Truly a Blessing

Each year we gather the employees of our Sisters of Notre Dame Sponsored Ministries and honor those employees who are marking an anniversary year of employment with us, and each year I find myself a bit overwhelmed. These are individuals who have committed to more than a job; they make a statement by their day-to-day…

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Simeon and Anna Ministry

When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to present him as in infant, they encountered two wisdom figures – Simeon and Anna.  We’re told in the Gospel that these two individuals spent a great deal of time in the temple (and had done so for years!) awaiting the Messiah.  They lived lives of…

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24 and Under

As we celebrate the feast of St. Aloysius today, I am reminded that he belongs to the 24 and Under Club — those Saints who died at the age of 24 or younger. There are actually quite a few in this amazing group, including Dominic Savio, Elizabeth of Hungary, Kateri Tekakwitha, Therese of Lisieux, Aloysius…

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Words and Actions

Like so many others, I have always known St. Anthony as Patron of lost articles and I have sought his intercession on more than one occasion!  I never thought of him as a great theologian or scholar.  However, in today’s Office of Readings, the excerpt on his life indicates that he was recognized by St.…

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Feast of the Sacred Heart

I love the fact that the readings for this Solemnity of the Sacred Heart highlight the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd.  When I was on pilgrimage in Rome and Germany in 2002, I was touched by how often I “met” the Shepherd.  This image is everywhere! One of the things I have come…

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An Intense Hold

As I celebrate today with the Church the feast of the Visitation, I’m drawn to our Congregational Constitutions, Art. 14:   “The more intensely the tender love of Jesus takes hold of us, the more we become free from self and available to share his love with others.” I believe this is what Mary experienced…

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Jesus – the Best BFF!

As I listen to today’s first reading from Sirach, I can’t help but smile when I think of the common use of “BFF” today.  Certainly, Jesus is the very best BEST FRIEND FOREVER!  “A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure. A faithful friend is beyond price, no sum…

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A Marian Pause

Yesterday touched on a treasured tradition here at our Provincial Center. Several of our Sisters gathered after Mass with Father Tom Leyland for the blessing of a special Marian Grotto on the fourth floor porch.  This so reminds me of the many May Altars I experienced as a child in my home, my classroom and…

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Gift of the Father

There is so much in the Gospel readings from the Farewell Discourse of John’s Gospel that makes me stop and ponder….and wonder. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus refers to His disciples and all of us as “those You [the Father] have given me.”  Jesus truly sees me as “a gift from the Father!”  I find…

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Back Seat Driving

I think God must smile at times when I try so hard to be in control.  When we go to Mass each morning, we take turns driving.  One morning, one of the other Sisters commented how much she was enjoying the scenery because I was driving and she was able to look around. God offers…

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