Finding the Light
By S. Janet Gildea

The Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, January 8, also marks the beginning of National Migration Week in this new year of 2017. The voluntary journey of the three kings who followed the star at first seems in contrast to the involuntary journey of so many people in migration. And yet what they have in common is an overpowering desire that sets them on a path away from the comfortable and familiar towards a place of possibility. It is a journey of hope and faith that requires sacrifice and perseverance to overcome discouragement, setbacks and even danger.  

What desire draws you on the journey of discernment this new year? Each of the magi had some inner prompting. Perhaps in the heart of each seeker there was a spark kindled from the star over Bethlehem, drawing them forward. As you look to the year ahead, what inner wisdom might be leading you in a direction that is not entirely clear to you? Do you have enough light to proceed?  
Each refugee is pushed by an urgent need. What is your sense of urgency in the discernment of your life’s direction? St. Elizabeth Seton and her spiritual daughters say that “the love of Christ urges us”. The encounter with Jesus in a personal and ongoing way, through a life of prayer and service in community, pushes us forward. Can you identify ways in which your experience of God’s love is impelling you, with a gentle or not-so-gentle nudge?   

In the push/pull of discernment may the journey of the Magi and the stories of those in migration around the world today help you to find the light you need to take the next step.

Future of Charity Blog
“A Thanksgiving to Remember with People Our Society Forgets” 

S. Tracy Kemme writes about her recent Thanksgiving dinner with more than 30 Central American migrants in the following blog post: http://futureofcharity.blogspot.com/2016/12/a-thanksgiving-to-remember-with-people.html
Congratulations, S. Annie

S. Annie Klapheke professed her First Vows with the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati on December 10. The ceremony was held at the Sisters of Charity Motherhouse with hundreds of Sisters, friends and family members in attendance to welcome Annie and celebrate with her.


Faith in Film: “Silence”

Based on the novel by Japanese Catholic Shusaku Endo, this three-hour movie tells the story of Portuguese Jesuit missionaries to Japan in the 17th century. Two young priests go in search of their older Jesuit mentor who has reportedly renounced the faith under torture. The suffering of the missionaries and their peasant-converts raises the inevitable questions about how God allows such evil and viewers will draw parallels to modern-day persecution in Iraq and Syria. Does God remain silent? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqrgxZLd_gE    

“Silence” Director Martin Scorsese discusses his own journey of faith and his fascination with missionaries since childhood in an interview with Fr. James Martin of America Magazine. Read it at http://www.americamagazine.org/issue/creating-silence. 
A Sister to All

The SC Communications Office will be launching “A Sister to All” in 2017. Using profiles of featured Sisters, we will be honoring the lives and ministries of our SCs. Our first Sister of Charity is Annette Muckerheide. Learn more about Sister’s powerful presence at Working in Neighborhoods in Cincinnati in the following video clip! https://vimeo.com/197326491


Calendar

Jan. 4, 2017
Feast of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Jan. 8, 2017
Feast of the Epiphany
Elizabeth Seton Award Presentation,
2 p.m., Motherhouse chapel

Jan. 8-14, 2017
National Migration Week

   

Members of the SC Federation Future of Charity came together on December 10, 2016, to celebrate the profession of First Vows of S. Annie Klapheke (front row, fourth from right).

E-vōc is the electronic newsletter from the Vocations Team of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati for single women wondering what new thing God is calling forth in their lives. 

If you are interested in learning more about life as a Sister of Charity, visit our website at
www.srcharitycinti.org or contact S. Monica Gundler at 513-504-5592.