Currents0210

Currents

A newsletter of the

Sisters of the Holy Redeemer

Immaculate Conception Province 521 Moredon Road Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006

www.SistersHolyRedeemer.org

Read our BLOG

February 2010

Happy New Year

February Birthday:

3- Sr. Anita Bolton, CSR
24- Sr. Margaret Kozel, CSR

(see who they are on our calendar page!)

Dates in the history of the Congregation:

February 4, 1853 – Bishop of Wuerzburg, Germany sends petition to the government of Wuerzburg seeking approval for the Sisters of the Holy Redeemer to come to his diocese. It would be another year before they arrive.

February 1934 – 45 Acre estate in Meadowbrook, PA purchased by the Sisters becomes the home of the American Motherhouse

February 1959 – Original Holy Redeemer Hospital completed. Ground breaking had begun in 1956.

February 20, 1964 – Congregation received Papal appreciation and the revised constitutions were presented to the Sisters.

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Environmental & Social Justice News

Catholic Social Teaching -

Catholic Social Teaching: Human Rights and Responsibilities

Every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities to one another, our families and to the larger society.

Applications for today:

- Get involved in political issues – we cannot remain silent. The people we elect are the ones determining policy on a wide range of crucial issues.

- Start now in your home and community – We don’t have to look fare to find people and places in need of justice.

Church Documents:

A Call to Action – Pope Paul VI; Justice in the World – Synod of Bishops; The Development of Peoples – Pope Paul VI

Prayer

Saint Ignatius Loyola's Prayer for Generosity
Lord Jesus, teach me to be generous,
Teach me to serve you as you deserve,
To give and not to count the cost;
To fight and not to heed the wounds;
To toil and not to seek for rest;
To labor and not to ask for any reward,
Except that of knowing that I am doing your will.

Prayer Suggestion - from The Breath of the Soul: Reflections on Prayer by Joan Chittister (Twenty-Third Publications).

The everything of a deep and demanding prayer life is an awareness and acceptance of the self. No rosary, no icon, no prayer corner can supply for the raw material of prayer which is the self-knowledge that cements the relationship between the self and God.

The temptation with which we must grapple if we really want to learn to pray is the temptation to pray as if we were more than we are. More pious, perhaps. More accepting of the will of God, maybe. More ethereal in our concerns. More otherworldly, more a citizen of the next world than a pilgrim in this one.

But when all we bring to prayer is our holiness, what is the use of being there? What am I not facing in myself that really needs my prayer if I am ever to grow in the art of prayer and the mandate to become fully human if I am ever to become more than I am in the spiritual life?
To grow spiritually, then, I cannot hide even from myself. I must pray for self-knowledge, for the searing honesty that, with the grace of God, can bring me to the heart of God.

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Events in the Province of the Sisters of the Holy Redeemer

World Day of Consecrated Life – Sunday, February 7th. Sisters of the Holy Redeemer will be speaking at local parishes to share the good news about religious life.

In 1997, Pope John Paul II instituted a day of prayer for women and men in consecrated life. This celebration is attached to the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2nd. This Feast is also known as Candlemas Day; the day on which candles are blessed symbolizing Christ who is the light of the world. So too, those in consecrated life are called to reflect light of Jesus Christ to all peoples. The celebration of World Day for Consecrated Life is transferred to the following Sunday in order to highlight the gift of consecrated persons for the whole Church.

You’re invited! Join some of the Sisters for Dinner and Evening prayer, Thursday, February 11th @ 6pm. A simple and relaxed way to be with the Sisters in their daily lives. Bring a friend!

Evening Prayer, Tuesday, February 16th @ 7pm - all are welcome for evening prayer with Sisters and Redeemer Associates in the Provincialate Chapel. Faith sharing and social time follow for those who wish.

Sisters’ Book Discussion, continues on Monday, 8th –from Law to Love

" I will put my Spirit in you that you may live " Ez. 37:12-14

Lenten Faith Sharing Series every Monday in Lent beginning February 22nd @ 6pm. Includes light supper and faith sharing on Sunday Scripture readings of Lent.

Evening Liturgy – Tuesday, February 9th @ 6pm followed by soup supper.

Province Gathering for the Sisters will be held on Sunday, February 21st.

Redeemer Associate Advisory Committee – Tuesday, February 9th @ 7pm.

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, February 17th.

Sunday Liturgy every week @ 11am at the Provincialate

Daily Liturgy most days @ 6:45am at the Provincialate.

Liturgy @ 5pm on occasional Monday evenings.

Reflection -

Reflection on Psalm 23

by Kimberly Kessler

O Lord, You are the Shepherd

that guards me and protects me from harm.

In an oasis of natural beauty

you let me gaze at the many splendors

of your awesome creation of nature,

which surrounds my entire being.

You guide me along the right path and bring me

to still waters within my soul.

Even if I veer off the path of your will for me,

I am reassured that you will guide me back.

You are the Shepherd and I am the sheep in your flock

and you will guide me back with your rod and staff.

This gives me extra support for the journey.

You also give me strength, courage, and trust

through your example of redeeming love

that you intimately share with me on my journey.

You allow me to not be afraid for what lies ahead,

but to be confident and trust in you with all my heart.

Thank you, Lord, for showing me your deep love

for me and allowing me to receive

the numerous graces on this retreat.

Lord, you are leading me on the journey and I shall follow you

like a sheep follows its Shepherd.

When I hear your voice,

I will listen and follow you

with all my heart to do your will.

Sr. Ana's Reflections

Walking along the shore early one morning during a recent retreat in NJ I noticed the seagulls scavenging for their breakfast. Upon finding a mussel of some kind they would fly up high into the air and then drop it. I could hear the small thudding sound as it hit the sand. I watched in awe at the skill the seagulls had developed for breaking open the stubborn shells. Over and over again the birds would fly up drop the mussel and swoop down to collect it before another seagull snatched it away. Occasionally I witnessed a seagull lose it’s catch to another bird who was faster – even if just by a second. This sight made me feel a mixture of sadness and anger. One bird worked so hard only to have its meal stolen away. Attentive to this sight and these emotions I reflected on the gift of our conscience. As humans we don’t need to rely on our survival instinct in order to respond to a situation. We can make a conscious choice about how we will react, yet how often we witness situations in which that which belongs to another is snatched away or those who have much refuse to share with those who have so little? We often settle for our primitive responses rather than acting from a stance of reflection and conscious choice – a choice to do good or to do harm. Discernment is that call to attentiveness and reflection in order to make a choice that arises from our best self – the self God created; a choice that looks beyond self to desire the good of others and the glory of God. Discernment is about noticing what is going on around me, how I feel about it and then goes deeper as I desire to know how God looks upon the situation.

A Sister's Reflection

Sr. Maryanne King, CSR

Living in the presence of God gives you a peace that surpasses all understanding. Of course, this is a lesson I was privileged to learn out of experience. Even though I may not always have been aware of God’s presence, my experiences showed me that God was never far away. I look at my life as a parallel to the life of “Much Afraid” in the book Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard. Just like the main character in the book, my life is filled with peaks and valleys, and God is present in all of them. And ultimately, my journey led me to that peace that surpasses all understanding.

I entered the Sisters of the Holy Redeemer shortly after graduating from St. Hubert’s High School located in Philadelphia, PA in 1973. After some years, I felt religious life was not for me. I moved to Florida for 20 years to pursue my dreams. Little did I know at the time that God was going to turn my dreams into the dreams God had for me. It took almost seven years in Florida for me to realize this. That’s when my life got real exciting – I could see God’s footprints all through the journey with me, and these footprints led me back to the Sisters of the Holy Redeemer. The experiences I had while I was away helped me reach the “high places” that God wanted me to see. And now I have the opportunity to share those experiences with the Sisters who had been so much a part of my past and completely consume my present and future. God has done great things for me – and holy is God’s name!

I have been back with the Sisters now for 6 years and very grateful for the blessing to return to where “God’s work was begun in me”. I currently work with the Mission Integration team of Holy Redeemer Health System. This position allows me the opportunity to share with the staff the mission and values of the health system in light of the vision of our foundress, Mother Alphonse Maria Eppinger – to live the Gospel message with the love of Our Redeemer!