k 15 January 2025 k
Dear Sisters and Associates,
Today we celebrate the birth of Cornelia with some questions to mark the occasion:
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Is she the pilgrim of hope, woman of the church, crossing oceans, ready to seek and find God in and through the challenges and opportunities for service? Is she the mystic, the one communing with the Spirit in the darkness of Grand Coteau, the Trinità, Derby or St Leonards, grappling with both sin and success in saying her ‘YES, ALWAYS YES’ to God? Is she the founder, the inspired leader, the one who drew together a disparate crew of unlikely women to to become friends and companions in a religious congregation marked by the standard of Christ and the name of Jesus? Is she the administrator, the would-be missionary to Japan or Australia confined to a desk, writing letter after letter to manage and maintain the fledgling company that looked to her for guidance? Is she the educator, the writer of the Book of Studies, using her considerable gifts to inspire and train students and young teachers to meet the wants of their age?
Maybe one of these few depictions speaks intriguingly to you. Would you add others? Perhaps your choice draws you deeper into our shared mission of finding God in all things and serving God’s greater glory? Cornelia — like each of us — was many things over many years because there’s always more to the person and the story. We must continue to flesh out the fullness not just of Cornelia — her hopes and fears, strengths and failings — but of ourselves and those around us. As we engage with exemplars of the past and ordinary people of the present, let us be curious about them and let us love them, ourselves and all creation in their fullness. Let us love one another and pray. Happy birthday, Cornelia! With love,
Society leadership team
Based on a reflection on St. Ignatius, Eric Clayton, Jesuit Conference of Canada & USA
Who is the Cornelia you know best? Which Cornelia inspires your prayer and accompanies you through your days?