Associates Celebrate Sharing Mission With Dominican Sisters of Peace

The 2012 Congregational Assembly was a weekend filled with Sisters and Associates sharing warm embraces, renewing friendships, and sometimes putting faces with voices heard only in conference call meetings. Each day was filled with reflections on the theme "Be Peace, Build Peace, Preach Peace." Profound thoughtful concepts as well as humorous images were central to engaging words from a myriad of speakers.

Sr. Margaret Ormond, OP, challenged participants to live out our Dominican charism with courage, creativity and contemplation. Sr. Janice McLaughlin, President of Maryknoll Sisters, issued the invitation "to link the wisdom from the wild, ie. weaver birds, dung beetles, and warthogs, to the words and life of Jesus." But the essence of the experience of the Assembly weekend for Associates was "the Celebration of Sharing Mission with our Dominican Sisters of Peace." Using 'Tools for Deep Conversation,' Sisters and Associates shared conversations during small group table talk and open mike large group processing.

Associates meetings were intermingled these days with a theme as reflected in the Chapter Commitments: "We have asked ourselves to respond to the hungers of the world by sharing with others the bread of life." One highlight of the Assembly was the social celebration to praise our Dominican Sisters of Peace for the deep commitment of their lives, their courage of conviction and their presence to the world as religious women of faith. Associates will be sharing their reflections and thoughts on this Assembly experience in the coming weeks.