Sisters who participated in the House of Prayer during Chapter 2004 are encouraging prayer for vocations to religious life. Their efforts stem from a deep desire to "beg the Lord of the Harvest to send laborers to His harvest," and to "Go to Joseph" with the same petition.
They invite all to join them as they pray for young women and men who are discerning a call to become a priest, a brother, or a woman religious.
While members of the group are praying daily in the places where they live and work, they also meet several times a year in the Chapel at Saint Joseph Villa for a Holy Hour of Song, Prayer and Quiet. The most recent gathering was held Sunday, March 26.
Members of the SSJ Formation Team, Sisters Charlene Diorka, Frances Hart, and Kathleen McMenamin, led prayers of praise, thanks, and petition.
Serving as organist for the prayer service,
Member of the House of Prayer Sister Grace Eileen Forker,
encouraged all to join in the singing of familiar hymns.
Sister Mary Barrar, a member of the General Council of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, offered a reflection during the Holy Hour. Mary posed two questions. She believes lived responses to these questions will shape the future of religious life. Mary asked:
Are we rooted in a contemplative life stance
and radically open to God’s word?
Are we truly living the life we profess
as authentic disciples of Jesus?
"Contemplation leads to loving actively and inclusively, God and neighbor without distinction," Mary said, noting that the more our prayer leads us to know the unconditional love of God, the more we are called to embrace everyone and every thing without judgments that exclude or diminish.
The "journey of discipleship," Mary said, is an ongoing effort that affects every relationship and that calls the disciple to live the Gospel with integrity. She called for the kind of "heart power" and courage that "compel us toward compassion and collective action for the dear neighbor."
"If we are willing to be disturbed by the consuming love of God, then we will be women of prayer, women of the gospel, women who are authentic disciples of Jesus," Mary said.
Participants joined in times of quiet, intercessory prayer, and song.
In the closing prayer all present asked for the grace to be ready for any good work and to respond each day to the SSJ Mission: We live and work so that all people may be united to God and to one another.
Like every coming together of Sisters of Saint Joseph, the Holy Hour provided opportunities for renewing friendships, offering support, and sharing conversation. Chatting above (left) are Sisters Charlene Diorka and Charlotte Therese McGrillis; at right are Sisters Fran Hart and Rose Albertine Weaver.
