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June 16, 2023, Kingstree, South Carolina – For 36 years, Sister Trina McCormick, OP, has had a profound, often transformational, effect on countless women religious and other spiritual seekers through the sabbatical programs she organized at Springbank Retreat Center for Eco-Spirituality and the Arts.
Last month, family members, friends, staff, and board members of Springbank showed their appreciation for Sister Trina, her dedication, and her gifts. They gathered for an afternoon of tributes, gratitude, and music to celebrate Sister Trina and her ministry.
Now bearing the title Founding Director granted by the board, Sister Trina asked in September 2022 to be relieved of her responsibilities as Executive Director – while staying at Springbank to serve in any way she can. Sister Anita Braganza, IBVM, the current Executive Director, was introduced to Springbank while on sabbatical.
“It’s been a very good 36 years,” Sister Trina said in an interview. “I felt so honored and so appreciated, and it made me grateful for the privilege of being here and serving here. It tapped into all of my talents.”
Celebration Highlights For Sister Trina, a highlight of the celebration was having “family members come and celebrate with me with music, song, and music.” Members of her very musical family came from throughout the United States: sister Veronica, brother-in-law Peter, their son James and his partner Hannah, Sister Trina’s niece Wilmie and partner Elisa, brother Michael, and brother Francis and sister-in-law Kathleen. In addition, Sister Mary Priniski, OP, her Chapter Prioress, added to the music of the celebration.
Sister Trina appreciated the assistance of the board members, who worked in the background to keep the celebration running smoothly. In addition, she expressed her gratitude for the support she’s received over the years from the Adrian Dominican Congregation through grants from its Ministry Trust. Most recently, a Ministry Trust grant covered equipment for the “reimagining” of Springbank. Through a boost in technology, her brother John was able to join the celebration through Zoom.
The May 6, 2023, celebration was organized by members of the Springbank Board, including Rosemary Martin, an Adrian Dominican Associate.
In addition to lots of music, the celebration also included tributes to Sister Trina. “A number of people talked about Trina and her impact,” Rosemary recalled. She also heard about Sister Trina’s impact through feedback offered through the years by participants in the Sabbatical Program. “Some referred to it as a transformative time,” Rosemary said, explaining that many of the Sabbatical participants are religious Sisters who have completed terms of leadership and are discerning what they might do in the future. “That time has been powerful for them,” Rosemary said. “I’m sure for many Sisters, it’s opening new vistas."
Attending the celebration are, from left, Associate Rosemary Martin, Sister Mary Priniski, OP, and Trina McCormick, OP.
Ministry at Springbank Reflecting on her years at Springbank, Sister Trina noted that she has always kept the center’s Dominican roots. The center was given to Dominican Friars and established in 1961 and, in the 1970s, was involved in outreach to the local community, especially to the African American community. It closed in 1978 but reopened with the arrival of Adrian Dominican Sister Betty Condon, OP, and a group of Dominican Friars and Sisters.
Sister Trina and the late Sister Ursula Ording, OP (1934-2013), were living out their own dream of running a retreat center in Cohasset, Massachusetts, when their Chapter Prioress, Sister Ellen Robertson, OP, told them of the need for help at Springbank. “I didn’t want to leave Massachusetts, but we decided to look,” Sister Trina recalled. They began their new ministry at Springbank in 1986.
“I grew to love Springbank,” Sister Trina said. “I saw just how I could beautify the place and the land and the grounds and buildings, and I got excited about that.”
Sister Trina’s first role was to establish Springbank as a center for spirituality and the arts. “It was very important to me that it be a place of awareness of what’s happening to the planet and for people also to realize the vastness of the universe and the planet, and what brought us to today … It took 13.7 billion years for it to come into being.”
Sister Trina also served as Springbank’s Aesthetics Director, “designing the grounds and buildings, creating the schedule, creating the brochures,” and blazing trails in the woods. In addition, she taught painting and – after Sister Ursula’s death – took on teaching pottery and leading yoga and breathing practices. “My creative work was Springbank – Springbank was my canvas and my palette.”
“Springbank offers 80 acres of quiet beauty and warm hospitality,” Sister Trina said. “It’s a new way of presence, a way of being with others. It’s a presence with all of creation, a deeply respectful way of being, acknowledging God within oneself and God within everything else.”
Sabbatical Program But while transforming the grounds of Springbank was important to Sister Trina, she was especially gratified by the transformation that took place in the Sisters who attended the sabbatical program over the years. “After the one-, two-, or three-month program, you see visible changes in women’s health and well-being,” she said. “People who are so worn out and tired from leadership [change] with movement, dance, and doing beautiful pottery.” A quote from one of the participants speaks to this transformation: “I came a broken sparrow and I’m leaving a soaring eagle.”
Sister Trina also feels privileged to offer the sabbatical program to women religious from throughout the world – to participants from throughout the United States and Canada, as well as from countries such as Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Indonesia, Japan, China, Korea, Venezuela, and Peru. Many learn about Springbank’s sabbatical program through the Internet, but also through word of mouth. The sabbatical program includes a variety of speakers – in person or via Zoom – on topics such as the new cosmology, the relationship between art and spirituality, and dreams. In addition, participants have the opportunity to practice various forms of art, such as pottery, painting, and weaving and to participate in short retreats or times of reflection. Many of these programs are offered simultaneously to people from outside the sabbatical program.
Over the years, Sister Trina hired many of the Sisters who participated in the sabbatical program, since their time at Springbank allowed her to get to know them. Among them is Sister Anita, the current Executive Director. Sister Anita, who came from India, was on the leadership team for six years for her community, the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM), or the Loreto Sisters. An accomplished pianist – with a degree in piano from Trinity College in London, Sister Anita also holds a master’s degree in counseling.
Challenges and Learnings While Sister Trina sees her years at Springbank as a blessed time, she also spoke of some of the challenges she faced. “Probably the greatest challenge is the financial one, because you can’t charge [guests] what it takes to run this place – people wouldn’t be able to afford it,” she said. “You need to get grants and [send out] a bi-annual funding letter.”
She has also been challenged by hurricanes and ice storms. The 2016 hurricane was particularly devastating, breaking through a dam and flooding through the wetlands. Through a grant from the Ministry Trust and from the Wheaton Franciscans, Springbank will begin the process of reclaiming the wetlands sanctuary and adding a gazebo.
Her years at Springbank have taught Sister Trina never to lose heart or hope. She said she has also learned much from the speakers who were featured over the years. “I’ve learned that nothing beautiful ever hurries,” she said. “You can’t hurry it. You just nurture it along.”
“Things seem to come when we need it,” Sister Trina added. “I’ve always felt protected and guided by the Spirit, even when we’re going through these difficult times, and I’ve come to a place where I consult the Spirit at every moment.”
For information about the Sabbatical Program or programs offered to the public, call 843-382-9777 or 843-372-6311; email springbank@springbankretreat.org; or visit https://springbankretreat.org.
June 15, 2023, Santiago, Spain – Many Sisters make an annual retreat during the summer, and some even participate in a 30-day retreat. But Sister Mariane Fahlman, OP, made a special retreat this year: a three-week, 241-mile trek on the Camino de Santiago, the famous pilgrimage to Santiago, Spain.
“The Camino for me was like a retreat, an internal journey,” Sister Mariane said in an interview after her adventure in May. “The Camino is the closest I will come to a 30-day retreat.”
Active and athletic, Sister Mariane is Professor of Kinesiology, Health, and Sports Studies at Wayne State University in Detroit. Given her background, walking the El Camino seemed to be a natural fit.
“I’ve been a backpacker all my life,” Sister Mariane said. “I did a lot of the Appalachian Trail from Maine to Pennsylvania and almost all the peaks in the Adirondack Mountains. I’ve always found backpacking and hiking to be a reflective and peaceful experience, so when I heard about the Camino, I was immediately intrigued.”
Sister Mariane reconnected with a friend for 45 years, Cindy, and heard she also wanted to walk El Camino so they decided to take the pilgrimage together. “We actually had plane tickets for April of 2020,” she said – but their plans were thwarted by the COVID-19 pandemic. “So now, three years later, we were finally able to do it.”
The Route Sister Mariane said she was surprised to learn that there was not just one El Camino del Santiago, but several. “The most famous one is the Camino from France to Santiago,” a 500-mile walk that would take six to seven weeks to complete, she said. “I didn’t feel comfortable being out of the country that long and it would be irresponsible of me to ignore my ministry e-mail for six weeks, so we elected to do the second most popular route – Porto, Portugal, to Santiago.” The 154-mile route can easily be accomplished in 10-14 days, she said, but they added the “spiritual route” to allow them to stay at a monastery. The extra route – and the trip to Finisterre (“the end of the Earth”), recommended by Sister Durstyne Farnan, OP, brought their journey to 241 miles in three weeks. Like a conventional retreat, El Camino involved a certain rhythm to the day, Sister Mariane recalled. “Every day you get up, you eat a light breakfast, and you start walking,” she said. “Stop along the way for rest, water, and the occasional chocolate croissant, arrive at your hotel, shower, wash your clothes, find dinner, go to bed, wash, rinse, repeat. One foot in front of the other for hours every day.” Sister Mariane especially appreciated the lack of distractions – “no phone, no news, nothing but you and the trail.” The route itself gave the two pilgrims much time for reflection. The first three days were on the coastal route along the Atlantic Ocean, and much of the rest, on the Central Route, took them through farmlands, eucalyptus forests, and woods with streams. “No matter where we were, it was beautiful and perfect for reflection,” Sister Mariane recalled.
Surprises, Challenges, and Lessons Though the rhythm sounds pleasant, Sister Mariane said she also found surprises and challenges along the way. She was surprised to discover that her fitness and training did not prepare her for the rigors of El Camino. “I was not ready for the terrain,” she said. “Every step had the potential for you to fall.” Her back foot often got caught on a cobblestone or on roots. “After a while I slowed down and started to pay attention to the ground,” she said. She became acutely aware that she wasn’t fully prepared for the pilgrimage four days in, when one of her students, Heather, and her boyfriend, John, joined them for the walk. “Day four was when we had the boulder climb,” Sister Mariane recalled. “I watched Heather scamper up the boulders like a chipmunk, while I stood below, surveying them and trying to decide the safest way to ascend without risking my life. At that point, it occurred to me that Heather turns 50 this year, and when I was 50, I was still running marathons. … I can mitigate the impacts of aging a bit, but I cannot stop it.” The experience of the walk taught Sister Mariane and Cindy other important spiritual lessons. On the third day, Sister Mariane recalled she and Cindy realized that carrying their 20-pound backpacks all day was a hindrance: they were too heavy and often threw them off balance. Following the example of Cindy’s experience with AA, they changed their thinking, and, for two days, shipped their packs ahead of them to a designated hotel. “This was helpful, but the one thing we both wanted was the ability to be spontaneous – to stay in a town if we liked it and to walk until we either couldn’t walk anymore or found a town we wanted to stay in,” Sister Mariane explained. “Shipping our packs ahead daily made this not possible.” They emptied their packs of anything they wouldn’t need for the journey and shipped them to the hotel where they would stay on the final day. “My pack was now close to 10 pounds and I could easily walk 20 or more miles with it,” Sister Mariane said. “Lesson learned: get rid of the baggage and you’ll walk easier and lighter.” She took it a step further: “Take only what you need, not what you think you might need. The trail may turn me into a mendicant yet.”
Along with the physical load of her backpack, Sister Mariane also carried with her the intentions of Adrian Dominican Sisters. “All along the route, there are places where people have left prayer intentions, and I carried the intentions of our Adrian Dominican family with me at all times,” she explained. “Cindy brought a bunch of shells with her, and we placed them at every prayer spot.” Highlights Along with the scenery and the time for reflection, Sister Mariane counted the people she met in the cities and towns along the way as a highlight of her El Camino experience. “One of the things that was very dear to me was how proud the people were of their history,” she said. “If I spoke any Spanish at all, they would go to great lengths to explain all the wonderful things about their history.” The people were also proud of the Camino route and solicitous of the pilgrims, always pointing the way to Santiago when Sister Mariane and Cindy took the wrong path. “One woman said to us in English, ‘Always, someone to help you.’”
Another highlight was Sister Mariane’s experience of Finisterre (End of the Earth), the cape on the coast of Spain so named by the ancient Romans because, at that point, they could walk no further and saw only the ocean. “The End of the Earth was well worth the extra walk,” she said. She and Cindy followed the tradition of leaving something behind as a symbol of starting a new life. They left the last shells, “our final tribute to all those we carried with us on the journey.” But to Sister Mariane, finally arriving at Santiago was less of a highlight. By the time they arrived in the city, the square was crowded and the cathedral – site of the daily Pilgrim Mass – was too full for them to enter. However, Sister Mariane said, they attended the Pilgrim Mass the next day and heard their names announced as pilgrims who had completed their journey. Sister Mariane encouraged anybody who is so inclined to make the El Camino pilgrimage. “Everyone’s Camino is their own and there is no right way,” she said. “The Camino will tell you what you need. You just have to listen.”