SSND sisters, associates focus on transition, transformation

Hold Assembly of the Whole in Kansas City

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“God was in the gathering.”

Sister Kathleen Wegman of the School Sisters of Notre Dame spoke of the joy of meeting in-person with fellow sisters and lay associates from 22 U.S. states, as well as Japan, Guam and other countries.

She and Sister Susan Renner SSND, who help with the work of Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri, attended the SSND Central Pacific Province’s July 11-15 Assembly of the Whole in Kansas City.

About 300 people participated in-person and via livestream.

It was the first large SSND gathering in the province since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Simply being together was energizing,” said Sr. Kathleen. “Just renewing acquaintances and meeting lots of new people.”

In-person participants were tested for COVID before attending and wore masks throughout the sessions.

The theme was “Transitions to Transformation.”

“The purpose of the Assembly was to strengthen relationships among us,” said Sr. Susan. “And this was in light of the fact that yes, we are in a period of transitions — major transitions!”

Presenters reminded the Assembly that the SSND congregation has been in constant, occasionally tumultuous and sometimes painful transition since its founding in Germany in 1833.

So have each of the sisters.

“God uses transitions in our lives and ministries to help us learn to rely on Him and trust Him more fully,” said Sr. Susan.

The Assembly’s in-person and online participants took part in small-group activities that focused on moving “from ‘I’ to ‘we’ to ‘one.’”

“The whole process was one of faith-sharing in small groups and then sharing in a large group,” said Sr. Susan.

There was lots of laughter.

Sr. Kathleen and Sr. Susan said the activities helped them reflect on transitions and times of uncertainly that they had weathered in their own lives.

The activities also highlighted one of the key aspects of community life: everyone has something important to contribute, despite everyone having limitations.

“What was amazing was how naturally, in my mind, we all fell into working as one,” Sr. Susan said of one of the more elaborate group activities.

“When one thing didn’t work, we automatically tried something else,” she said. “And despite each of our limitations, we each contributed, and we learned that all ideas were worthy of consideration and that we would only succeed by working together.”

 

Part of life

There are currently about 2,000 SSNDs worldwide — 11 of whom are working in various ministries in the Jefferson City diocese.

The congregation’s presence here dates back to the arrival of the first SSNDs in Westphalia in 1866.

Their charism, which is their Holy Spirit-inspired reason for existence, is focused on promoting unity, building-up community life, carrying-out ministries directed toward education, and partaking of a common search for and doing God’s will.

As society and the world are constantly changing, so, too, must consecrated religious life.

Adding to the urgency is the diminishing number and increasing average age not only of SSNDs but of many other religious congregations in the United States.

“Transition is just a part of life,” said Sr. Susan. “You see that in nature. And something I was really touched by at the Assembly — I felt such a sense of faith and trust.

“There wasn’t a sense of ‘poor us, we’re going through difficult transitions,’” she said. “I didn’t sense any fear among us or even a great wanting to fight the transitions that are happening.

“In fact, what I saw was a lot of excitement for mission in every age group,” she said.

Sr. Kathleen spoke of the strength that comes from communal energy, sustained by the Holy Spirit.

“There’s always a temptation to fear or run from transition, but there’s no need for that,” she said. “It’s like, ‘jump in, there’s energy in it.’ The newness of the potential can be exhilarating.”

“It’s like, we’re all in this together, and we will be fine,” said Sr. Susan.

She said the history of SSNDs clearly shows that “there is a gift in every transition. You don’t always see it at the time, but the gift is revealed as you continue to live your life.”

Sr. Kathleen noted: “God has a very good track record!”

By association

For the first time, SSND Associates were invited to join the sisters in taking full part in the Assembly of the Whole.

“I was struck by the love that was present all around, and how welcoming the sisters were to having the Associates present,” said Anne Carey, one of the directors of the SSND Associates who gather in 13 states, Guam and Japan.

SSND Associates are lay women or men who to seek to integrate the SSND charism into their own everyday pursuits.

They promise to work toward deepening their prayer life, taking part in congregational activities, conforming their lives to the spirit of the Gospel, and extending that spirit into service to God’s people.

A layperson who wishes to be an SSND Associate spends about a year learning about such things as the history, charism, spirituality and international make-up of the SSND congregation.

Each Associate is approved by the SSND provincial council, followed by a covenanting ritual and the making of a yearlong promise.

“Every year, we get the opportunity to renew that promise,” said Ms. Carey. “It’s a chance for each Associate to think about how their connection with SSNDs has enhanced their life.”

“Live that spirit”

A group of six people in and around Columbia became SSND Associates while Sister Francine Kohler was serving as director of faith formation at that city’s Sacred Heart Parish.

The group gathers about once a month to build each other up and help keep each other accountable. Also, since the COVID-19 pandemic, a larger group from Missouri and Illinois has been gathering via livestream the first Tuesday of each month.

Ms. Carey got to know several School Sisters of Notre Dame while working for the U.S. Forest Service in Southern Missouri. She wound up spending a year and a half working with sisters of this province in Sierra Leone.

Later on, she was living in California state when members of a newly-formed SSND Associates group invited her to join.

She said the SSND culture of uniting people and addressing a wide array of social justice issues has helped her become more fully Christian.

“I say Christian because you don’t have to be Catholic to become an associate,” she said. “You just have to be someone who desires to live that spirit in your own life.”

“Much more connected”

Dr. John Meyer, an SSND Associate and member of Sacred Heart Parish in Columbia, participated in the Assembly online.

“It was absolutely amazing how everything worked,” he said. “It was like we were there in the room the whole time.”

Having been educated by sisters as a child, he got to know Sister Patricia Hall SSND at Sacred Heart, followed by Sr. Francine.

“I really admire people who give up their lives for Christ and for spreading His teaching and being involved in things like education,” he said. “That’s one of the things that really drew me to the School Sisters of Notre Dame.”

He noted that the SSND congregation was originally founded to educate poor girls, whose opportunities for learning were very limited.

He said participating in all of the group activities during the Assembly was worth the time and effort.

“I’ve been fairly active as an associate, but when I got done there, I felt much more connected to the larger community,” he said. “I think it improved my sense of belonging.”

Ms. Carey lauded the sisters at the Assembly for facing transitions head-on and working to recognize them as gifts from God.

“I give them a lot of credit,” she said. “They’re addressing situations and trying to come up with answers instead of just letting things happen.”

“Change is always uncomfortable,” she noted. “And yet, it’s a necessary part of everyone’s life.”

She suggested offering up prayers of thanksgiving for the consecrated religious of the SSND.

“I sat in a room with over 220 sisters that first day, and I couldn’t help thinking about all of the individual lives each of them has impacted in so many different ways,” she said.

“It gives me shivers,” she stated. “It’s like the ripple effect you have when you throw stones into a calm lake. You make a difference in one person’s life, and that makes a difference in the lives of everyone around them.”

To be sent

While on a spiritual retreat the week after the Assembly, Sr. Kathleen reread and reflected on an article titled, “Elderhood: Becoming the Charism.”

“The essence of it is, when you’re younger, you ‘do’ the charism — you’re actively engaged in the impact of it,” she said.

“Once you’re elderly, you’re called to ‘be’ that thing that unites us — to ‘be’ part of that engaging force,” she explained.

She said having taken part in the Assembly has helped her “look at things with new eyes” and a fresh sense of being part of a worldwide community.

“We’re at our best when we’re together,” she said. “But it’s the old adage: ‘You gather to scatter.’ We come together not to stay together but to be sent.

“In this kind of experience of community, you step back into the reason you’re doing what you’re doing,” she said. “You have that sense of oneness. You renew yourself, and you’re sent back out.”

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