Farewell to this Novitiate Year - By Patty Johnson, CSJ

Farewell to this Novitiate Year - Submitted by Patty Johnson, CSJ

For the closing ceremony of the novitiate, the novices demonstrated their integration of the year through a moving prayer service where they shared what they had learned through each aspect of their time together. 

Mary Anne Larocque - top right

Sr. Mary Anne Larocque speaking of gratitude began her reflection with Maxim 73.  She then shared these words.  “Our time in Concordia has been a grace filled opportunity to discover who we are and some of what God wants us to be…the essential ingredients for women entering religious life in the 21^st

century are here…We go enhanced by all you have given us to live our lives as Sisters of St Joseph.”

Christina Brodie

Sr. Christina Brodie addressed the question, “What does it mean to be a Sister of St Joseph?”  She reflected that it requires being in communion with life, “As much as our humanness allows, we step back from our egos and replace it with love and awareness for the greater glory of our dear neighbor and the Divine.  All our creator and for that matter Medaille asks of us is to have the desire to be in full communion with life.”

Sr. Donna Smith shared a poem that she wrote during the year:

Unity

To be united with one another is what God asks of each of us through heart, body and soul.

To be united like a chain where there is no broken links.

A chain that is as long or as short as you wish.

This chain must reach out to all God’s people not just those close to us.

Yes, this chain may get heavy, but if each person in the chain reaches out as

God asks we will not notice the weight but we will notice the

LOVE and CARE for fellow human beings.

Where are we united?

Sister Donna Smith lends a hand during the weekend

decorating the Concordia Motherhouse in November 2015.

Where do we need to extend the chain?

Do we need to mend broken links?

Does this chain stop at us or can we build on it with all our Hearts, Bodies and Souls?

Can we be that chain of Unity that God asks us to be?

So as we stand here today before you I can surely say:

As Sisters of St Joseph the answer to these questions can be answered differently on a daily basis, but we can always answer yes to that final question.

“Can we be that chain of unity that God asks us to be?”

Patty Urbinelli

Sr. Patty Urbinelli offered her thoughts about the diversity of gifts of the Sisters of St Joseph, “We do what we are able, we go where we are needed, we overcome obstacles, we work for and with our dear neighbor, we empower others and we look for new ways to serve.”

Christine Carbotte

Sr. Christine Carbotte provided a humorous walk through of the classes and processes that the novices entered into this year.  She noted, “The novitiate was by no means a smooth or easy ride…this has been a gestation period with much rich food.  Now as I let go of this place I have this rich food to carry me forward and share on a continuing journey of sisterhood, personhood, life and ministry.  Thank you all for sharing this with me.”