By Sister Nancy Gilchriest, SSND
We have spent the last few months looking back at our rich history in honor of today's anniversary. On Foundation Day, a member of our Vocations team looks forward, sharing her reflection on the future of the congregation.
I see the future of our congregation as a continuation of our blessed past, serving God’s people in helping them become the best people they can be. The challenges of the next decades, whether they be immigration or global warming or whatever, need to be addressed in the spirit of Blessed Mother Theresa, beginning with God’s love for all and continuing with an inclusive response.
To that end, I see my role as a “laborer in the field,” being side-by-side with others, trying to do my best to love God and to love others. I think the outward signs of vowed life may change, but the critical importance of the vows in community will be, for me, what is essential to this life. The call to contemplation will have to be seriously considered by those of us who are apostolic communities, because that is one of the elements that young people are seeking in this generation. In short, I think we need to spend more time with the God who loves us.
It comes down to two simple words: God’s love. It was God’s love that was shared with and modeled for me by my parents and family that nurtured my desire to enter the School Sisters of Notre Dame. And it continues to be God’s love which enables me to say that “yes” every day.
