I have a friend who is 80 year old. She is a Loretto sister. The Loretto sisters have their motherhouse in Wheaton, Illinois. So, the Loretto sisters are spread across the United States, but they are committed to listening to each other prayerfully. As with many congregations in the U.S., their population is aging. For skilled nursing and other services, such as alzheimers, they have partnered with other congregations at Resurrection Life Center in Chicago. For example, my spiritual director for 20 + years, a Cenacle sister, lived at the Resurrection Life Center with her alzheimers and died there last May. However, for assisted living services not offered at Resurrection Life Center, the Loretto sisters came together in conversation to decide on a facility. How they did this is a model of obedience, of listening, to me.
The Loretto sisters' council researched seven different options for assisted living. They eliminated two of the options as not within their search parameters. The council presented the remaining five options to the community and asked them to choose. The council asked community members to choose with one proviso -- that they choose a single place to which all would go. The community-at-large gathered, listened to each other, prayed with each other, and came up with their choice. They recorded their findings in a document which they blessed in prayer and then presented to their council for a final decision. For me, this is a model of listening and collaborative action.
This is one story that I'm contemplating as I consider membership in our congregation, in this province. It is a story I consider in contrast. But, it is a kind of story that is familiar to the Franciscan family. This story is from a Franciscan web site:
"Clare was joined by other women including her sisters and mother, eager to live a life devoted to God. All were accepted and cared for, no matter their family background. Clare modeled right relationships in the way she called the sisters together in collegial decision making. She wanted to listen to the wisdom of each sister. Clare was the first woman to write and have approved a way of life. She wrote a way of life that honored the graces available in the ordinary actions of everyday life." (1)
These are some of my ponderings of late.
(1) Source: Sisters of St. Francis, Daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary, http://www.franciscansisters-fcjm.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=80%3Ast-clare-of-assisi&catid=10%3Afranciscan-heritage&Itemid=7&lang=en
