The past month I've taken a break for all my online pursuits to tend other relationships in real time and build community with my sisters at Saint Joseph Priory. Every year our Congregation begins anew in August or September forming community with the sisters assigned to a particular Priory or Convent that is near where they have been commissioned in a variety of ministries. This year I am doing that at Saint Joseph Priory at our Motherhouse in Fremont. Since I entered in 1997 I have lived in eight of our communities, each of them very different from each other. Each community has its own personality and its own history. The Priory is a community of 27 sisters. It is the largest of our 30 communities in the United States, Mexico, Germany and Guatemala.
When I was a postulant (now we call them candidates), I lived at Immaculate Conception Priory in San Francisco and taught at Saint James School in the Mission District. Then I moved to Siena Community, our novitiate house in Mission San Jose. After profession I was sent to Immaculate Conception Convent, a smaller convent that we used to own near San Francisco to finish my doctoral studies at the University of San Francisco and teach at Immaculate Conception Academy. Then I moved to convent in Warm Springs dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe and served as project manager for the relocation of 52 of our sisters in St. Martins and St. Josephs prior to the renovation of the chapel and care center. After that I served for two years as admissions director and college counselor at Saint Elizabeth High School and lived at Saint Elizabeth Convent. I was a lecturer at Saint Mary's College and Santa Clara University when I lived at Saint Simon's Convent in Los Altos. I lived and taught for a short period at Santa Teresita in Los Angeles before arriving at my present assignment as Director of Information Technology and Prioress of Saint Joseph Priory in Fremont.
We have a few sisters who live alone in an apartment for the sake of ministry or are caring for an aging parent, but all our sisters are affiliated with a community. Our community life sustains us spiritually and keeps us centered in the relational life that is the heart of Christ's preaching. We believe like our founder Saint Dominic that community is the preaching. We challenge each other to be loving, authentic, compassionate, well-balanced and generous. Every one of my sisters is an inspiration to me in her daily human striving for Jesus, the way, the truth and the life. I love what we call our Common Life. There is always someone home to exchange ideas with if you want to talk, and people will leave you alone if you just want some peace and quiet. We have many celebrations and deep discussions about life, the universe and everthing of interest. I have come to realize that even though they are truly humble and would never point this out themselves, I live with some of the most well-read, well-educated women in the world. My sisters are women who make a difference in people's lives, laboring quietly and praying constantly to make the world a better place.
