Heartstrings
By S. Andrea Koverman
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“You were more inward to me than my most inward part and higher than my highest.” - St. Augustine (Confessions 3.6.11)
Have you ever heard it said that when a butterfly flaps its wings, it can be felt halfway around the world? I took that as a reference to the interconnectedness of everything, but wasn’t so sure about the science behind it. But as a student in the Center for Action and Contemplation’s Living School, I have been learning some absolutely fascinating information in which the principles of quantum physics are affirming the big foundational truths of all major faith traditions, including my own Catholic faith. And we are far more connected than most of us are ever aware of.
I am a science appreciator not a scientist so forgive my simplistic explanation, but the principles of quantum entanglement and nonlocality, as well as the growing understanding of heart intelligence have major implications for how God is active in our lives, how we are being called to unity, and how to move through these days of social transformation. Basically, entanglement means that we are deeply connected beyond time and space so that even if we are not in the same location, the connection is not lost. Those inklings we feel and instances of synchronicity we experience may actually be much deeper than that. If someone you love is experiencing something significant you know it because of the quantum entanglement you have with that person, whether you are under the same roof or thousands of miles away. When you witness or learn of some harm being done to someone you’ve never met and you feel their pain as if it were your own, you are experiencing entanglement. When a loved one passes from this life to the next and you can still feel their presence, sometimes even more strongly than before, you realize that not even death can break your intimate connection. When God comes to you deep in prayer or at unexpected moments, that’s entanglement at work.
God is the creator and master of entanglement and nonlocality, creating us in this way so that we can be one with God and interconnected with each other. Nothing can break this bond because it’s who we are at a quantum level. God is always there, closer than we can wrap our minds around, patiently waiting for us to realize it. The receptors for this connectivity are not found in our brains so much as in our hearts, and the more aware you are of them, the more sensitive you become. The heart “thinks” for its self, makes its own decisions and has its own wisdom. Additionally, the electromagnetic field it produces is the most powerful in the body, extending beyond our bodies in all directions into the space around us and maybe far beyond that.
Can you feel your connection to the people and sentient beings we share our earthly home with? How does it impact your response to social injustice and suffering? Can you feel that deep indestructible connection to God that is closer to you than you are to yourself? How are you being called to act in response to your connectedness?
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Sister of Charity of Cincinnati Tracy Kemme Professes Perpetual Vows
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Sister of Charity of Cincinnati Tracy Kemme professed perpetual vows during a Communion service on Saturday, July 25, 2020 in the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at the Mount St. Joseph Motherhouse.
Due to the current precautions, a small group was present with S. Tracy in the chapel for the ceremony. In their presence she vowed to “freely and whole-heartedly commit myself for life to the service of God, God’s people, and all of Creation as a member of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. To witness to the Reign of God and to make Christ’s love incarnate in the world, I freely promise to live in community, and I vow to God poverty, consecrated celibacy and obedience according to the constitutions of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati.”
Although the pandemic certainly complicated the preparation and planning of her final vows, S. Tracy wrote to her congregation, “Through the ups and downs, God’s call and my desire to respond with my whole being have deepened and intensified. I feel joyful and free about saying ‘yes’ to be a Sister of Charity for life, even if the ceremony looks different than we’d hoped.”
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Discerning Through the Lives of Our Saints |
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This August join the SC Federation on its Facebook page for four Sunday evenings of reflection on the lives of Saints Louise de Marillac and Elizabeth Ann Seton. Talks begin at 9 p.m. (EST) on Facebook Live (www.facebook.com/scharityfed) beginning on Aug. 9. Sister of Charity of Cincinnati Andrea Koverman will offer the Aug. 16 reflection on St. Louise de Marillac.
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Empowering Lives for Change |
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Empowering people to make informed choices for themselves and their neighborhoods through community building, home ownership, and economic learning has long been the mission of Working In Neighborhoods (WIN), the nonprofit organization formed to help low- and moderate-income residents in Cincinnati’s neighborhoods. Read more at https://www.srcharitycinti.org/2020/07
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Recommended Reading
Race and the Cosmos: An Invitation to View the World Differently by Barbara A. Holmes
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In this book, Holmes addresses the issue of racism through the lens of physics and cosmology. She uses the emerging teachings of cutting-edge science to teach us how to see ourselves and all human beings differently and applies her wisdom to one of the most pressing challenges of our time. You will learn much about yourself, the cosmos and God while understanding that ending racism (and all –isms) is a matter of understanding who and what we are. |
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August 6, 2020
The Transfiguration
August 8, 2020
St. Dominic
August 9, 2020
Federation Facebook Live, St. Louise de Marillac (first half), 9 p.m. ET
August 15, 2020
Mary’s Assumption
August 16, 2020
Federation Facebook Live, St. Louise de Marillac (second half), 9 p.m. ET
August 22, 2020
Queenship of Mary
August 23, 2020
Federation Facebook Live, St. Elizabeth Seton (first half), 9 p.m. ET
August 30, 2020
Federation Facebook Live, St. Elizabeth Seton (second half), 9 p.m. ET
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Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Working In Neighborhoods, where Sisters Barbara Busch, Brenda Busch, Whitney Schieltz (pictured, second from left) and Annette Muckerheide minister, has been hosting Produce Pop-Ups twice a month on campus to distribute free fresh foods and dry goods to local residents in need. |
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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
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