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Cornelia and Charism (continued)Cornelia’s Writingsenjoy an eternity of love”.This letter to Cornelia’s sister-in-law, ElizabethBowen, describes her enthusiasm for her life asThere were two sides to Cornelia’s faith. Thewell as a remembrance from her childhood.gift of faith received at baptism opened her tothe impact of God’s absolute holiness. “EverVolume 1, page 58 - 60Silent, Tranquil, Immutable, Holy, Holy, HolyRome “66 Via Ara Coeli”Lord God,” she began an Epiphany letter to herMarch 30th 1854Society in 1857. The other side of Cornelia’sMy dear Sisterfaith was her fidelity -- that tenacity by whichThough I have not theshe adhered actively to God amidstGiveme0Lordpleasureof having seen you theterrible tests. It is the side byname of Sister brings you verya love full of action;which she tended toward union andnear and dear to me; the moreon which her faith and her charitya love patient in laborso from the circumstances ofmet and mingled. “Is not our faithexactindailyemployments.past years, united to those of thea sword of strength I feel it so mypresent. I regret not having yetpure in intention.Lord [sicl,” she said in a postscriptseen the likeness of little Maryto a letter to Bishop Grant at aso that I may ever accomplish the which my brother tells me hevery trying moment. To her sisterhas sent, but as I hope to returnthings that areAdeline she wrote just after herto England towards the last ofmost pleasing to Thee”conversion: “While we have FaithMay it will not be sent here. Itwill we not be able to bear all evenwas very kind of him to send itunto death?”. The events of her lifeand I should like to have one of the whole familydemonstrate that she did bear all in faith. Thecircle, as there is little chance of my seeing youmost striking instance of Cornelia’s fidelity wasin this world. You perhaps know but little ofher holding fast to God when faced with Pierce’sConvents or of our life in general; but as I amapostasy and the risk of losing her children. Sheinterested in hearing from you all that you canhad made vows, and keep them she would.tell me, so I have no doubt you are interested inWriting from Rome in 1854 to Elizabeththe same way in hearing all that I can tell youBowen. her brother Ralph’s wife. Cornelia usesabout ourselves. As an individual my brothera description of life in the convent as a means ofcan tell you more than I can relate, but thatarousing in her sister-in-law something of heryou may tell me how you pass your time andown ardor. Cornelia is not simply pouring outwhat you do all the day long I shall first tell youher own enthusiasm; she is calling Elizabethwhat we do. We get up at 5½ in the morningto a life of sacrificial love in her married state.and make the Sign of the Cross and give ourShe says: “We get up at 5 1/2 in the morningwhole hearts to the God who created us andand make the Sign of the Cross and give ourloved us from all eternity,whole hearts to the God who created us andand we tell Him as it wereloved us from all eternity. and we tell him as itleaning on His Heart thatwere leaning on His Heart that we wish to lovewe wish to love Him forHim for all Eternity. and then we love. while weall Eternity, and thenwe love, while we dressdress ourselves in the presence of the Angels andourselves in the presencewith them offer our acts of love, and our desiresof the Angels and withto make all love Him with pure hearts andthem offer our acts of love,especially to lead little children to his love” (CC1:and our desires to make58). Although she goes on to describe in detailall love Him with pure hearts & especially tothe events of a typical day, the message is clear:lead little children to His love. When we areit is all love. (See Cornelia’s Writings for more ofdressed we go to our Meditation & then we saythe letter.)the Office of our Blessed Mother which consists“Page 4SHCJ Associates NewsletterSummer 2009

Cornelia’s Writings (continued)Jesus Calls Women (continued)chiefly of the Psalms of David, theAntiphons & Hymns to honourher as the chosen Creature of God,chosen from among all others to beHis Mother – that is the Mother ofHis son, - the Second Person of theBlessed Trinity! After the Officewe follow the Holy Mass and go toHoly Communion as often as wehave leave to go, then we make our thanksgivingand at 9 go to breakfast then to our Schools or otheroccupations in the house until 12½ then Office,Examen of Conscience and at 1 o’clock Dinner – At 1½Recreation, either walkingor sewing etc etc At 2½we say our Rosary and tothe Schools: at 6 SpiritualReading 6½ Office of ourLady - 7½ Supper ¼8Recreation ¼9 Litanies ofthe Saints Night Prayersand Repose – I have givenyou all our day –importance of becoming a Sister anddetailing the triumphs and challengesthat arose during the discernmentprocess.The multi-cultural Sisters representdifferent Catholic sects and live in different parts of the country. The DVD forwhich they are featured, is even-handedin terms of religious orders highlighted.That generic quality is exactly whatLarry Jilk had envisioned. Jilk, of Philadelphia, funded the making of “JesusCalls Women,” in hopes of spurringmore vocations, as well as layingthe groundwork for similar multimedia outreach efforts with thesame intent.Sr. Pat contends that the DVDaligns perfectly with the HolyChild mission of education and empowerment and carries on the legacy of Cornelia Connelly. “I believethat there are calls to religiousScene at Mayfield England that islife out there,” Sr. Pat said. “It’ssimilar to scene created at. We had also a prettySt. Leonards during Cornelia’s time a wonderful life and I don’t wantlittle Theatre with 8 sideprospective sisters to miss out.”scenes and three blackTo learn more about the DVDcurtains which I painted“Jesus Calls Women,” visitwith water colours and honey. We are not painting inhttp://www.holychild200.org/home/oils, while we[‘re] stopping here for the Rules – TellSr.PatsVocationDVD.html.Ralph that I remember his priming the canvas forme to try oil colors when I was about thirteen yearsold. I wonder if he recollects it! God bless you andReflecting.your little ones & I hope you pray for me in my heavytroubles while I am your affectionate Sister in J.C.CorneliaP.S. I hope to return to England very soon. Writeto me there as usualAll SoulsSt LeonardsSussexI must not forget to say that tho’ you laugh at mynote paper for letters, it is the usual paper in Englandfor ladies letters, and I had not observed using it toyou because I use it daily in writing to everybody.I have taken letter paper this time without andenvelope to please you – but it is according to commonsense to conform to the customs of the Country welive in.Summer 2009SHCJ Associates NewsletterGive me O Lord,a love full of actionSpend some time in prayer andreflection on Discerning Love. Explorewhen and how you follow Cornelia in‘being in one continued act of love fromnight till night’.Abide in my loveJohn 15:9Page 5

Poetry off the Shelf by Barbara DeConciniOh Lovely RockWe stayed the night in the pathless gorge of Ventana Creek, up the east fork.The rock walls and the mountain ridges hung forest on forest above our heads, maple andredwood,Laurel, oak, madrone, up to the high and slender Santa Lucian firs that stare up the cataractsOf slide-rock to the star-color precipices.We lay on gravel and kept a little camp-fire for warmth.Past midnight only two or three coals glowed red in the coolingdarkness; I laid a clutch of dead bay-leavesOn the ember ends and felted dry sticks across them and laydown again. The revived flameLighted my sleeping son’s face and his companion’s, and thevertical face of the great gorge-wallAcross the stream. Light leaves overhead danced in the fire’sbreath, tree-trunks were seen: it was the rock wallThat fascinated my eyes and mind. Nothing strange: lightgray diorite with two or three slanting seams in it,Smooth-polished by the endless attrition of slides and floods;no fern nor lichen, pure naked rock.as if I wereSeeing rock for the first time. As if I were seeing through theflame-lit surface into the real and bodilyAnd living rock. Nothing strange.I cannotTell you how strange: the silent passion, the deep nobility andchildlike loveliness: this fate going onOutside our fates. It is here in the mountain like a grave smilingchild. I shall die, and my boysWill live and die, our world will go on through its rapid agonies ofchange and discovery; this age will die,And wolves have howled in the snow around a new Bethlehem: thisrock will be here, grave, earnest, not passive: the energiesThat are its atoms will still be bearing the whole mountain above:and I, many packed centuries ago,Felt its intense reality with love and wonder, this lonely rock.Robinson JeffersThis seems a fitting time for a poem by the20th Century American poet RobinsonJeffers, as many of us take advantage of the“lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer” to spendmore time outdoors. If we’re prepared, itmight well also be an occasion for what Jewishtheologian Martin Buber calls the “I-Thou”experience. Most of our relationships, Buberthinks, are “I-It”, i.e., we encounter others(all others: persons, places, and things!)instrumentally, in terms of what they mean forus. But in the “I-Thou” we meet the other (allthe others) in respect, mutuality, and genuinecommunion. Buber’s famous example is aperson’s “I-Thou” relationship with a tree. So,too, is Jeffers’ with a rock.Page 6California’s Big Sur was the poet’s enduringand always-fresh place of encounter withthe mysterium fascinans et tremendum. AsRobert Brophy comments, Jeffers’ poetry“quarried its seascape and crenelated canyons,isolated beaches, and foreboding headlands forsymbol, theme, and story.” As the poet himselfputs it, “My love, my loved subject: mountainand ocean, rock, water and beasts and treesare the protagonists; the human peopleare only symbolic interpreters.” So in thispoem, the dramatic situation is the speaker’scamping trip with his son and his son’s friend.But the love at the heart of the poem is amystical religious encounter. (continued onnext page)SHCJ Associates NewsletterSummer 2009

Meet the Associates by Barbara DeConciniIn this issue, we are featuring Liz Eager. who iscurrently serving on the Core Team,BD: Tell us a little bit about yourself, Liz.Liz: I grew up in Reston, Virginia and wentto high school in Georgetown in Washington,D.C. As one of eleven children (three sisters andseven brothers), I have always loved being withfamily. I feel completely gratefulthat my sister Sarah and herfamily live in Philadelphia as Ido, since my parents and most ofmy siblings are in the NorthernVirginia/DC area. I can’t waitfor September, when we’ll allbe together for my brotherMichael and his fiance Amanda’swedding. We do have a lot ofLiz Eagerfun when we get together, but Ialso appreciate our heart-to-hearttalks, not only about what’s happening with usbut also about life.BD: Wow, ten siblings! You must be a pro atgetting along and working well with others.Liz: I work with Response-Ability, theSociety ministry that trains, coaches andinspires volunteers for inner city schools andinternational sites. I enjoy leading the staff teamand being part of the community. ResponseAbility feels like family!BD: How else do you like to spend your time?Liz: I also enjoy learning new things and beingin school--as a teacher or student. Ever since Iwas little, I liked school. My brothers and sistersremind me that I used to do my homework in thecar on the way home from school unlike otherswho did it on the way to school.This year, I went back to school for twoprograms. I just graduated from the Main LineChamber of Commerce Leadership Program,where I met an exceptional group of localbusiness and nonprofit leaders. Since I likeplanning events—whether at work or for familyand friends--I enrolled in the Event LeadershipCertificate Program at Temple University. I amhoning my event-planning skills for use withResponse-Ability while pursuing this personalinterest. I’ve even given some thought tostarting my own event-planning business someday!BD: I’m always interested in how an SHCJAssociate came to know the Society.Liz: I came to know the Society as a ResponseAbility volunteer myself. Right after graduatingfrom Villanova, I joined Response-Ability toteach fourth grade in Washington, D.C. whileliving in a spiritual community with othervolunteers. Holy Child sisters welcomed us thefirst night of our orientation and during our firstweek in Washington. The spirit of celebrationand finding joy in the midst of challenge wasintegral to our community. I came to see howthe foundation and spirituality of the Societyand Cornelia Connelly’s philosophy of educationpermeated the Response-Ability program andmade it so precious. BD: What attracted you tojoin the SHCJ Associates?Liz: I became an Associate to express my deepappreciation for the connection I already have tothe Society and to deepen these spiritual ties.(continued on next page)Poetry off the Shelf (continued)The son of a Presbyterian minister whois himself squarely in the Romantictradition, Jeffers combines his ‘pantheistic’religiousness with a stern Calvinistindictment of humankind, who are mostlydeaf and blind to the consciousness ofeverything that exists beyond ourselves.The poet’s role is a priestly one, interveningin praise of the immanently divine that weordinary persons ignore. He called this mysticstance ‘inhumanism,’ a conviction that thenatural world is charged with God, a god ofSummer 2009change, of life and death, pain and pleasure.Suffering is and is to be endured. The key isto “fall in love outward,” to approach the earthand all it contains with awe, to open ourselvesin mutuality and reverence to “this lonelyrock.”Perhaps we can find the time and placeduring these months for our own “IThou” with a tree, a rock, a cloud? Nothingstrange—I cannot tell you how strange.SHCJ Associates NewsletterPage 7

Meet the Associates (continued from previous page)BD: How has being an SHCJ Associate affectedyour everyday life?Liz: For me, one of the great gifts of becomingan SHCJ Associate has been being matchedwith a Holy Child sister, especially for theseveral months of preparation. I enjoyedmeeting with Sr. Joanne Sullivan whoencouraged me to make time to pray and toappreciate God at work in my life and in thelife of Response-Ability. Getting togetherwith Joanne for tea and conversation gave mea chance to think about God’s action in myeveryday life and my response. Taking time tosit down and be quiet even when days are busyhas helped me to listen and to be more grateful.BD: What are your “dearest hopes” for theSHCJ Associate relationship?Liz: The Associate community is continuallygrowing. I want to help with that growth byinviting other Response-Ability volunteers (aswell as alumni and staff who live the missionof the Society through service) to connect withand join the SHCJ Associate community. I knowthat there are many who would enjoy being partof an ongoing spiritual community both duringand after they finish the Response-Abilityprogram.I see a tremendous opportunity for theAssociates to connect with the whole range ofSHCJ ministries to share prayer, to volunteertheir time and expertise whether full or parttime, and to collaborate on special projects.Personally, I want to keep getting to know otherAssociates and to see how we can put our loveinto action.Liz with S. Martina Ukwa, SHCJcarrying sack of garriduring visit to NigeriaBatey Beads (continued from next page)and some tea or coffee--we’ll provide youwith everything elseyou need.Each lovely piececomes with an enclosurecard with informationabout this fairtrade enterprise (seeimage). The jewelry ishandcrafted using highquality materials. Weare able to offer it atunbelievably low pricesbecause everything weuse is donated by bead supply stores. You willfind that these lovely necklaces, bracelets, andearrings really do sell themselves. And the bestPage 8part is that all the money raised goes to supportthe women and children of the Batey andtowards the development of their community.Please help to make this a project of theentire SHCJ Associate community! ContactBarbara (bdeconc@emory.edu) or Cindy(cindyplatko@yahoo.com) now to let us knowthat you will host a house party for BateyBeads by the Jewelry Sisters this fall orwinter. Your friends and colleagues willthank you for offering them the opportunity topurchase beautiful jewelry for a song, and yourparticipation in this Associates’ communityproject will put a song in your heart and thehearts of the women and children of BateyLecheria!SHCJ Associates NewsletterSummer 2009

Batey Beads by the Jewelry Sisters: Calling All AssociatesBy Barbara DeConcini & Cindy PlatkoDuring the year SHCJ Associates Cindy andGreg Platko spent working with the SHCJ inthe Dominican Republic (DR) as ResponseAbility volunteers, Cindy became aware that thewomen of the Batey had nothing to nurture theirimaginations or give them a sense of personalaccomplishment. They were spending all theirtime caring for their children, washing, cleaning,and cooking—all without any electricity orplumbing.TheseHaitiansand HaitianDominicans aredescendentsof Haitianmigrant slaveworkers, sold byone dictator toanother to work in the sugarcane fields. Nowthat work is gone, but these people live on intheir original one-room cells in the work-camps.They are caught as virtual non-persons, withoutpapers, without jobs, without resources. SHCJ’sKathleen King, Mary Alice Minogue, and AnnJoyce Peters have spent collectively more than35 years there, where they run a Montessorischool and a medical clinic. Parishioners fromSister Rosemary McSorley’s and Sister VeronicaGrover’s parishes (in Pompton Plains, NJ andCharlotte, NC, respectively) continue to supportthe work with their time, talent, and treasure.While Greg dug latrines, Cindy, in additionto her nursing duties, came up with the idea ofstarting a beading group. Some 15 or so womenjoined her each week to learn to string beadsinto necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. After awhile, the group named themselves “the jewelrysisters” to convey the fresh sense of camaraderieand connection they had formed around beadsand beading. Cindy brought the women’s workback to the U.S. with her and began selling it tofriends and colleagues.At the Associates’ Gathering in June 2008,Cindy met Barbara (both were displayingjewelry) and suggested that she go to the DR tohelp the women enhance their bead designingand stringing techniques. Barbara collected lotsSummer 2009of beads and suppliesfrom the variousvendors from whomshe buys for her ownjewelry-making andheaded down with herhusband, Walt Lowe,this past March.The fifty-threewomen of the Bateywho worked with Barbara during the week senther home with more than 325 pieces of jewelryto market and sell. (Go to www.flickr.com/photos/4thedr to see Walt’s photos of the week.)Thanks to the generosity of friends, colleagues,Associates, and SHCJ sisters, Cindy andBarbara have already sold virtually their wholeinventory. Cindy spent 2 weeks in the Batey inJuly, and Barbara is going down for two weeksin December. The Jewelry Sisters continue tobead!Thus Batey Beads by the Jewelry Sisterscame to be! Cindy and Barbara are enthusiasticabout establishing a viable “cottage industry”with the Jewelry Sisters of Batey Lecheria.We’re committed to spending time there at leastfour times a year and to helping the women todevelop the sorts of business skills they willneed to make their beading enterprise a success.Now we need your help.With the blessing of the Associates’ CoreTeam, Barbara and Cindy are invitingall SHCJ Associates to participate in thiswonderfully rewarding and fun project.We are asking each of you to host a houseparty for your own friends and colleaguesto show and sell Batey Beads. You providethe guestsContinued on previous pageBatey BeadsBy the Jewelry SistersHand-crafted jewelry by the Haitian women of theBatey Lecheria, Dominican Republic. Your purchasehelps them feed their children. Thank you forsupporting the Jewelry Sisters!Batey Beads is a fair-trade enterprise.SHCJ Associates NewsletterPage 9

SHCJ Associates, U.S.A.A ministry of the American Province of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus460 Shadeland Avenue/Drexel Hill, PA 19026Book RecommendationFor this issue, the book recommendation isCaritas in Veritate (“Charity in Truth”), PopeBenedict’s new social encyclical. Besides thetimeliness of the encyclical, it fits perfectly withour issue’s featured topic of Discerning Love.The full text of 144 pages is available onlineat www.vatican.va/holy father/benedict xvi/encyclicals/index en.htm. It is also available inpaperback.A Generous Love by Catie McElweeTo celebrate Cornelia’s bicentennial, the HolyChild Sisters in Latin America wanted to haveCornelia’s life in story form for children. CatieMcElwee, a Response-Ability volunteer who justcompleted 2 years in the Dominican Republic, isthe author of this new book, A Generous Love.The English version of the book will beavailable in November but orders are requestedby September 30th. Each copy costs 6.00 oryou can pay 8.00 and help with the costs forproviding school children in Nigeria and Ghanawith copies.Full page original illustrations for each pagewere done by Sister France White, SHCJ. Eachchapter includes conversation questions.You can order by contacting Sister ThereseCurrie by email, tcurrie@shcj.org or by sendingan order request to:

But, Sr. Pat, a movie buff and executive direc-tor of Wordnet Productions, Inc., a Catholic television ministry head-quartered in California, has devised her own tool to reach the masses. For the last year, Sr. Pat has worked behind the scenes with the Wordnet sta