The theme of the General Chapter “Rooted in Jesus Christ, let us Cultivate Love and Compassion” allowed us the means of deepening our call to be CND in our world today. Natalie Manning, a friend of the sisters in Blessed Sacrament Province, was asked to design a logo that would help to inspire us along this journey toward chapter. The logo is full of life and light, open to growth, expansive, hopeful and joyful, suggesting the possibility of movement that stretches both outward and inward. Andrée Maheu, CND constructed the logo for our chapter gathering. Made of recycled/salvaged wood, it stands 7 feet tall. She managed to bring the logo to life through her creative talent and deep love of the life mission of the CND. Allow this image of our theme to speak to you. How then shall we live?
Well, our ship is in port, preparing for the next phase of our journey. The ship is in good condition. It has been recently serviced in Cornwall where it was found to be a very sturdy vessel. During many, many years of sailing, work has been done periodically to preserve the essentials and to constantly renew what was needed to respond to the reality of the times. The various crews over the years have proven to be excellent leaders and have acted to ensure that Marguerite’s Congregation continues to embrace her spirit and to reach out to answer the needs of our time, especially to bring the love of God to all.
The Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Core Committee (Visitation Province of the Congregation of Notre Dame) met at the mother house October 21-24. The Committee reviewed the work of the past year and set priorities for upcoming months. We had a report from the recent General Chapter and discussion around what JPIC can do to further Chapter Directions and support the new Leadership Team. We reviewed (briefly) the story of our Visitation JPIC up to now, and made efforts to vision how best to move forward from here. On Monday, October 24th, we met with the Province Administration Team to share with members what we see as strengths, challenges, questions, hopes and possibilities. We continue to be involved, with similar groups and organizations, in the topics outlined on our promotion card, with emphasis on the areas of Eco-Justice and Economic Justice.
