JPIC News – Diane Dube, R.J.M. from Massachusetts, U.S.

“The starting point for a better world is the belief that it is possible.” Norman Cousins, journalist, professor, and world peace advocate

When Sophia House closed in 2013. I came to live at Mt. Alvernia, a large structure very similar to our former convents in Fall River, MA, Woonsocket, RI, and Goffstown, NH. The Missionary Franciscans of the Immaculate Heart of Mary own the facility which was once their novitiate house.  Like many communities here in the US, the Franciscans no longer need this large house for novices and have found a new ministry.  They have opened their doors to sisters from various parts of the globe who are studying theology, education and social work at Boston College where I work.

This is my community

Front row: Oanh from Vietnam, Clara from China, Quyen from Vietnam and Bernadette from Uganda Back row: Matthias from China, Dalia and Ligita from Lithuania, Laura from USA, Philippa from Korea and Thinh from Vietnam. Missing in the photo: Pamela from Kenya, Rosa from Vietnam and Sr. Katherine Donnelly, FMM, our house coordinator.

“To move forward we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny.”

The Journey Makes Us One.

Living here helps me to appreciate the message that we are all connected. Many of these sisters will return to their country at the end of the semester.  They will bring a part of us to their countries, just as they have brought a part of Vietnam, China, and Lithuania to us. We live justice and peace and have cared for creation together.

In their work for Justice and Peace, the Jesuits and the mission of Boston College have done much to support these sisters and many other international students. The University also sponsors many events that support the message that Pope Francis is promoting by his very life. On April 4^th, our school is sponsoring a lecture by Rev. Carlos Maria Galli, a friend of the Pope, entitled: Latin American Intellectual Roots of Pope Francis’ Pontificate.  This summer, Ilia Delio, a well respected writer on the new cosmology will be speaking on Evolution and the Primacy of Love. These as well as many other events are videotaped and can be viewed at www.bc.edu/Encore a few weeks after they take place. You can find events that we have already sponsored at this link on the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry website. Feel free to enjoy these fine lectures.

We are being transformed and converted into new ways of responding to the invitation of God expressed in our PRIORITES.

Here in the US nothing could be truer. After Vatican II, our leaders studied the documents and reflected on the desires of the council fathers for the modern world. They realized that the movement toward lay ecclesial ministry was the way of the future.  They also realized that we could no longer maintain our schools as we had done in the past.  Today our buildings in Fall River, MA and in Woonsocket, RI are being used for a new ministry, housing for the poor and elderly. We do not provide the services for these ministries, but people are being housed and served nonetheless.

Our sisters have formed new relationships and new partnerships in their senior years. It was a matter of “letting go” and embracing a new meaning of “community”. One of these new ways is expressed by our sisters living at the Marillac residence in Wellesley, MA. The Sisters of Charity of Halifax have graciously opened their doors to us and to other communities of religious.  They provide a home and friendship to our aging sisters. We have discovered that our priorities and theirs are not that different.  They also follow Jesus in “care for the least” and “love for God’s creation.”

The Sisters of Charity have been in Wellesley for many years and are well known to the people in the area.  They are very active on the Wellesley Justice and Peace Committee and with the local organization of Global Climate Covenant and the Sustainable Wellesley Climate Change Committee.  These associations and the many speakers invited to speak at the facility provide important opportunities to connect with the needs of the world.  In addition to this, our RJM work in Haiti and Syria has touched the hearts of the Sisters of Charity who have made generous contributions to our service in these countries.

Here are a few pictures of our sisters at Marillac. The first picture has Sr. Laura Dulude,RJM in the center. She is enjoying lunch with two Sisters of Charity. The second picture was taken at a jubilee luncheon. Sr. Claire Lebreux,RJM, Sr Irene Beauregard, RJM, Sr. Florence Lebreux, RJM, and Sr. Mary Leonard Hache ,RJM are seated. Sr. Therese Picard, RJM, Sr. Agnes Bell, RJM, and Sr. Diane Dube, RJM are standing. The third picture shows Sr. Mary Leonard, RJM and Sr. Therese Picard, RJM participating in the entertainment offered at Marillac.