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Sister Pearl Ceasar, CDP Delivers General Assembly Closing Address

Sister Pearl Ceasar, CDP delivered the General Assembly closing address on Friday, June 25, 2021.

As this year’s General Assembly ends, I would like to thank you again for your presence and participation. The success of another General Assembly would not have been possible without you. We had in-depth discussions, conversations with each other and recommended a resolution as a result. We heard from an excellent speaker, Sister Linda Gibler, OP and a moving presentation by Sister Guadalupe Ramirez on the MCDPs.  One Sister told me she felt God’s presence among us.  I agree.

I would like to thank the following people for making the General Assembly a success.  Please stand as I call your group:

  • The General Assembly Planning Committee – Sister Mary Bordelon, CDP; Sister Elsa Garcia, CDP; Sister Megan Grewing, CDP; Sister Frances Lorene Lange, CDP; and Bonnie Abadie, ACDP.
  • The Earth Care Committee
  • The Liturgists– Sister Ramona Bezner, CDP, Sister Louise Miksch, CDP,–Pastoral Care, ministers; all musicians and cantors.
  • Memorial Service – Sister Charlotte Kitowski, CDP and Sister Barbara Fry, CDP
  • The Jubilee Committee
  • Physical Facilities – Daniel Merced
  • Dietary Team – Roland Mendiola and Staff.
  • Zoom and Livestreaming Assistance – Sister Louise Miksch, CDP; Alex Rodriguez; Ana Sanchez, and Providence Catholic School for the use of their speakers.

In closing, I would like to reflect on the meetings I have had with all of you over the past six weeks. As of June 24, I have met with 82 Sisters out of the 95 that we are. These meetings were an inspiration and encouragement to me because of the openness, thoughtfulness and prayerfulness that you shared.

These reflections on the meetings we had took me to a book titled, “Dedicated” written by Pete Davis.  Sister Margit Nagy recommended the book to me.  Davis writes about how difficult it is for people today to make a commitment. He states that we live in a culture where we want to keep our options open. He calls this culture “infinite browsing mode” characterized by jumping from place to place searching for the next big thing and refusing to make any decision that might close us off from an even better choice we imagine is just around the corner. He says that within this way of life is a counterculture of committers called “long-haul heroes.” This counterculture is supported by a different type of morality and value system and a deepening of relationships. Sisters, you are the “long-haul heroes” and we have created that counterculture within our Congregation.

I experienced that the conversations I had with you took us to a deeper realm. Conversation is the natural way all of us think together.  However, to be successful in the conversation process, there are several things that must be present. We acknowledge each other as equals; we stay curious about each other; and we slow down so we have time to think and reflect. The practice of conversation takes courage, faith and time. We settle into conversation, we don’t just do it. Eventually, we will be surprised by how much we share in common.

With each of you, I experienced that true conversation opens us to the sacred.  Oftentimes we forget that sacred is an everyday experience. Sacred is not a special place, or a ritual, or a particular group of people. It is more normal than that.  The Sacred is simply life, revealing its true nature and wholeness. A real conversation opens the door to that experience. It becomes a sacred moment in which we experience wholeness and belonging. Through each other, our hearts open and expand;  we feel welcomed.

In the conversations I had with you, I learned that the two most important commitments we have are our commitment to God and to other people. I learned that we have a community that has that kind of commitment to God and  to each other.  That commitment is shown in very simple ways.

One Sister told me she is legally blind but does not struggle to read because another Sister reads to her. Another Sister told me that she thanks God every day for the Congregation and that she could not imagine her life without having been in the Congregation. Another Sister described to me the hospitality of the Sisters at the Convent Center and how that was developed. A Sister in McCullough Hall told me that the pandemic was not difficult for her because it gave her more time to pray.  A Sister in Mexico told me that while they were in “lock down” during the pandemic, she used it an opportunity to read all of Father Moye writings.  Another Sister in Mexico described how the pandemic renewed her trust in Divine Providence.  Sisters, we have a community that is real, vibrant and truly counterculture.

In the book, Dedicated, Davis continues that “dedicate” has two meanings – to make something holy and to stick at something for a long time.

We do something holy in those few extraordinary moments when we make commitments. And we do something holy in those countless ordinary moments when we keep them.

Davis further states that in the most dedicated people, a pursuit of holiness comes with a side effect of immense joy. He says that you can see that joy in the eyes of dedicated older people, who experience deeply the beauty that is the normal excellence of long accomplishments.

For this holiness to develop, a companionship, or we would call it community, is necessary. Davis expands on companionship and defines it in two parts: Com– meaning “with” and pan– meaning “bread.” A companion is one who breaks bread with another. What we share in community is this “breaking of bread,” only at a deeper level. Becoming a companion is not a quick or easy process.  One must earn trust by truly knowing each other. We do this by connecting our faith to other people specifically in community.

This is the work of the companion. Sisters, I experienced this companionship, this “breaking bread” in our conversations.  Again, I thank you.

When we make a commitment, we become closer to the future, and closer to our early Sisters whom our commitments serve.

We summon this legacy to our future – the people who will benefit from the fruits of our work – by dedicating ourselves to Laudato Si. We no longer live for the past. We live for the future.  In doing so, we are rooted in it.

In this assembly we have committed ourselves to our community, to our future, in the actions we will take together.

Resolution:  To live an environmentally sustainable lifestyle, the Congregation of Divine Providence will:

Corporate Level:

  • Invest in companies that support and promote alternative fuels;
  • Make Corporate Stance statements when appropriate;
  • Commit to using compostable cups, plates, napkins and silverware during public events;
  • Explore adding solar panels at OLLCC;
  • Investigate the feasibility of making the property in Corpus Christi available for a Solar farm;
  • Study the feasibility of beginning to rotate non-gasoline cars into the congregational fleet;
  • Collaborate with the administrations of PCS and OLLU to share ways to lessen global warming; and
  • Pray about environmental issues.

Local Community Level: The community can engage in activities such as recycling, reducing the amount of non-compostable waste produced, and praying about environmental issues.

Individual Level: Each individual Sister will practice this lifestyle by walking or taking a bike instead of a car when possible; by using a laptop instead of a desktop computer (less energy); by using cloth bags at the store instead of disposable bags; by avoiding disposable plastics; by using re-usable water bottles, coffee mugs, etc.; by eating more meatless meals; and by praying about environmental issues.

Sisters, may we continue in our dedication to God and to others through our commitment in community, our conversations with each other, and the actions we take collectively.

Let us live our future together.

Thank you.

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