Amplifying our Shared Charism Through Prophetic Witness

A Monroe Perspective

by Mary Ann Hinsdale, IHM

In reflecting on my experience of the hybrid Tri-IHM gathering (part virtual, part in-person) held in conjunction with the celebration of the 180^th IHM anniversary of its founding, I thought of my first experience of a Tri-IHM Gathering.  It was at Immaculata College in 1970 when “tri-community” was more of an “education conference.” I was twenty-three years old, a junior Sister in temporary vows, studying for my master’s in Religious Education at Catholic University in Washington, DC.  It was the time of Vietnam War protests and my formation house was host to delegations from Michigan who came to protest the war along with us. In April of 1968 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  and Robert F. Kennedy had been assassinated and the ensuing riots devastated the nation’s capital.  My memory may be fuzzy, but I do not recall that this Tri-IHM celebration focused on these events, although I am sure we must have prayed in our liturgical celebrations for the war’s end and for an end to violence. Years later I participated in the 1995 Tri-IHM/Oblate celebration of the IHM Sesquicentennial in Monroe when the Oblate Sisters of Providence joined us. When the OSP Superior General, Sr. Mary Claudina Sanz, her councilors and the OSP delegation entered our auditorium, they were given a standing ovation. It was an emotional experience for everyone.

One might have well understood if there was some Oblate diffidence about coming to Monroe to celebrate the IHM 150^th anniversary.  Theresa Duchemin, who had been elected Superior of the Oblates on June 24, 1841, left them a short time after and followed an itinerant Redemptorist missionary for “the frontier” in Michigan, and Theresa herself had “passed for white.” 

The third Tri-IHM gathering that I attended was held in Scranton in 2015 and again the Oblates were present. A highlight was African American theologian, Dr. Vanessa White from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago who was a plenary speaker and the theme was “Now is Our Time, One in God’s Grace.” Referencing the 50^th anniversary of Vatican II, discussions centered on discerning “the signs of our times.” Then, this past July 10-13, the three IHM congregations and the Oblates were joined by “the Grey nuns” of Ottawa who had sheltered Theresa Maxis during her exile.

The meeting was held virtually and we learned about “asset mapping” from our facilitator, Sue Weber, as a way to see how we might “amplify our shared charism.” I found this to be a creative and exciting experiment for leveraging the bonds of our relationship in service to the Gospel at this time in our history. Our past experiences of the healing racism retreats, our inter-congregational presence at the border in McAllen, Texas, as well as the physical spaces each group occupies were some of the “assets” considered. Detailed “minutes” of the four days of asset mapping were produced by the graphic artist, Martha McGinnis of Visual Logic, and they now grace the walls outside the Avila dining room in Monroe (see the illustration). In my own small group, we proposed that this gathering offered an auspicious occasion to “amplify our voices” in light of the current U.S. administration’s ban on Haitians entering the US and its immigration policies in general. A statement was drafted in the hope that this gathering of five religious communities might make a public protest, but given the shortness of time, it was referred to the OSP/IHM Governing Board.

In my opinion, the development of a process for creating a common statement or ritual that reflects the values implicit in an “amplified shared charism” would certainly be “an asset” in this time of polarization. But lest one think the main take-away from this most recent gathering consisted of “heavy issues,” the wonderful talent of Minnesota folk singer Ann Reed not only entertained during one of the last evenings, but she reminded us in song that

“Every long journey is made of small steps,
Is made of the courage, the feeling you get;
You know it’s been waiting, been waiting for you,
the journeys the only thing you want to do.”¹

Sister Mary Ann’s academic specializations are in theological anthropology, feminist, and ecological theologies. She served on the faculty at Boston College from 2000-2024. She is currently working on a book on ecclesiology from a decolonial, feminist perspective. She is a member of the Monroe IHM Congregation.

Reference

¹ Ann Reed, “Every Long Journey.” Copyright 1986 Turtlecub Publishing.