My balloon touched down briefly in Chicago, but now I'm landed safely at the IHM Motherhouse (aka Mothership) in Monroe, MI. I have been treated with great kindness and as if they have just been waiting for me to get here. I am writing this from the library reading room on Sunday evening. (see picture at right)
Saturday I was invited to attend Sr. Julie's Mission-group meeting. Seems that all the community members are divided into small groups called Mission groups (I think). And this is how they do their governance: rather like states within a country. The Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Monroe, MI (IHMs) aren't divided into separate provinces - this is the core of who they are, although they are in ministry all over the world.
This is their "home," and they always speak of coming back to the Motherhouse as "coming home." It's huge and beautiful - but it does have a great sense of welcoming and gathering, in spite of its magnificence. The whole building was renovated recently. I'm told it was the largest institutional green-renovation in the world, and they've won all sorts of awards for the work that was done here. And it's a teaching building, so they've built into the building itself a philosophy and a blueprint for how green renovation should be done.
The order has historically been a teaching order - but their educational focus has always been seen broadly - so no matter what their mission (teaching in schools and colleges, tutoring in the inner city, running the A Nuns Life Ministry , or working in foreign missions, helping the elderly with conservatorship and management issues, or whatever else they do (and I don't yet begin to know what that is), it all fits under the broad definition of education/teaching. I do know that in the mid-60's a decision was made to send one sister out of 10 to university to study theology, so they have several world-class theologians among them.
So right now my official position here is one of "hanging out with the sisters." Tomorrow I will meet with a volunteer coordinator - and, I think, with the Associate Director. And things continue to unfold.
. . . . . more later. (and more still to come)--
7 comments:
I'm excited Marsha! What will unfold for you? :-)
Thanks, Daisy, darlin'! I'm excited too -- and a little scared now that I'm here "on my own," so to speak. I did find someone I knew to sit with at mass this morning, so that was nice. And someone else (whose name I have temporarily lost, but who answers to Sister) helped me to find a private work area this morning. So now we'll figure it out as we go. ;)
May your mission but fruitful as well as peaceful
thanks for sharing your journey
Glad to hear that you've landed at the mothership. :)
Since you seem to get around, I am wondering if you could mention or review any of my books on angels or miracles on your blog. My first book in what turned into a series, WHERE ANGELS WALK, was on the New York Times best-seller list for over a year and has been credited with starting the “angel revival” during the 90’s.
When my original publisher, Random House, decided that six books from me on this subject might be enough (!), Loyola Press reprinted those six and added three more. I also have a website http://joanwanderson.com, where readers can sign up to receive an original angel story each week. I have discovered that too many Catholics are uninformed about angels in Scripture and tradition. Can you help spread the word?
Joan Wester Anderson
New York Times Best Selling Author, Where Angels Walk
Lastest releases: Angelic Tails, An Angel to Watch over Me
joan@joanwanderson.com
http://joanwanderson.com
I don't know mom, When I hung out with the monks at Holy Trinity, they never left much free time in my day....litergy of the hours took first priority. Doing whatever useful labor I could do between breakfast and lunch, and between lunch and dinner came next. The only "free" time was after dinner, and before vespers. For me that was usually guitar time. Hope you are having a fun and educational experience.
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