The
Catholic Weekly
Online
Sydney
15 February 2004
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Birthday wishes for Aloysius
SA parishes merge
Focus on family
Gregorian Schola offers singers big chants
Gibson’s Passion ‘work of faith’, says cardinal
How to help create a ‘culture of peace’
Pregnant pause: The joy of showing our baby the way
There is a doctor in the house
Wollongong diocese buys site for high school
Boree log bush bash
Work in Catholic education brings honour for four
Bishop launches ‘significant’ new faith courses
$80,000 boost for drug fight
Editorial: Greatest story
Letters: Something special
Conversation: Fr Aiden Kelly, prison chaplain - Helping souls in a captive Congregation
On a walk with God ...
A credible Jesus
A biblical-based Mary
A life of Mercy with music
Care, prayer still very much in order
The Polding legacy
‘Catholic-only’ order denied
US-bound on the pitcher’s mound
Care, prayer still very much in order
Sr Anne Hennessy (second from left), from California, with the Sans Souci sisters, from left: Srs Gemma Crowe, Celine Auton, Monica McNamara, Jeanette Woodward, Josepha Clancy, Patricia O'Hara, Clare Oldfield, Jane Frances Wagner, Jane Dawson
By Marilyn Rodrigues
When the Sisters of St Joseph of Orange, California, moved out of the Stella Maris Hostel they ran in Greenwich and the retreat centre at Miranda, they chose adjacent villa housing in Sans Souci as a deliberate step to try to maintain their community life.
Even then, the change could have easily led to the sisters having quite separate lives, but they have striven successfully to adhere to a routine of shared prayer, meals and chores which binds them together.
“We wanted to remain together,” says Sr Clare Oldfield, superior of the nine sisters in Sans Souci, indeed in the whole country, who belong to the congregation.
“That was very important. It was the main purpose we had in mind when we looked for housing.
“Here we also have the opportunity of having small group living. We have our own autonomy, but still have concern and care for each other.
“Each of us spends time in personal prayer, but we feel it’s essential for the community to pray together as well.
“We have been here living this life for eight years now and feel we have done the right thing.
“It’s more conducive to personal wellbeing and spiritual growth, as well as our ministry – all of us are involved in volunteer work.”
These sisters are just one example of how some smaller congregations or orders have adapted to their changing circumstances, including ageing membership and changes in ministry and lifestyle.
They live in groups of three in a row of four villas in Sans Souci.
The fourth villa, which is the community house, has a room set aside for the reservation of the Blessed Sacrament.
The sisters take turns to prepare the evening meal which they have together in the community house before evening prayers.
Each Wednesday during Advent and Lent they read and reflect together on the forthcoming Sunday Gospel.
Once a month they participate in a retreat day. Each household takes its turns in organising these days.
“Our current way of life is a break away from the structures we used to have, but we didn’t want to lose them all,” says Sr Clare. “Also we thought it would suit us because we are ageing and eventually will have health problems so it’s essential that we will have the support of each other.”
The Blessed Sacrament Sisters have five members in Sydney – Sr Vianney Hatton and Sr Charito Ungson, who live in an apartment in Kirrawee, Sr Maureen Flood and Sr Marian McClelland, who live in Marrickville, and Sr Betty McMenamin who lives at the Stella Maris nursing home in Cronulla.
Their life used to be an enclosed one of prayer before the exposed Blessed Sacrament in their convent in Melbourne, where the order began in Australia.
“We chanted the Divine Office and made our living making altar breads (a job they only relinquished in 2000),” says Sr Vianney.
“It’s quite different now for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that we are all older and the order is so much smaller.”
Sr Vianney and Sr Charito attend Mass together each morning, and share prayer times as well as chores and spare time spent shopping or going to the movies.
Sr Vianney visits Sr Betty at least twice a week and sees one of the other two sisters on average each week.
The sisters meet as a group every three or four weeks.
“We have embraced apostolic work, mainly in liturgy, following the direction and inspiration of Vatican II,” she says. “But always the reality of Christ’s presence among us through the Eucharist is a focus.
“We have had varying ministries, but now we’re all older and the focus is moving to looking after each other.”
Sr Jacqueline Serret, the Australian superior of the Daughters of St Paul, is one of eight in her Sydney community at Strathfield.
They are also committed to living a shared prayer life, as well as a closely shared ministry, working in their Pauline Books and Media shop in the city (Castlereagh St) and on a new online publishing venture.
As well as daily Mass, they pray Morning Prayer from the Divine Office twice a week, and Evening Prayer once a week together, plus an hour of Eucharistic adoration together twice a month.
They also spend one day a month together in retreat.
That is on top of their individual prayer, including one hour’s Eucharist adoration and half an hour’s meditation each day.
They come together for evening meals every day except Saturday, which is their free day.
“It is very much a shared life,” says Sr Jacqueline.