Associate News
During this holiday season, many Associate Communities have been coming together to bring glad tidings to those in need and to our Senior Sisters.
The Congregation de Notre-Dame Associates and friends of Rhode Island held our annual Advent Retreat on December 3rd at the home of Kristen. The warmth of her home facilitated the warmth of our coming together to prayerfully share our personal Advent symbols and stories. In keeping with the spirit of "going to the peripheries", we adopted a homeless family from Holy Family Home for Mothers and Children run by a local parish in Providence, fulfilled their Christmas "wish lists", wrapped all the presents and readied them for Santa's sleigh. We also enjoyed all of the home made delicacies prepared by everyone for the occasion.
Judy Laffey, Associate
News From Congregation De Notre-Dame In Wilton
On Thanksgiving Day, 26 Sisters of the Congregation de Notre-Dame, including six from Lourdes gathered for the holiday celebration. Our “traditional” getting together had some new elements. The new venue allowed us to sit closer together in smaller groups, provided ready-to-go table settings, and most importantly allowed easy access for the Lourdes healthcare centre Sisters. In other years, we had to transport them by car! The traditional turkey and all the trimmings were cooked by our local Stop and Shop and were quite delicious! As someone from Lourdes said: It is the getting together that matters!!
Vocation Ministry
Sisters, I am grateful for having been invited to coordinate the Vocation Ministry in the province. In accepting this role, I discerned that I needed to stay grounded in the Cathedral parish ministry, as well. In that discernment, it has been clear to me that we are all in this together. I depend on you, and we are interdependent on one another to use our gifts and "lights" to see how God is leading us individually and communally. I’m hoping to visit you—in person or virtually—to reflect on this with you.
In true Visitation style, I ask you to consider doing several — or all! — of the following:
contemplate the events and people surrounding your initial calling! (How did it unfold?)
be willing to openly share the story of that initial calling with each other—and later, possibly with others.
translate your initial calling into a small poster form that could be used to promote vocations.
compose a Marguerite Bourgeoys-inspired prayer for vocations.
United with you as we continuously follow the path our Advent reflections lead us to! Peace!
