‘Fresh Perspectives’

MORRISTOWN  About 150 members of the St. Lucy Province of the Religious Teachers Filippini gathered at their Motherhouse, Villa Walsh, for  a convocation from June 28 to July 3 where they were privileged to receive fresh perspectives on their charism, mission and history, which started with their founder, St. Lucy Filippini. Guided by the theme, “A Summons for the Time that Is Ours,” the convocation also included liturgies and spirit-filled presentations that gave the Filippini sisters a renewed sense of hope in moving forward.

The six-day convocation — which drew sisters from as far as Ohio, Florida and New Mexico — featured a series of talks by Avis Clendenen, professor emerita of religious studies at Xavier University, Chicago. Each day centered on celebration of Mass, including the opening liturgy, for which Bishop Serratelli served as homilist and main celebrant. The Sisters had opportunities for “bonding” with their fellow religious from near and far and for “renewal” of their commitment to the charism of their religious order, which serves as educators. They last gathered for a province-wide convocation in 2010 for the order’s 100th anniversary of serving in the U.S.

In her talks, Clendenen gathered her insights about the Filippinis’ charism, mission, history and future using poetry, music, artistic and historical images and her own life experiences. The Sisters watched her twice-per-day presentations live at the Mother­house, while the 40 sisters, who live in St. Joseph Hall infirmary, watched on a digital video feed.

“Avis stirred our hearts and left us in awe. Her message, and the message of the convocation, stressed and strengthened the call for our time as Sisters Filippini — we journey together to the Kingdom of God. She made St. Lucy [who founded the Filippini Community with Cardinal Mark Anthony Barbarigo in Italy in 1692] come alive. She captured St. Lucy with greater depth and with a refreshed image,” said Sister Ascenza Tizzano, provincial superior, who lives at the Motherhouse. “Avis also gave us a greater appreciation of our American Founders, especially Mother Ninetta, one of five sisters who arrived in the U.S. in 1910, and encountered many hardships until they met the new Bishop of Trenton, Bishop Joseph Walsh, in 1918. She made us realize how far we have come. Her many images on screen made her talks more meaningful and insightful. She gave hope for the future. Her words were precious gems — so much for us to absorb,” she said.

For the prelude before the opening Mass, a “hymn to the Holy Spirit, invoked the Spirit to open and ready our hearts to receive the Spirit’s gifts during these days of convocation,” Sister Ascenza said.

In his homily, Bishop Serratelli told the sisters, “What is often seen as an end is often the beginning of new hope. It seemed the Cross was an end for Jesus’ disciples but beyond the portals of death, he sent the Holy Spirit. So what seemed the end was really the beginning of new hope,” according to Sister Ascenza.

“The Church now has the power of the Holy Spirit to grow in its mission. We struggle against the secularism, agnosticism and evils of today. This keeps us from working for the common good. Yet, Jesus gives us hope through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is among us always guiding us and urging us in our struggles to be faithful,” Bishop Serratelli said in his homily, according to Sister Ascenza.

In addition, Bishop Serratelli “urged the sisters to pray and listen to the Holy Spirit who makes this moment of storm and tempest a moment of great hope for the future,” Sister Ascenza said.

During the convocation, other priests, including several from the Paterson Diocese, celebrated the daily Masses. They included: Father Richard Carton, pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Stirling; Msgr. George Hundt, pastor of St. Vincent Martyr Parish, Madison; Benedictine Father Jude Salus, daily chaplain at the Motherhouse and former pastor of Notre Dame of Mount Carmel parish in Cedar Knolls, who lives at St. Mary’s Abbey, also in Morris­town; Father Mariusz Koch, a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal and associate spiritual director and formation faculty members at Immacu­late Concep­tion School of Theology at Seton Hall University, South Orange; and Msgr. Thomas Gervasio, pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, Hamilton. Other spiritual activities included a procession with the Blessed Sacrament and a day in honor of the Blessed Mother, Sister Ascenza said.

During the convocation, Clendenen gave presentations, such as “Spirituality of the Elder,” “Aging Upstream with a Downstream Spirituality,” “Learning to Walk in the Dark: Spirituality for Our Time,” and “Legacy Consciousness: Leaving Gifts that Summon Hope Generation to Generation.” After many of the talks, the Sisters divided into groups to process their messages, Sister Ascenza said.

After the convocation, Sister Alice Ivanyo, superior of Villa Walsh, said that the gathering brought out in the sisters “a spectrum of human emotions, both individually and collectively, with spiritual times and fun times.”

“Avis shared how to age gracefully — how to make the best of an inevitable process and how to be fulfilled and share that. I always have appreciated our elderly sisters but now I see them a bit differently with their beauty, grace and wisdom,” Sister Alice said. “Also, Avis helped us assess our past, size up our present and see what we can do in the future, so it’s not so daunting,” she said.

Another convocation participant was Sister Patricia Pompa, principal of Villa Walsh Academy, who said that the event “energized” the province.

“Through Avis, we came to appreciate St. Lucy in a new light and also see where we came from and where we are now. She showed St. Lucy to be a woman ahead of her time and the Sisters so brave to come to the U.S. and having the courage to brave the elements. So now, we have to carry their charism into the world with the same passion,” said Sister Patricia, who enjoyed the camaraderie of all the sisters who participated. “We all had our personal takes on each day. The joy of being together was evident. The spirit of St. Lucy was alive and well during the convocation,” she said.