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September 30, 2021, Adrian, Michigan – “Our life is a process of awakening. Each of us is precious to God. The wonderful thing that I have witnessed over years of spiritual direction is that God knows each of us intimately and will lead us in ways that we can follow.”
That was the introduction that Sister Patricia Benson, OP, made as she opened her September 23, 2021, spirituality talk, “Awakening Journey with God.” Her presentation was the latest in a series of live streamed talks sponsored by the Spirituality Committee of the Adrian Dominican Sisters.
Throughout her talk, Sister Pat spoke of how God led her through various stages of her life. After each stage, she paused and posed a question, giving her audience a few minutes to reflect on their answer. “Please look at your relationship with God and Jesus and know that God will work within your personal circumstances and gifts – but sometimes in surprising and maybe challenging ways,” she said.
Sister Pat spoke of her young life and how her views of the world were shaped by those of her family and neighbors – and how her world “got bigger” when she attended Catholic school. Her teen years were marked by the “usual adolescent struggles,” but her view of God was growing, too. “I chose to enter religious life specifically to have time for God in my life,” she said.
She went on to speak of her formation years and the “breath of fresh air and a deeper freedom to think and explore” that came through Vatican II and the Adrian Dominican Congregation’s three-year Chapter of Renewal, which set the stage for sweeping changes in response to Vatican II.
After her undergraduate study, Sister Pat said, she was invited to work towards a master’s degree in either mathematics or theology. “Although since high school I thought I would be a math and science teacher for the rest of my life, this provoked a serious discernment,” leading to her decision to study theology, she said. “Being introduced to the depth and breadth of the Christian tradition with its various schools of thought opened my mind to the reality of theology as faith seeking understanding.” Sister Pat went on to discuss her developing understanding that humanity is “trashing Earth, God’s beautiful creation,” and that her American lifestyle made her complicit in this destruction. But she concluded with her deeper understanding of God’s forgiveness and unconditional love – and how our understanding of the universe has led to an expanded view of God.
“The Infinite Mystery has had to include a loving, compassionate mystery,” Sister Pat said. “The God who created everything in the universe – perhaps multiverse – loves it and continues to hold it. Paul’s image of the Body of Christ has had to grow to include kinship with all of creation and cosmic dimensions.”
Watch the recording of Sister Pat’s presentation below.
September 14, 2021, Adrian, Michigan – As people of faith throughout the world celebrate the Season of Creation – September 1 through October 4, 2021 – Adrian Dominican Sisters and Associates listened to a Sustainability Update that focused on various projects on the Motherhouse Campus and on the call for the Congregation and individuals to become involved in Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ Action Platform.
Offering the September 7, 2021, presentation were Sister Corinne Sanders, OP, Director of the Office of Sustainability; Joel Henricks, Director of Facilities and Grounds; Jared Aslakson, Permaculture Specialist; and Sister Kathleen Nolan, OP, Director of the Office of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation.
Jared spoke of projects undertaken during this summer at the Permaculture site: from the loan of 20 goats for five days to stop the spread of invasive plants to the success of one of two hives of bees, which produced 12 pints of honey. Jared went on to speak of the success of the perennial trees, which are bearing fruit, and of the pollinator garden.
Jared noted that his intentional care of the fruit trees this season has been successful. “A lot of the perennial trees are yielding fruit, and we should expect the yield to steadily increase,” he said.
Joel offered an update on sustainability projects such as restoration of the storm water retention pond. “All the storm water is collected around the Siena Heights football field,” he explained, adding that the project is designed to control erosion and to bring clean water into the pond. In addition, wildlife that scattered when the project began is returning.
Work is starting in the Regina building parking lot in preparation for installation of a new carport, which will both support solar panels and include six charging stations for electric vehicles. Other work includes the installation of a new water main, which will be operational at the beginning of 2022, and removal of dead or dying trees throughout the campus. Also in the works is a solar array in a field at the north end of the Motherhouse Campus.
Much of the presentation focused on the Congregation’s involvement in Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ Action Platform. “The pope invited the Catholic community worldwide to join in a movement that we came to know as Laudato Si’ Action Platform, working at total sustainability,” Sister Kathleen explained.
Laudato Si’ is the 2015 encyclical by Pope Francis, in which he calls for action from the worldwide community to save and restore Earth, our common home. “The encyclical is really calling us to care for our planet and to look at how we can incorporate and engage in the vision of ecology that was outlined in Laudato Si’,” Sister Kathleen said. “Pope Francis issued an urgent challenge to the entire world to protect our common home, cultivating a deep relationship with all creatures.”
Sisters Kathleen and Corinne, along with the Congregation’s Justice Promoters, have been attending webinars to learn about the Action Plan: a seven-year plan and a public commitment to work toward a number of goals. The goals are: response to the cry of the Earth; response to the cry of the poor; ecological economics; adoption of simple lifestyles; ecological education; ecological spirituality; and emphasis on community involvement and participatory action.
“Things are falling into place for to make a significant response,” Sister Kathleen said. “The goals will help to guide our actions and they redefine and rebuild our relationship with each other and with our common home.” The Congregation’s involvement is a matter for the 2022 General Chapter in February, during which the Adrian Dominican Sisters set the direction for the next six years and elect new leadership.
In the meantime, Sister Corinne suggested some actions that Sisters, Associates, Co-workers, and other Partners in Mission can take personally, especially during the Season of Creation: read or re-read Laudato Si’; explore the Action Platform website; re-examine your carbon footprint; and sit and walk contemplatively with Earth.
Watch the entire recording of the Sustainability Update below.
Feature photo: Artist’s conceptions of two of the sustainability projects for the Motherhouse Campus of the Adrian Dominican Sisters: a solar array in one of the fields (left) and a carport, which will support more solar panels.