It’s almost garden time

Charley enjoying his creation

Charley and Liz Bowland working on the garden mural

Earth Day at the Motherhouse

Sr. Anne Mamienski hugging a tree (Jim deSloover)

Lisa Burkey and Karen Hamon making tough decisions at the aloe plant booth.

Srs. Rose Graham, Jean Ann Gorman and Gretchen Webb at the "Change Purse" booth

I’m sure it comes as no surprise to anyone who knows IHMs that there was a grand Earth Day celebration here with booths sponsored by sisters and staff of various departments. Let me give you a few of the highlights. One department solicited donations of purses and sold them  to benefit programs that fight the trafficking of women. Another collected plants people were willing to share from their gardens; Jeff Ceo, Director of Monroe Campus Operations had a display showing the continuing improvements on our gray water system. The Motherhouse sisters sold greeting cards they had made from used cards. The theme , of course was Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Participants got a sticker at each booth and if they got a sticker from all the booths they were eligible for prizes. A celebratory atmosphere prevailed and each year’s event reinforces our commitment to care for the earth as God’s good creation.

So how was the Nun Run? (follow up on 3/16 post)

Nun Runners sharing a meal with Sr. Monica and Sr. Mary Bea at Visitation Spiritual Center

Great! Eight women participated in the whirlwind visit to six different communities in the Detroit area between last Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 8:00 PM. A Nun Run provides a way to experience how different groups of sisters  live out their call to religious life. Though the time limit precluded some areas of interest to the women like the steps in the formation process,  the vows and an experience with the sisters in their ministries they recognized the advantage of getting to know a little bit about the different groups in a day. You might call it one stop shopping. In their favorite session the runners learned what “charism” meant and then were treated to a creative process in which each vocation director brought two objects that were significant for the community and why. Nothing like visual aids! Then they each told two of stories showing how their sisters live the charism today. One of the runners said that the most important thing for her was “seeing the orders together and being able to see how they are different yet the same.” Another commented about the day,”I have a better sense of where and what I’m called to.” Another added, ” I think today helped me realize that I’m being called into deeper discernment. Some days it’s so easy to brush off that gentle tugging on my heart.” She continued, “even being around sisters fills me with such joy and happiness, and it just feels right.” One said on her evaluation,” I loved praying with the sisters and eating meals together.”

If you’re sensing a call to religious life and have the opportunity to go on a Nun Run I highly recommend it.

Lenten Reflections written by Catholic Sisters

Do you sometimes like a little help getting into Lent’s spirit? I’d love to share this resource with you.In preparation for Lent  the Vocations Directors of eight religious communities in the Toledo and Southeast Michigan area composed reflections for each day of the season. We really enjoyed working together on them. More and more religious communities are experiencing the fantastic energy of working with each other. Each reflection is viewable or downloadable as a PDF file.

April 8, 2012
April 7, 2012
April 6, 2012
April 5, 2012
April 4, 2012
April 3, 2012
April 2, 2012
April 1, 2012
March 31, 2012
March 30, 2012
March 29, 2012
March 28, 2012
March 27, 2012
March 26, 2012
March 25, 2012
March 24, 2012
March 23, 2012
March 22, 2012
March 21, 2012
March 20, 2012
March 19, 2012
March 18, 2012
March 17, 2012
March 16, 2012
March 15, 2012
March 14, 2012
March 13, 2012
March 12, 2012
March 11, 2012
March 10, 2012
March 9, 2012
March 8, 2012
March 7, 2012
March 6, 2012
March 5, 2012
March 4, 2012
March 3, 2012
March 2, 2012
March 1, 2012
February 29, 2012
February 28, 2012

Running with Nuns

Think about joining Detroit area vocation directors for a fun nun run. We’ll visit Mercy sisters, Adrian Dominican Sisters, Daughters of Charity, Bernadine Franciscan Sisters, and IHM sisters. Yes— all in one day! The advantage of meeting a number of groups in one day is that  you get a rare chance to experience first hand how various religious communities are alike as well as how they differ. Each group has a unique spirit, a different way of living the Gospel. God doesn’t make a generic call to you but rather leads you to a particular group where you can best live and grow and minister to the people of God.

“Nunnabes” and Friends


For the last few days we’ve had a fabulous time hosting nine women interested in joining the IHMs in some way. This was the weekend of our Coordinating Council meeting so many of our sisters who live at a distance, even Puerto Rico and Washington, DC were home for it. We  invited some IHM “wannabes” to hang out with us and join in the prayer and  presentations at the CC. I’m not sure which was best, the laughter, the wonderful sharing or the extra loud but delightful noise in the dining room. However, I do know  a lot of discerning happened as we shared our lives.

We’d love you to “Come and See”

Save the date!