Moral Vision for Our Healthcare Future

Faithful Reform in Healthcare, a  project to help people of faith address healthcare reform, has produced A Moral Vision for Our Healthcare Future, a reflection on the new healthcare legislation in the light of faith. The six-page document can be accessed by clicking here.

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REFLECTION: by Sarah Cushing

I have grown up in Waterloo, IA my entire life, so when I received the invitation to attend this groundbreaking I felt not only excited to go, but in a sense obligated. This is my town, I have seen the many struggles of the people in Waterloo, and feel that anything being done to better this community is something I want to be involved in.

Attending this groundbreaking, I learned more about the details of the project and how it would be benefiting low income families in Waterloo. Sitting there listening to all those involved share about their excitement for the project, I felt proud to be there. Although I was not directly involved in the planning and preparation of this project, I was excited to sit there and learn. It was a reminder to me that we cannot always be involved in everything. There may be things we support and that we feel passionate about, but the tasks of our busy lives may sometimes keep us from becoming involved. However, just because we cannot be directly involved in something,  does not mean that we cannot support those who are involved. One vital way to support is through pray. It is a gift we can all give. It does not require financial resources, or even much time; But simply the conscious effort of making the time to pray. We can also educate ourselves.

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Plan on a Retreat Day

Sponsored by the Institute for Catholic Spirituality and Spiritual Direction, Diocese of Stockton, Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI: “Sexuality and Spirituality: From Anxiety and Restlessness to Gratitude and Blessing” at Our Lady of Fatima Hall, 505 W. Granger Avenue, Modesto, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 12, 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. $15 for the day – bring your own lunch

Check for reservation should be made payable to: Two Bears Dancing/ICSSD and mailed to: 1926 Colombard Circle, Lodi, CA 95240

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Associates’ First Sunday examines “Who’s In Charge Anyway?”

Have you paid attention to your inner movements lately? Or taken the time to examine your consciousness to understand how your life and personal decisions are aligned with God?

The associates’ First Sunday in November was facilitated by Sister Mary Ann Scofield who invited the group to explore a growth from willfulness to willingness. Mary Ann focused her presentation around two key themes: 1) God is always acting and 2) God acts in concrete ways.

With 26 individuals in the room, a feeling of weightlessness became evident towards the end of Mary Ann’s presentation as associates moved from a feeling of free-falling to free-floating. She accomplished this by taking all on a journey to explore ways to focus on the movements inside and become aware of the moments when the mystery of God breaks through and moves one farther than thought possible. As everyone left to go to Sunday Mass, they took with them a message to be gentle to one self and remember that “God may not give us what we want but he always gives us what we need.”

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The Circle of Mercy is Timeless

Here is a blog entry by one of our Mercy Core Volunteers, Megan.

“Mercy Day.

Around 800 girls are sitting in their goregous auditorium in Farmington Hills right around now, holding a special Mass in honor of Mercy Day. It’s also their Spirit Week, so most of them are probably pre-occupied with Homecoming excitement to really understand Mercy Day.”

Read the rest here!

Thanks Megan!

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Reflections on visit to Panama

From June 1 – 8, Sisters Jeanne Christensen, Karen Donahue, and Kathleen Erickson participated in the extraordinary opportunity of gathering with the Extended Institute Justice Team – justice coordinators from each of the five U.S and one CCASA communities, the Institute Justice Team, and the Institute Leadership Team liaisons for Justice. The extraordinary was gathering in Panama, meeting the seven Sisters of Mercy who live and minister there and the many people with whom they serve, and really feeling our identity as global Mercy .

In the photo below L-R Sister Eileen Campbell and Sister Reg McKillop, OP, visit children at Our Lady of Fatima parish school in Panama City.

I was profoundly touched by these women who serve the poorest of the poor, many in miserable conditions. Against all odds, they create hope and are optimistic for a better future. When I asked Sr. Edia Del C. Lopez (Sr.Tita) how they minister every day against such odds, she smiled her spontaneous and gentle smile and said, “We do what we can.” Plain and simple – they “walk the talk.” They find Christ among the poor. Catherine McAuley would be so proud of these daughters of hers!

Two of the sisters, Edith and Nieves, work in a mountainous area where they go on foot or by horseback to reach the people with whom they serve. Ninety-seven percent of their people live in severe poverty and sixty percent suffer from malnutrition. This is why their “Seeds of Hope” project is so essential. A You Tube video, created by the Vincentian Fathers with whom they collaborated in this ministry, is found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTvEAyeSBAA. It tells the story of their ministry better than any words can.

A second You Tube video (“Protest Against Dams, Ngobe Panama”), also created with the Vincentian Fathers, addresses these sisters’ abiding concern over the destruction of the river on which they depend for all their water needs. This river is being threatened by the construction of huge, hydroelectric plants. The electricity from these plants is being sent out of the country to places as far away as Las Vegas, NV. It does not benefit the indigenous people who lose not only their source of clean water but much of the surrounding fertile farmland on which they depend for sustenance. Sisters Edith and Nieves were present with their people during this protest. This video can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dK1Q4hYee44.

This advocacy is in addition to their full-time ministries. The sisters in Panama and Colon have established centers where they serve women, children and the elderly. They and their staffs educate, encourage, motivate, build self-esteem and respect, and work to end violence, especially domestic violence. They were delighted to have so many visitors and had prepared special programs for us, especially the children who wore in native dress and danced native dances. One class of primary-age children learned a song in English and was very proud to sing it for us.

We were not tourists – we were there to walk with our sisters, experience their ministries, meet their people and to realize that we are all one…these are our sisters, our ministries, our people. Yes, we saw the Panama Canal and yes, it is impressive; but we learned, often to our embarrassment, how the role of the United States has impacted (often negatively) the development of this country. Negative because the people have been displaced, fertile farmland confiscated, rivers contaminated, homes demolished to build some major project that does not benefit the native people, and native culture subsumed by consumer-driven western culture. There are McDonalds and KFCs, Levi jeans, and billboards hawking goods and services.

Over the course of the Extended Institute Justice Team meeting, we talked, planned, prayed, reflected, played and celebrated. In one conversation I had with Sr. Tita and Sr. Anita (Argentina’s justice coordinator), we talked about Martin Luther King, Jr. “I have a Dream.” Because these sisters have a dream – a vision – of what can be, of a better future for their people, they have hope. These sisters accompany their people. I believe we are called to accompany these sisters, but how we do that is not clear. I am reminded of a quote I reflected on while I was in Panama: “Vision without actions is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.” (Joel Barker)

Our sisters have a vision, they have hope, they accompany their people, and together they take action. How will we accompany our sisters and their people? Now is the time! Are we ready?

–Jeanne Christensen, RSM
WMW Justice Team

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Reflections on West Midwest Community’s first anniversary

Kim Kinsel, Community Operations Officer, Sisters of Mercy West Midwest Community

by Kim Kinsel
Community Operations Officer, West Midwest Community

I am on my way to North Carolina to spend 10 days at Ocean Isle Beach with my family. We have gone to this beach almost every summer for the past 22 years.  On the way, we are stopping at a few colleges throughout the Midwest.

It is almost exactly two years ago that I first learned of the Community Operations Officer position for the newly forming West Midwest Community. And I was on vacation at Ocean Isle Beach then too.  I was looking for a COO position in healthcare, but this one definitely caught my eye. The job description captured my mind and my heart, and I can honestly say this was the first time I read a job description that fits who I am – my values, my experience, and my personality. In looking back, I now recognize it was no accident that I happened upon this position.

I often encourage individuals to look behind them to truly evaluate their current reality.  In the fast pace of life, we can sometimes feel we aren’t getting enough work done, or we aren’t achieving the results we had hoped for or we don’t have the balance we want for our lives. Looking backward, we can see more clearly what has been accomplished.

So, let’s look back together at this first year as the new West Midwest Community. This year has included highs and lows and throughout, it has included change. We have said goodbye to beloved leaders and co-workers. The reality of going to one central administrative site with one leadership team instead of six communities, each with its own leadership team and full complement of staff means we have fewer staff members.  Most of the employees who left knew their jobs were ending and the Sisters of Mercy were generous and kind as those positions ended.

We do have a core staff at every former community site and they have taken on a myriad of responsibilities, some expected, some not.  Consistently, staff members who stayed and who are also happy with their work describe their experience with change and the unknown as difficult, but also exciting and rewarding.  If the unknown or the unpredictable is difficult for an individual, working for the Sisters of Mercy probably isn’t the right place for them as we are still in a period of change!

In preparing for this “year in review” issue, I asked several people to reflect on their own experiences and memories of this past year.

• I guess I am amazed at the adaptability of sisters and staff alike.  We all fear change, but somehow we find a way to embrace it.  I think this year has been full of new challenges, but certainly led us down some wonderful paths.  I am grateful for the opportunities that have been presented to staff and to our sisters. I think in this difficult economic time, we are blessed to work with this group of individuals who come together for the common goal of making things better for the sisters and to share in their vision.  
•  For me, there is an exhilaration of stepping into a new paradigm.  This involves learning new processes, meeting new people and experiencing their competency and support.  Added to that is being part of a new experience and hearing the stories from the different former regions. This has been life-giving.   
• Regarding the “lows”, the most challenging for me is the “bumbling” that takes place when trying to understand new processes, sometimes resulting in misunderstanding the process. A wise person once said to me, “anything worth doing is worth doing bad to begin with.” So together we go forward, continuing the process. 
• The perseverance of our staff to keep moving forward – at no time during this last year, has anyone discussed leaving – through the tough times (figuring out who does what) and the celebrations (employees retirement parties), the WMW staff continued to look forward as the West Midwest Community.    
• The Operations Manager Meeting in September 2008 in Omaha, meeting the leadership team, Omaha staff, and others in my “like position” from the West Midwest and spending time with everyone as a group to share ideas and goals. 
• One of the lowlights was not having the leadership team physically present in our building. 
• I appreciated the forging ahead with the new entity while respecting the unique culture of each entity. 
• This was a very big transition done in a very organized and seamless way. 
• The weekly connections with a larger group of employees through Weekly Wrap have helped everyone feel more connected.
• (I enjoyed) seeing the bigger picture and getting introduced to the five other locations and staff. 
• I liked the onsite visits by WMW staff putting names with faces and some staff having an opportunity to travel to Omaha, Chicago, etc., to meet with colleagues doing the same ministry.
• The Consultation Networks and the opportunity for sisters and associates to meet and mingle around topics of interest and need were wonderful. 
• Visits by team members and meeting the staff members locally were greatly appreciated. 
• The transition has not been without its bumps, but my favorite memory is seeing and feeling the really wonderful energy that fills Mercy Center when the Consultation Network meetings are held here. 
• It seems as if WMW has opened up new thinking, more expansive and creative processes to meet the challenges and opportunities of merging. 
• Though the transition over the past year was at times difficult, some of my best memories have come from working with WMW staff, both at home and at other locations. 
• It was comforting to learn that everyone was going through similar changes and growing pains – sometimes it was something as simple as finally putting a face on the voice at the other end of the conference call. I think working closely with the ALT helped ease my worries as well – knowing that, whatever the outcome, my opinions and thoughts were valued and taken into consideration. I really felt like part of the decision-making process, and that made the transition easier for me.  
• I see the past several years now from a different perspective. Many seeds were planted by previous leadership, not all understood at the time. Now, we are starting to witness the flowers of those seeds beginning to sprout, and we can foresee the time they will blossom.  
• One of the times that stand out strongly in my mind was my visit to Omaha. After almost a decade of being at one place, I was really able to see, for the first time, a larger and greater community of which we are now a part. It was a wonderful experience that allowed me to expand my vision of the West Midwest.  
• There is a greater confidence that “all will be well.” 
• Getting to know the broader community membership is a blessing. 
• Working for the WMW Community and having the opportunity to make a difference is a gift. 
• Growing pains hurt but they signal maturity is happening! 
• The employees of the WMW Community demonstrate a great commitment to Mercy. 
• In spite of being a year of ongoing “transition” it became a year to be able to try new things, create new processes, freely share ideas about the future, volunteer for diverse special projects, and broaden my experience. 
• I didn’t fully realize the impact of being in a recently merged reality since I came after it had occurred. Fortunately through all of this I felt the calling to do this work and tremendous respect for the sisters and for all of the leadership and staff who are really joined by the charism of Catherine McAuley. Our talents are different but we share a deep commitment to these sisters and their ministries.

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Mercy Challenge — reflections 2009

Clare Huerter

Clare Huerter is one of the seven women participating in Mercy Challenge. This is a week long service and prayer experience for young women who wish to live in a local Sisters of Mercy community and learn more about the Mercy mission and ministries.  This year’s challenge took place in Sacramento, Calif. immerse themselves in Mercy life and community through morning prayer, ministry experience, meals, reflection, relaxation and fun with Sisters of Mercy in Auburn, Burlingame and Sacramento. During the day, the young women ministered with Sister Libby Fernandez, RSM, at Loaves and Fishes, a Mercy ministry dedicated to serving the needs of homeless persons in the Sacramento area.  http://www.sistersofmercy.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2158&Itemid=180

Here is Clare’s observation on day 1 of the Challenge:

“Expectations” May 16, 2009 4:37

Travel Alone always has its ups and downs. It gets lonely but it’s nice to get a break and get a chance to spend time in thoughts and reflection. My expectations are high for this trip. I know, I know, don’t get your hopes up but there is no doubt in my mind that the Sisters of Mercy in California have the same spirit and enthusiasm and drive as the sisters I’ve met in Laredo, Omaha, and Philadelphia.

I got an e-mail from Sr. Pat and she said that we will be working with Loaves and Fishes for the majority of the week. I’m looking forward to working with the poor. I don’t get a change to work with the poor as much as I like. I usually find myself in other volunteer position. Working with the poor brings me so much and I forget how full of the spirit I feel when I leave any sort of volunteer position with the poor. When people say they don’t work the poor because it is too hard for them, or they don’t think they can do enough for them, they don’t realize that they do much more for us.

I talked to a lady who was sitting behind me for awhile. She was interesting in that fact that I was going to California to volunteer. She was interested in what else I had done. Yes again, I got to talking about Laredo, about how much I loved it and how much I learned from it. She was very supportive. I have found that when I first start talking about my experiences in the Laredo, it’s like I’m walking on egg shells until I know what their views are. This lady was very understanding and must be some sort of teacher or social worker because she asked all the “right questions”. She told me she is inspired by my experiences and would like to someday learn Spanish and go down to the border. I guess if I can help educate one person about the border, I’ve done my job for the many people who put their trust in us with their stories while we were down there.

My mind is on Laredo, and I’m ready for it to transition to San Francisco and Sacramento. I haven’t been to either of these cities but have felt a strong pull to San Francisco since I was a little kid. At the beginning of this school year, I was planning out my life, listening to God laugh at me, and I was looking up the different Mercy High Schools around the United States. I want to teach high school most of all and I know I want to teach in Mercy High Schools. When I put it in Google, Burlingame was the first Mercy high school that came up. I know that Google is a tossup, but I didn’t realize there was a Mercy school in San Fran and thought it was interesting that it was the first thing that popped up.

I looked at the school and fell in love. Yeah, I know, It’s a gorgeous mansion and anyone could fall in love with it over the internet, but I think I’m going to find a connection there. If I have felt a pull to San Fran, and later found out there was a Mercy high school there, I think there has to be something there. So that is something that I will later blog about once I am in the college. We will be going there tonight and I’m so eager I can’t stand it. Hopefully my intuition is right, but I won’t lie about how I feel about it.

The flights today have all been smooth sailin’ and we are hopefully going to land here pretty quick. I don’t think I’m going to be able to sit for much longer. I get so ansy when I’m traveling. I insist on getting to the airport earlier than we need to.

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