! We are shocked journey of a lifetime. At the time, In the Sanctuary of Women.1 She because our brother, this poor thief, Chris worked as issues coordinator writes of Jesus’ time in the wilder- threw the Eucharistic Christ into the for the Intercommunity Center for ness as a time of clarifying discern- mud. But here in the North East, Justice and Peace (ICJP), a coalition ment. Out of that lengthy discern- Christ lives in the mud all the time! of over forty congregations of wom- ment came Jesus’ persistent habit We must open our eyes…to recog- en and men religious who worked to of going into what Richardson calls nize the Eucharist of the poor, the integrate faith and justice. “the places of lack,” those places oppressed, the suffering.” In our And if we work Going out to connect the dots where there is a dearth of physical, time, he noted, charity is helping to was an apt description for the work emotional, or psychological nurtur- make justice triumph. And doing it solely to stock she did, focused on inviting diverse ing and sufficiency, a dearth of com- on two feet. groups and coalitions into a new passion and kinship and all that is As we are being led into an way of seeing the connectedness of essential for wholeness. She notes evolving consciousness of our place the soup kitchen every social justice issue. As a Sis- that, in Matthew 25, “Jesus gets aw- in relationship to the universe, as we ter of St. Joseph, she was steeped in fully specific in telling us where we are moving forward into an uncer- pantry but don’t the direct service of reaching out to can find him. Each of the habita- tain and ever-changing future, let us the human needs of the dear neigh- tions he lists is marked by lack: walk together with both hope and bor. She was also highly skilled in lack of food, lack of water, lack of tenderness. And let us move, not ever look beyond the balancing act that is walking on hospitality, lack of clothing, lack with a single step but, in partnership the two feet of social justice: charity of health, lack of freedom. Christ with the divine, keeping our world the shelves, how and advocacy. She formed deep chooses these places, inhabits these in balance by walking on two very personal relationships that invited spaces, waits for us to show up.” steady, very faithful feet.