Little Design Communities - A Series: Part I of III

BEGINNINGS…

 “Beams of Love” © Mary Southard, CSJ, www.marysouthardart.org [i]

Welcome to a mini-series of conversations with Sisters Wendy Cotter and Rosemary O’Toole talking about Little Design Communities.

Wendy: Rosemary, I know that your Upper Room ministry has been unfolding for quite some time now. How did the Little Design Communities begin in Ottawa?   

Rosemary: That is a very beautiful story, Wendy! We were thirteen years into our Upper Room ministry when throughout the year 1996-1997 eighteen women just happened to ask me in their spiritual direction visit if they could meet and share their journey with some of the other women who came to the Upper Room. Evelyn and I discerned that this was a strong Spirit-nudge. It was our “perhaps in time” moment! So, in our 1997-98 brochure we extended an invitation to anyone who felt called to explore and discern the ‘Little Design’ way of life. We welcomed nineteen women to that first gathering on Saturday afternoon, September 20, 1997.  

Wendy: What did they tell you was their reason for wanting to come together?

Rosemary: These women were seriously committed to the spiritual life and desirous of growing in a more conscious and intimate union with God, others, and creation. They expressed a desire to share in our Upper Room contemplative lifestyle and mission. When we told them about the possibility of becoming associates or vowed members, they asked, “Is there another ‘kind of community’ that could support and enhance our lives?” They did not want anything too structured, institutionalized, or hierarchical. Feeling interiorly no need for canonical vows, or a distinctive ministry, public recognition, or any formal ceremonies with a Rule of Life, they seemed to embrace the freedom of moving in the Spirit to become “whatever God, in His infinite mercy, will deign to make of his design” (E.L. par 2). We decided to gather every six weeks for the coming year, trusting the Spirit to guide us in our discernment. I shared copies of The Eucharistic Letter [ii] for our second gathering and so began the exploration into Little Design communities.                

Wendy: Actually, this sounds very much like our own beginning in Le Puy... just six women, from various parishes, coming together to share their desires! And I think they all met in Lucrece de la Planche’s [iii] living room! Rosemary, how did you know they were asking for a ‘Little Design’ community?   

Gathering in the living room of The Upper Room Home of Prayer, 58 Primrose Avenue, Ottawa.

Rosemary: As their spiritual director, I knew all of these women well and I knew well the prophetic and mystical text of The Eucharistic Letter. They were in harmony and unison at their core essence but I wanted to give them time to recognize it and own it within themselves. They believed they were already consecrated to God (baptismal) and committed to a way of holiness based on the Gospel as they lived in their own homes. Their deepest desire seemed to be an urgent longing to share hearts with like-minded companions where trust and freedom to grow and explore would be welcomed. They loved the littleness, hiddenness and even the self-emptying way of moving into Great Love. Evelyn and I intuited that they were being drawn into the mystery of a simple way of life that Father Médaille described in The Eucharistic Letter. Here was an attractive little way of “loving Love and letting Love love through us.” It was Spirit-gift arriving for all of us!

Wendy: Did you find they could relate with a Letter that was written for our Sisters in 1660? 

Copy of The Eucharistic Letter

Archives of the Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Lyon, France. [iv]

Rosemary: Actually Wendy, some of the women would have participated in the courses on Médaille Spirituality that I had offered over the years at various parishes. They would have been somewhat familiar with Father Médaille’s writings, especially the Maxims. As you know, The Eucharistic Letter is the core document for all Little Design communities. Within its forty-two paragraphs, one finds the entirety of its vision and mission. I think I can honestly say that most women seemed to just ‘get it’ right away! We would read a few paragraphs, sit awhile in silence, and then go off to share in small group conversations at the dining room table, living room or library. The way of Little Design started to become real and tangible, grounded in our everyday lives. It started to feel like ‘home’ in our spirituality.                                                                                   

Wendy: You must have found your Little Design community growing beyond your living room!

Rosemary:  Oh yes! In 1998 The Upper Room moved to a new townhouse on 68 Centrepointe Drive and everything seemed to accelerate from then on! Within a year, we began to welcome newcomers who asked to join us. In just a few years, with the larger numbers gathering at our Home of Prayer, we as a core community knew we needed to have a ‘state of the house’ discernment. It was time to manage this next important step in the movement. What do we do when we grow larger and attract more members? The answer was already found in The Eucharistic Letter (par. 34-35) but we now had to make that critical response. Gratefully, in 2004, four women offered to become home hostesses. Core members and newcomers had the opportunity then to choose their own Little Design small community. They arranged their own dates and times for gathering in each other’s homes. Today there are fourteen Little Design communities (sixty-seven women) in the Ottawa Valley area who gather regularly in their own homes … or … these days on Zoom. 

Wendy: What a graced “beginning”. In our next blog, I’d like to ask you about the Médaille Online Course.

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[1] Mary Southard, CSJ, LaGrange, Illinois, USA. Gratefully, Mary gave us permission to use Beams of Love for our Little Design Communities website logo in 2012 and for all printed LDC materials.

[11] Jean-Pierre Médaille, S.J., The Eucharistic Letter. Open link to read PDF. In the latest research of Marguerite Vacher, Nuns Without Cloister, (pp. 312-313) she confirms that it was sometime in 1660 when Father Médaille received a Divine revelation which he wrote down in The Eucharistic Letter. She estimates that he gave the Letter to Marguerite Burdier, one of the first six Sisters. Apparently the Letter was not circulated, or very little, among the communities. Since Vatican II, we Sisters of St. Joseph are revisiting all our original documents.

[111] Marguerite Vacher, CSJ, Letting in Joy, (pp. 15-17). She tells the story of how Lucrece, the Catholic wife of a Protestant nobleman in Le Puy, opened her home to the first sisters for several months before they could officially become a community. This very virtuous demoiselle continued an active collaboration with the sisters until her death in 1653.

[1v] Photo courtesy of Michele Melowsky, an Ottawa pilgrim to Le Puy, France, participating in the second Rebirthing session, June 2013.

Right to Truth Day - Remembering Saint Oscar Romero

Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero.

We remember Saint Oscar Arnulfo Romero who was assassinated on March 24th, 1980.

Canonized on October 14, 2018, Romero was a vocal critic of the violent atrocities of assassinations and torture in his country, El Salvador. He preached openly against prevailing poverty and social injustices.

In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed March 24th as the “International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims”, in recognition of the role of Bishop Romero in defense of human rights. (Wikipedia)

We remember Saint Oscar Romero reflecting on his own words:

“If God accepts the sacrifice of my life, may my death be for the freedom of my people. A bishop will die, but the Church of God, which is the people, will never perish. I do not believe in death without resurrection. If they kill me, I will rise again in the people of El Salvador.”

Submitted by Sister Mabel St. Louis

Fifth Sunday of Lent

Fifth Sunday of Lent:  Gospel Reflection:  John 12:20-33

Some Greeks approached Philip and put this request to him.

“Sir, we would like to see Jesus” (verse 21)

Our Christian faith is similar to an archeological dig.  You look at the surface and you can learn a lot. You brush away the dust and then you can learn even more.  You dig deeper, you learn more. But you have to start with the basics.  You can’t understand God and the complexities of our faith unless you first start with the most basic. 

In today’s gospel, some Greeks came to Philip and asked to see Jesus. One of the dynamics of John’s gospel is that “to see” is more than simply to see something with your eyes.  For John, “to see” is “to believe” ... to see Jesus means more than simply catching a glimpse of a celebrity who is performing miracles.  It means that you really want to get to know and believe in Jesus and the teachings He offers to those who believe. 

Question:  How often have you felt that strong attraction – that desire to actually see … experience … the presence of Jesus in your life?  Personally, I often experience God’s “deeper presence” whenever I am on retreat.   When the retreat ends, I don’t want to leave.  Like the apostles, I want to build a tent and stay forever!  I want to feel the desire to “see” Jesus … to be in His presence.  I am not satisfied knowing about Jesus; I want to see Him … I want to be in His presence.  What does this mean?

“ I am not satisfied knowing about Jesus; I want to see Him … I want to be in His presence.”

It is not necessary to see in the literal sense to believe. We know this in Jesus’ words to Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe” (20:29). The purpose of the gospel is to record Jesus’ signs and words for those who have not seen yet but have come to believe.

Reflection:

Have you “seen” Jesus? 

Have you really seen Him, and do you really “believe” in Him?  

Do you accept him as your Lord and Saviour?

OR

Is everything in your life still “same old … same old”?

Something to think about.

Sister Dorothy Ryan, csj

Lenten Reflection

The Fifth Week of Lent

In preparation for this reflection, I read over the scripture readings for the fifth week of Lent.  Two readings, in particular, spoke to me.  The first reading was the story of Susanna and the second the Annunciation to Mary that she was to become the Mother of Jesus. Both were God-fearing women.  The law of God had been taught to them and I believe had taken root in their receptive hearts.  This left them open to God’s plans for them.   Both women had to make crucial decisions that would deeply impact their lives. The decisions they made could have resulted in their deaths.  Susanna and Mary chose to be faithful and trust God in their decision-making.  This took deep faith and courage.  God used the prophet, Daniel, to prove Susanna’s innocence and Joseph’s dreams to affirm that Mary had done nothing wrong. They had each made the right decision.  Their decisions were not just for their time but have been read, reflected on, and have inspired believers for thousands of years.

It seemed appropriate that I am finishing this reflection on International Women’s Day.  As a pandemic weary pilgrim, I am both inspired and challenged by these women.  I am reminded of God’s promise to give me a new heart and so I find myself praying for the grace of a heart open to possibility and the unknown and the trusting faith to make the right decisions in my life.

As individuals and as a congregation we are involved in the decision-making process. We are discerning what is emerging for us as individuals and a congregation.  Some of us are considering if this is the time to let our names stand for leadership and all of us are preparing to make decisions about who will take on the role of congregational leadership and the direction the congregation will take into the future. May we all move forward in this time of decision-making with open, responsive hearts that will help us make the right decisions for our time, the dear neighbour, and all of God’s creation.

-Sister Lucy Godfrey, csj