I had the opportunity to go on an eight-day silent retreat this past week. Turning off all devices and unplugging really helps me to be with God and my inner self in a deeper way. There were over 40 other people on retreat, all of us held by the shared silence. 

One evening, I came out of the chapel and sat in the lounge to watch the sunset, and the following words came to me:

I felt compelled to bow to the sunset
your sunset
just as I bow to the tabernacle
watching the sun’s slow descent
the changes in the sky
yellows, pinks, blues
is mesmerizing and awe inspiring
a sign of your presence and fidelity
you who gave us a planet
on which we can know
that the sun will rise each day
what glory, what reassurance
You gift it to us anew each day
and each night
we can rejoice in the beauty of hiddenness
because we know new light will come
I bow to your sunset.

What calls out to you to bow in awe?

Blessings,
Sister Lorraine Réaume

Just as married couples celebrate wedding anniversaries, women religious celebrate what we call Jubilees or years of loving service as a Sister. Every year we celebrate our Sister “Jubilarians,” who have served 75 years, 70 years, 60 years, 50 years, and 25 years of religious life. This week close to 70 Jubilarians will come together at our Motherhouse in Adrian, Michigan to celebrate their Jubilee with families and friends!  It’s a wonderful homecoming! I would like to share with you a poem that Sister Lorraine Réaume, OP, wrote this year in honor of our Jubilarians.

Decades offered
Five and six
Combined, hundreds of years
Of love, of generosity, of faith, of witness
Lives full and rich and varied
Lives blessed and blessing
Listening to the quiet whispers and surprising summons
To begin something new
To go somewhere untested
To turn strangers into neighbors and friends
Walking with the shy soul of another
Preaching to a crowd
Passing gifts on to others
Generating and generative
The word made flesh in new ways 
And familiar prayers
Jesus as friend, brother, companion, 
Always present
Prodding, guiding, encouraging,
The ministry is never done alone
But always in the name

Decades, five and six, 
Well lived
Well served
With joy
With gratitude
With adventure
With hope
Hundreds of years 
What a witness
What a gift 
What magnificent lives
We thank you
We bless you 
We continue to walk with you
As you walk the faithful journey
With our God

Blessings,
Sister Sara