The Vows and Exodus

Recently, between class at Catholic Theological Union (CTU) and other formation events, a lot of talk has been happening about the vows (poverty, celibate chastity, obedience).  I am also in an introductory class on the Old Testament at CTU.  The invitation of this year is not simply to gain brain knowledge about what we study, but to develop the life long skill of reflecting on what stands out to us, what challenges us, how topics are related, etc.  As I reflect on dinner table and class discussions, and about the readings from this week, it is the connection between the vows and Exodus that I’m currently reflecting on.

Antonio M. Peria, SVD, says, “The mystical dimension of the evangelical counsels refers to the profession by consecrated persons of God as their only treasure (poverty), their only love (chastity), and their only freedom (obedience).” [1]  But, what the heck does this have to do with Exodus?  Well, in class, we’ve been learning about how the Book of Exodus answers the question “Who is God?” and the above quote, to me anyway, is a very clear answer to “Who is God for those called to religious life?”

In the lessons on the Book of Exodus, I have learned about a powerful, faithful God who is always there; who is always ready to guide His children to safety; and who will not abandon them, no matter the cost.  These all stem from the central fact that God loves us (God is love after all!) and wants to be in relationship with us.  This reality is true for every single person to ever be born, but what does this look like in my life now that I have entered the formation process and am learning what it means to live out the vows?

Part of our study involves looking at what the constitutions of our individual congregations say about the vows.

Before I entered, I had a relationship with God; now that I am in formation, I still have a relationship with God.  God hasn’t changed, and never will, but my state of life clearly has.  With this new state of life (well, state of life trial package since I am still in discernment), my relationship with God should shift, right?  To those in religious life, please correct me if I’m wrong, but the above quote sure seems like a key understanding to the way I am called to understand God’s love, faithfulness, and protection from the viewpoint of a woman religious.  This shift will not take away from what Exodus teaches us about God, or what my relationship with God is currently like, but if I allow it to this shift will help me experience how God takes care of those called to religious life.  Different state = different needs, right?

What exactly will this care, and this growth in my relationship with God, look like?  Only time will tell, but I’m excited to experience it unfolding one grace at a time.

_____

[1] Antonio M. Pernia, SVD, “Interculturality and Leadership in Consecrated Life,” in Engaging Our Diversity: Interculturality and Consecrated Life Today (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 2020), 47–61 (54)

Stewarding Gifts of Creation and the Spirit

For Dominicans, the study of Scripture leads us deeper in relationship with God and helps us perceive God’s grace at work in the world. Through prayerful meditation on the Word, we listen for God’s call impelling us to respond to the needs of our times. Every Thursday at the CDN, we devote evening prayer to lectio divina, or sacred reading. Together we read the Gospel for the upcoming Sunday, each of us listening silently and noticing what catches her attention, then reflecting on how God is speaking to her, sharing any insights with the community, and finally concluding with prayer. Last week, my meditation on the Gospel was illuminated by my two courses of study on the New Testament and the Vowed Life.

St Dominic Reading and Meditating on Scripture 

Detail from fresco by Fra Angelico in the Convento di San Marco, Florence, Italy

 

In the Gospel for last Sunday, the 27^th of Ordinary Time, Jesus told the chief priests and elders a parable: a landowner leases a vineyard to some tenants, expecting them to harvest its fruits. The tenants, however, refuse to hand over the produce. Instead, they kill all the servants sent by the owner, and his son as well, hoping to acquire the vineyard for themselves. Clearly, the murderous tenants are a figure for the chief priests, whom Jesus warns, “The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit” (Mt 21:43). This parable exemplifies the particular vitriol against the religious leaders of Israel characteristic of the Gospel of Matthew (which I just read for class). Jesus condemns them for failing to produce the fruits of God’s Reign: justice, mercy, humility, and righteousness.

 

This parable speaks to me of stewardship, or how we make use of the gifts God has entrusted to us. For the Vowed Life class, we read Pope Francis’ Homily on the 24^th World Day of Consecrated Life (2020). He writes:

 

This is what the eyes of consecrated men and women behold: the grace of God poured into their hands. The consecrated person is one who every day looks at himself or herself and says: “Everything is gift, all is grace.” Dear brothers and sisters, we did not deserve religious life; it is a gift of love that we have received. 

 

As Pope Francis reminds us, religious life points to the truth that everything is God’s gift. Ultimately, human beings cannot claim ownership of anything. All comes from God, who entrusts to us the gifts of Creation and provides us with spiritual gifts for building up the church, tending the earth, and serving one another, especially people on the margins. If God’s gift of love to me is like the vineyard in Matthew's parable, I am prompted to reflect: Am I stewarding this gift responsibly for the sake of God’s Reign, or chasing my own agenda? Am I living in obedience to God’s will, recognizing my absolute dependence on God’s Providence? How is our society called to good stewardship?

 

Perhaps because the Season of Creation ended on Sunday, I then found myself taking the figure of the vineyard more literally. Earth, our common home, belongs to God and produces an abundance. That produce is meant to provide nourishment for all God’s creatures. But throughout humanity’s history of colonial exploitation and imperialism, people have claimed ownership of the land, displacing indigenous peoples and robbing them of their rights. In the Americas, the U.S. government has desecrated tribal land by testing nuclear weapons and leaving behind radioactive waste. Prophetic activists who have advocated for indigenous land rights, like Berta Caceres in Honduras, have been killed by former soldiers trained at the U.S. military’s School of the Americas. Matthew’s parable of the vineyard contains a dangerous message for the murderous tenants in our world today.

“Nuclear Energy” sculpture by Henry Moore, a Chicago landmark commemorating 

the first controlled generation of nuclear power in an experiment by Enrico Fermi and colleagues 

(Photo courtesy of Lorraine Reaume)

 

As we prepare to celebrate Indigenous People’s Day on October 12, I am challenged to reflect on how our church and religious congregations have been complicit in the dispossession and exploitation of tribal lands. As Dominican Sisters committed to preaching God’s Reign of justice and peace, we are called to the work of reconciliation – asking for God’s healing, telling the truth about U.S. colonialism, pursuing justice by making reparations, and envisioning a future in which the land is reverenced and preserved for generations to come. Commissioned to be prophetic preachers, we must denounce any degradation of the earth, and announce the good news that equitable sharing of resources ensures the common good. May we help our world perceive the grace of God, pouring forth abundant life for all.

Every meeting of our Vowed Life class at Catholic Theological Union begins with an acknowledgement 

of Native People and the tribal lands on which the city of Chicago now stands 

 

Photo Ops Take 1

About once a month, instead of a written post, we will be sharing some photos that have been taken throughout the month.  Here are some pictures to show what we have been up to since moving in August 14th.

The yard and library needed some help so we got to work during our first weeks in Chicago.

No longer needing to wear masks in the house = pure joy!

Our first out of the house adventure, after our 2 week quarantine, was to the Lincoln Park Zoo.

Spring rolls anyone?

A couple of COVID friendly ways people have welcomed us to the neighborhood.

A papaya, tomato, and cookie car is the only proper way to celebrate Faithmary getting her Illinois drivers license.  We had no doubts but are still proud! 

Labor Day celebrations.

A day of hiking at Lake Katherine Nature Center and Botanical Gardens

After a busy week, we thought going out for a picnic was ideal, especially before the cold weather kicks in. We all settled on Lake Katherine. It is located near Palos Height in the suburbs of Chicago. 

Our first stop in the park was at the beautiful human-made waterfall. It looked about 300 feet in length and it joined up with the lake on the east side of the park. The waterfall is a perfect fit with the overall look and flow of the park.

                                                In the background is the human-made waterfall. 

This adventure evoked reflection on how connected we all are; within our inner selves, with each other, Mother Earth and the planet,  awakening of wholeness; that we cannot be separated from the cosmos as much as we cannot be separated from the air we breathe, the ground that we walk on or the food that we eat. How beautiful it would be if we felt this in our hearts and not just understood it at the intellectual level.

Quoting the book ‘Journey of the Universe’ by Brian Thomas Swimme and Mary Evelyn Tucker, “every time we are drawn to look up into the night sky and reflect on the awesome beauty of the universe, we are actually the universe reflecting on itself, and this changes everything.” We felt blessed to be part of this universe as we looked in awe at the scenic beauty, wildlife, nature trails, and exchanged smiles and hellos from bikers and those whom we shared the same walk trails.

God's touch through the sunrays – perhaps the universe reflecting on itself!

Lake Katherine has a canal that connects to Tomahawk Lake through a lush green forest. However, this canal is not in use since they discovered that Tomahawk Lake is two feet lower than the canal and Lake Katherine. The canal could have been excavated around 1911 to 1922 .….. Very interesting.

The canal connecting Lake Katherine to Tomahawk Lake

Sisters in Training

Anyone who has prepared for an athletic competition knows discipline, patience, rigorous training, and flexibility are all required.  It turns out these are all crucial parts to the CDN training plan also.  Let’s take a look.

Discipline: A typical week includes morning and evening prayer; shared household responsibilities; one-on-one meetings with a novice director; the InterCommunity Novitiate; online classes at Catholic Theological Union; in-house study; meals together; a day of reflection; and Mass.  To experience each of these things well, a level of discipline is needed to be truly present without letting things fall through the cracks.

Patience: Patience with ourselves, and each other, is needed as we build our community, especially as we find a balance of community responsibilities, class requirements, and personal needs.  Zoom fatigue is also very real, for some (I’m kindly calling myself out here) more than others, so patience is needed here as well.

Rigorous Training: I’ll just let this picture do the talking.  :D  Don’t forget the PDFs, videos, reflection and integration conversations, spiritual direction, monthly panel discussions, personal prayer, and unknown opportunities that will come up throughout the year. 

Flexibility: When you live on your own, or with roommates who tend to have their own schedule, your time is very much your own.  To live well in community, this cannot be the case.  Flexibility is required to ensure everyone’s needs are being met and we are all truly living together, not simply as 5 people under the same roof.  This means regularly being open to a spontaneous game of Crokinole or to dropping what you’re doing to help with supper, fix a fridge, or mow the lawn.

Have you ever seen such a fancy lawn mower!?

The reality is the novitiate is about being sisters in training with our relationship with God at the center of this training.  As we train, we can’t forget part of discernment is about remaining open to the fact God may have other plans for us.  To discern well, we need to be open to both the formation process and to what God wants to do with its fruits, even if it ends up not being what we expect.  This year, we are being called to say “No” to sprinting to an assumed finish line and say “Yes” to a slow, sometimes intense, run through the woods towards a finish line only He can fully see.  One thing is guaranteed though: the training process will be a beautiful adventure.

Orientation to CDN 2020-21

The canonical novitiate year is a time for listening. Each novice listens intently to discover who God is calling her to become. This sacred year invites us to follow Jesus more closely by adopting the way of Saint Dominic de Guzman (1170-1221) and his early companions. Jesus fulfilled his mission to announce the Reign of God by calling together disciples who would form a new family of sisters and brothers. Like Jesus, Dominic thought community was key to evangelizing. He founded the Dominican family to carry on the mission of apostolic preaching. Our congregations of Dominican and Maryknoll Sisters belong to this global family.

 

Names and Logos of our Congregations in the House Chapel

 

We three novices have been at the CDN for nearly a month now. The initial orientation introduced us to the goals and structure of the canonical year. At the heart of everything is contemplation. Opening ourselves to God’s presence, we embrace the Dominican motto, “To contemplate and share the fruits of one’s contemplation.” Through the practice of centering prayer, we learn to adopt a contemplative stance in all we do throughout the day. One of our weekly “reflection days” focused on contemplative living. Our orientation also included a presentation on communal prayer, the liturgy of the hours, and our Dominican Praise prayer book. 

 

Tabernacle in our House Chapel: “Be still and know that I AM.”

 

Dominic’s study of Jesus’ life inspired his vision for the Order of Preachers. Dominic valued study for the sake of the preaching mission, so Dominicans commit to life-long learning. We study God’s self-revelation through sacred scripture and creation. We study the history of the Dominican family and its charism (the particular gift of the Spirit entrusted to the Order): preaching. Dominic’s mission began when he saw a need to preach the goodness of God’s creation; at the time, some were teaching that the material world was evil. Dominicans carry on his legacy by contemplating the beauty of creation, which reveals God’s life-giving presence, and working for ecojustice. At the CDN’s new home in Hyde Park, Chicago, walks along the shore of Lake Michigan nourish an appetite for beauty. We care for a little corner of creation by tending the fledgling garden we planted in the side lot of our new home.

 

Cathy and Faithmary have worked hard to tidy up the side yard for gardening.

 

Dominic believed that we preach the Good News by the way we live. Our life in community is meant to be a sign of our unity in Christ, even as we respect the uniqueness of each Sister. To embody this spirit of unity and solidarity, we seek to learn more about ourselves and develop skills for healthy community living. During orientation each Sister shared something of her family values and cultural background. Living in community, of course, involves creating a home together, so we spent a few afternoons exploring the neighborhood, setting up the library, and gardening.

 

Amanda, Faithmary, and Annie biked the Lakefront Trail toward downtown Chicago for a picnic lunch and selfie.

 

Community living is the context in which Dominican preaching takes root and flourishes. We preached to each other by sharing our vocation stories – sacred stories of how God has acted in each Sister’s life, drawing her to religious life in a particular congregation. It was beautiful to hear the unique way each of us was called to choose this life and how each can identify something in her journey that resonates with being Dominican and Maryknoll. 

 

One important piece of wisdom we have inherited from Dominic: respond to the needs of the times. This canonical year begins in the midst of a global pandemic. Our classes and presentations and InterCommunity Novitiate gatherings are all meeting virtually. As chaos engulfs the world in which we live, we seek the inner peace and freedom that comes from total trust in God. May this sacred time deepen that trust in all our hearts.

Plants we potted with soil from each of our motherhouses during the opening ritual

A New Start in Hyde Park: CDN 2020-2021

 Collaborative Dominican Novitiate 2020-2021

 

Greetings from our new home in Hyde Park, Chicago! We arrived Friday, 14 August, and have now completed our two weeks of self-quarantine. What a blessing that our canonical novitiate year can go forward in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. This week, the three new novices and returning directors will introduce ourselves.

 

NOVICES

 

 

Sister Amanda Zygarlicke

Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa

I was born in central WI, where most of my family is, and raised in southern WI. At the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, I studied Physical Education, Health Education, and Adapted Physical Education. After graduating in 2015, I taught for a year in New Berlin, WI, before being accepted into the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC). This took me to Phoenix, AZ, where I taught kindergarten through 8^th-grade Physical Education and Computer Science. After my JV year, I continued to teach at this school for two more years. While in Phoenix, I was also involved in youth ministry at a local parish. 

Up to this point, I had been running from God’s invitation to religious life for many years but, in Phoenix, God made it clear it was time to stop running and start seriously discerning. In listening, even though the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa are no longer in the Diocese of Phoenix and I was not specifically looking for a Wisconsin-based congregation, I discovered the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa on the diocesan vocations page. After a visit to Sinsinawa in the summer of 2018, I started the formal application process and was received as a candidate on August 7, 2019. During my candidate year, I lived in Sinsinawa, studied, and taught Physical Education two days a week at a local Catholic elementary school. 

Since my first visit to Sinsinawa, I have felt at home with the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa and in living out Dominican Spirituality. As a first-year novice continuing to discern, I am looking forward to learning more about this home and the lifestyle God is calling me to under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the intercession of St. Dominic.

 

Sister Faithmary W. Munyeki

Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic

I was born and raised in Kenya, East Africa. I hold a BS in Information Technology from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, a diploma in Computer Engineering from Kenya Science, and a certificate in Teaching. I met Maryknoll's Sisters in Dodoma, Tanzania, where I was teaching in a Jesuit high school. The simplicity and ordinariness I experienced with the Maryknoll Sister I met struck me, and I got interested to know more about

them. Their missionary spirit – making God’s love visible everywhere and throughout all of the creation – awakened in me the desire to serve others, especially the marginalized and powerless.

That began my journey of discernment with Maryknoll Sisters. I came to the USA in 2019 where I was received as a candidate and began my integration year in Chicago. I took classes at CTU, ICN, and did my ministry in St. James Food Pantry. The pandemic situation caused me to change the ministry from food pantry to community gardening where we planted vegetables that would benefit those in need. I remain grateful to all Maryknoll Sisters for their love, encouragement, prayers, and support in this year of continued reflection and discernment.

 

Sister Annie Killian

Dominican Sisters of Peace

The oldest of four children, I grew up in Nashville, TN. Our parents both practiced medicine. We attended the Nashville Dominicans’ elementary school. Raised Catholic, I consciously chose to keep practicing my faith during my undergraduate studies at Yale University. I joined the Saint Thomas More Catholic Chapel on campus, participating in Small Church Communities and social justice ministry. After graduating with a B.A. in English Language & Literature, I spent two years at the University of Oxford, UK, and earned an MPhil in English, Medieval Studies. While at Oxford, I encountered dynamic Jesuits and RSCJ Sisters whose spirituality and common life resonated with my own desire for a life centered on God and dedicated to serving God’s People. It was there that I first felt drawn to religious life.

An abiding love for medieval literature, especially writings by mystics like Julian of Norwich, impelled me to pursue a PhD. I returned to Yale and, shortly after, decided to begin serious discernment. Providentially, the vocation director for the Dominican Sisters of Peace lived right down the street in New Haven, CT. Through spending time with the local community, I came to know the Sisters’ joy, generosity, and contemplative spirit. Their commitment to justice and peace-building touched my heart. They accompanied me patiently through the many years of graduate school. I completed the PhD in May 2019 and, the next month, entered the Dominican Sisters of Peace. As a candidate, I lived in our House of Welcome in Columbus, OH, and ministered as an English professor at Ohio Dominican University. Beginning this canonical novitiate year, I am filled with gratitude and hope, even in the midst of pandemic, trusting that “All shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”

 

DIRECTORS

 

Sister Lorraine Reaume, OP

Dominican Sisters of Adrian

            I am a Dominican Sister of Adrian, originally from Toronto, Canada. I am excited to be starting my third year with the CDN in this new location and to able to minister on behalf of the many Dominican Congregations that make up the Collaborative Dominican Novitiate. My own CDN experience in 1998-1999 grounded me in the Dominican Family and gave me a solid identity as a Dominican. I am grateful to be able to walk with women on that same journey. My undergraduate degrees are a BA in English and Psychology (University of Waterloo), and a B.Ed. (Lakehead University). I also have an MDiv and an MA in Theology from Catholic Theological Union. I have a certificate in Spiritual Direction, have completed the Collaborative Leadership Development Program, and have also done the ForMission program offered by the Religious Formation Conference. Before religious life, I was a teacher and then a Lay Missionary in Bolivia. I also co-coordinated the Lay Mission Program for Scarboro Missions for four years. In religious life, I have served as a Campus Minister at Siena Heights University, as a Pastoral Associate with a focus on Hispanic Ministry in both Anchorage, AK, and Detroit, MI, and as Formation Director. I love to walk with others as they discern and discover how God is calling them to life.

 

Sister Cathy Arnold, OP

Dominican Sisters of Peace

Another year, another transition! As we welcome the novices to Chicago, and I too learn to navigate a much larger city in the midst of Covid-19 conditions, I am happy to continue to help provide a nurturing and life-giving environment in this new community at the CDN. I participated in the CDN as a novice from 2000 to 2001 and have many wonderful and, yes, some challenging memories, which helped me to grow more deeply into Dominican life, especially in building relationships and on social justice issues. My educational background includes a BS in chemistry from Marietta College, an MA in theological studies from the University of Dayton, and completion of the Religious Formation Conference ForMission program. My final project for ForMission involved developing and leading an Inter-cultural Living mini-workshop with our Sisters and Associates. Since then I have also completed the Collaborative Leadership Development Program sponsored by LCWR. In the past, I participated in a Peace Ambassador Training program and helped co-ordinate a Leadership for Peace program for college age students. I have also ministered in special education and high school education. From 2007 to 2018, I served as a vocation minister and then as Coordinator of Formation for the Dominican Sisters of Peace. Walking with women in formation is a gift, a privilege, and a sacred task as they and we discern how the Spirit is working in the discernment of becoming Dominican. For fun, I enjoy baking bread, walking, reading, biking, gardening, and sharing time with my Dominican Sisters, friends and family.