By Colleen Kammer, JPIC director, AMSSND & Shalom North America Branch Representative
SSND Shalom International branch representatives converged July 22-28 upon the island of Guam in Micronesia, coming from Argentina, Germany, Italy, Sierra Leonne, and the United States. Our hosts were the Asia/Oceania branch of SSND Shalom International and the SSND community in Tolofono, Guam. The six Sisters, Associates and staff made us feel most welcome, as did too, the Alumni Association of Notre Dame High School.
The convent where we stayed was attached to the high school, and although the school for the 300-member student body was not yet in session, volleyball practice in the gym was in full swing, as were teacher preparations for the start of the new school year. A maintenance crew was prepping the building for painting due to damage sustained from typhoon Mawar in May of 2023, the strongest tropical cyclone worldwide, that year.
We Shalom branch representatives shared our reports of how Shalom is being carried out in our branches and shared the justice and peace challenges that exist in our parts of the world. The work of Shalom belongs to each individual, no matter their age or vitality. This was reflected in the reports by kindergarten students caring for creation to elderly SSNDs participating in Prayer and Presence. It was heartening to see how much good is being done in the world by the SSND and ministry partners!
We utilized the “Conversation in the Spirit” method of listening, reflecting, and discerning to bring to the surface what would be included in the Shalom Focus and Commitments for 2024-2027.
Three outside speakers gave us additional insights. Brother Rodrigo Peret, OFM Advisor to the Special Council on Integral Ecology and Mining of the National Conference of Bishops in Brazil, spoke about a just energy transition through the lens of Laudato Si’. Brother Elvis Ng’andwe, M. Africa with the Africa-Europe Faith and Justice Network (AEFJN), spoke about the economic injustices between Europe and Africa and corporate accountability.
We also heard from Sister Sheila Kinsey, FCJM on the spirituality of non-violence and integral ecology. Sister Beatrice Martinez-Garcia updated us on the SSND United Nations-NGO initiatives and Sister Carolyn Anyega shared congregational realities related to Shalom.
As a break from our meetings, we enjoyed a tour through Guam’s historical museum and learned about the island’s Indigenous Chamorro culture. An SSND Associate, Connie Guerrero, shared how some Guamanians feel about U.S. actions in Guam, an unincorporated territory of the United States. Guam has a representative in the U.S. Congress, but he, James Moylan, is a delegate with limited voting privileges.
After all meetings and work were accomplished, we spent some of the weekend shopping, touring the island, and enjoying the family beach patio of Sister Mary Juan Camacho on the Philippine Sea. Having the opportunity to experience nature together was a fitting culmination of a full and rewarding Shalom week.
