Our recent General Chapter presented us, School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND), with the wonderful call to be witnesses of the oneness of all of creation and to never cease longing for the oneness in God.
The articles presented in this edition of In Mission show different aspects of how we try to respond to the call of our General Chapter. We read about education, restructuring into one new province, care of creation, reconciliation, communication ……
A symbol comes to mind when I look at these different approaches: a wheel as in the old days.
The spokes are individual elements of the wheel, each one is needed for the stability of the entire wheel. They are held together by the outer circle which gives them strength and makes them one piece, one wheel rather than many elements. The hub unites all the spokes in the middle of the wheel and connects the wheel with the cart or the wagon.
The closer you move on one spoke toward the center, the closer you are to the other spokes.
Our center of oneness is clearly God whom we follow with our lives in mission. In the celebration of Eucharist, we find ourselves strengthened by Jesus Christ, connected by the Spirit and called by the Creator of all life. Eucharist is the driving power of our oneness. As God became one with us in Jesus Christ, so we become one in giving our lives for the mission of God. In Eucharistic celebration, adoration, and in daily life we long for peace, reconciliation, unity, oneness. Each SSND is called to witness to this precious gift for our world.
With the contributions to this publication, we share some spokes of our longing for oneness in God. Unity is at the center of our charism inherited by our foundress, Theresia of Jesus Gerhardinger, unity of heart and mind. Oneness means that unity among ourselves pours out to all humanity and all creation because God is the creator of all. In gratitude, we trust that the wheel of life will roll on and move us and those whom we serve to an even deeper understanding of that oneness, a gift of our Triune God.
