Mission Day, Loyola Marymount University, January 25, 2011: Sister Terezinha Cecchin, RSHM
NURTURING HOPE IN THE MIDST OF A TROUBLED WORLD BY CROSSING BOUNDARIES AND BUILDING BRIDGES I want to begin by thanking you for the invitation to share with you here at Loyola Marymount University some aspects of our mission as Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary. This is truly a privileged moment. Thank you! Father Adolfo Nicolas, SJ, Superior General of the Jesuits, in his talk here in 2009, emphasized collaboration as an important mark of the Mission Statement of the order. In fact, work in collaboration with others is much more productive than what individuals can do alone. The collaboration between the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, the Sisters of St. Joseph, and the Society of Jesus is a good example of this. In 1968 the two women’s congregations, in the persons of Sr. Raymunde McKay, RSHM and Sr. Felix Montgomery, CSJ, signed an agreement to work as partners at Marymount College which was moving to the Loyola University Campus. In that same year, Rev. Charles Casassa, SJ and Sr. Raymunde significantly furthered the collaboration when an affiliation was established between Loyola University and Marymount College on the same campus. For the first time, male and female students would study together on the Westchester campus. After five years of sharing facilities it was recognized that it was time for a much larger step: that of merging the two institutions and thus was born Loyola Marymount University as we know it today. The predecessor of Loyola Marymount University opened its doors 100 years ago this year, and the collaboration is not only continuing but developing. Today, as we all know, Loyola Marymount has its first non‐Jesuit president, Dr. David Burcham. This is another step in collaboration. We wish him great success in his new position as he continues to foster Christian values in this prestigious educational institution. The theme for my talk today is “Nurturing Hope in the midst of a Troubled World by Crossing Boundaries and Building Bridges.” 1. First of all: “Nurturing Hope.” What is hope? Hope is revealing the vision of a different kind of world. We are able to dream of a future full of hope according to the Prophet Jeremiah 29:11. But, what is this hope? Pope Benedict XVI says “To have Christian hope means to know about evil and yet to go to meet the future with confidence.” And for you students, professors, staff, alums, collaborators and friends, what is hope? What is hope for us RSHM? The World Social Forum tells us that it is the ability to dream that “another world is possible.” We believe that a world of justice, peace and security for all is possible; a world 1 Mission Day, Loyola Marymount University, January 25, 2011: Sister Terezinha Cecchin, RSHM
where poverty is something that we speak of in the past tense; a world where differences are greeted with respect and not with mistrust. Who will build this possible new world? Others? You? I? We? 2. And the theme continues, “ . . .in a troubled world.” Our world has always been troubled, but today it is more globalized because the new means of communication make everything known in real time. Global warming and other ecological issues threaten our existence as well as that of other creatures. Natural disasters result in millions of people losing everything. We face political impasses that never seem to get resolved. We are confronting a worldwide economic recession. And religious extremism leads to deep distrust and violence. We could continue listing great and serious problems that wound life in our world. Clearly, not everything is negative, but we are crossing through a unique moment in history, a multi‐faceted globalization. Nonetheless, we continue to desire a globalization of hope, of solidarity, of life with dignity for all. The Loyola Marymount mission statement highlights specific ways in which we can make a difference in our world: • LMU encourages students, faculty, and staff to identify with those living on the margins of society so that the intellectual inquiry and moral reflection endemic to university life will lead to meaningful work for transformative social change. • Together with the University’s sponsoring religious orders and the post‐Vatican II Church, we believe that participating in the struggle for justice in ways appropriate to our academic community is a requirement—not simply an option—of biblical faith. • Faith that does Justice: at LMU we insist that the service of faith is incomplete without the promotion of justice. How are these ideals being lived out here at LMU? How do you as faculty and staff embrace these ideals and how do you as students live out these ideals during your time at LMU and how will you continue to live them out after you leave here? 3. Our theme continues “. . . crossing boundaries.” Father Jean Gailhac, our founder, says “From the most tender years of my youth, God filled me with a sacred fire” (1878). A sacred fire that led him to become a good priest and that drew him to work concretely, efficaciously, for the good of people. He was not content with an easy or superficial life. He looked for lay people to collaborate with him in the works he had begun, like the Refuge for prostitutes, the house of preservation for young women in danger of falling into prostitution, an orphanage for children. He did all of this before founding the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary. His passion for God and his desire to save people were greater than himself, but nothing stopped him. He was very close to a married couple, Eugene and Apollonie Cure, who always helped him in his projects. 2 Mission Day, Loyola Marymount University, January 25, 2011: Sister Terezinha Cecchin, RSHM
Eugene died suddenly, and the newly widowed Apollonie decided to offer all her wealth to Father Gailhac’s works. But it was not only her wealth. She, with the name Mére St. Jean, became a co‐founder of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary. We celebrated the 200th anniversary of her birth last year. A woman of hope and courage, Mére St. Jean totally transformed her style of life at 40 years of age. Father Gailhac chose the First Sunday of Lent to formally begin his new community. The seasons of Lent and Spring coincide: it is a time of sowing seeds, a time of struggle, but also a time when darkness leads to new life. And the mission of the newborn Institute, “To know God and to make God known, to love God and to make God loved,“ has its roots in the experience of the Gospel. Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full” Jn.10:10. To care for life, above all where it is most threatened is our task, and for this we, as religious, are able to be sent to any part of the world. Next February 24 we will celebrate 162 years of existence. Internationality has characterized us from the beginning. While still small in number, our founder had the vision of opening communities in Ireland, England, Portugal, and the United States. Today we are over 800 members in 13 countries and 3 continents. Our RSHM Mission Statement also is very challenging: The Gospel and our Founders “urge us to respond to the needs of our time and to work with others in action for evangelical justice. Sent to promote the life and dignity of all our sisters and brothers, at this time we place ourselves and our resources at the service of those who are most in need of justice, enabling the powerless, the deprived, the marginalized, the voiceless to work effectively for their own development and liberation.” Now I want to share with you some concrete ways that show how we are living our Mission in different places. In Mexico, a small international group of sisters lives their consecrated life in community in the midst of the poorest. Through Bible study and prayer together, God becomes continually better known and loved. People discover that they are loved by God; they discuss their basic problems and look together for solutions. As a result of these groups, some years ago a project was begun to help the young women. A large piece of land was acquired where they could learn to cultivate the earth and have the possibility of work and subsistence. With what they make from the sale of their produce the young girls help to pay for their high school tuition. Attending school is a requirement for them to participate. Moving to the African continent—Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique—American, Irish, Portuguese and African sisters dedicate their lives, giving special attention to women and children through basic education and health care, as well as evangelization so that they may assume their proper role in life, empowering them to become the agents of their own liberation. 3 Mission Day, Loyola Marymount University, January 25, 2011: Sister Terezinha Cecchin, RSHM
Going now to Brazil, we see our mission implemented again in work with women and children who we understand are those who suffer all sorts of marginalization and exclusion, who are the most defenseless. In the Northeast, a cooperative called “Polpa das Frutas‐‐
Fruit Pulp” was developed by and for women. This cooperative makes juices and sweets out of the fruits typical of the region. Initially their products were distributed in the poor schools of the region; today they are distributed commercially. It is an initiative that gives power to women because it is they who run the cooperative. Some have already said that their husbands, some of whom didn’t work and were abusive, have changed because they feel ashamed in front of their wives. Returning now to the United States, our Sisters are involved in a variety of ministries from formal classroom education, to alternative forms of education for those who do not fit into the regular schools, also immigration work, prison ministry, legal aid and many others. Here in Los Angeles I have learned about the “Los Angeles Ministry Project” known as LAMP where our Sisters are teaching English as a Second language but also where our Province is supporting the project by participating on the Board of Directors and giving financial support. Many of you are familiar with “A Place Called Home” which is a safe haven and neighborhood center for youth of South Los Angeles. What began as a small project by one person has developed into a project that offers hundreds of youth programs in tutoring, mentoring, music, art etc. The Gailhac Learning Program sponsored by our RSHM Province is an integral part of this empowering place right in our own city. 4. The last part of our theme for today, “ . . .and build bridges” is done by creating community, friendships, and networks—local, national, and international. In a turbulent and divided world, to build bridges, to draw near to individuals, to share projects, is of vital importance. In order to live our Mission we try to build bridges also in formal education. Our network of schools gathers 14 schools—elementary and secondary—from different countries and has an annual meeting of leadership teams for sharing, input, and agreeing on values and goals. Integrating academic quality and Christian values is a great challenge, but a necessary one, if we are to prepare for the future of humanity. Our Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation network (JPIC), working in collaboration with the Unions of Superiors General in Rome, functions in all parts of the Institute. We have chosen two priorities for the coming years: The Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations and work against human trafficking. This last focuses on countries that are sources of trafficking and those that are destinations for trafficked persons. Of the three basic ways of working against human trafficking (prevention, caring for victims, and advocacy), we are involved especially in the basic work of preventing trafficking of women and also of denouncing institutions that are implicated in trafficking, e.g. hotels, airports, and businesses like the garment industry . Here in Los Angeles we’ve had symposia on Trafficking and we have supported the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking known as CAST. As an entire Institute we have taken a Corporate Stance against human trafficking. 4 Mission Day, Loyola Marymount University, January 25, 2011: Sister Terezinha Cecchin, RSHM
As RSHM we are also an NGO (Non‐Governmental Organization) at the United Nations, working in collaboration with others on the Millennium Development Goals and, above all, against human trafficking and poverty. We combine our strengths with others to build bridges of collaboration, solidarity, justice, and peace. We also are able to count on our Extended Family, persons who sense an affinity with our charism and spirituality and who participate in different ways in our mission. In Mozambique, for example, a group of Extended Family members without many resources are working with children trying to prevent them from having to live on the streets. Our last General Chapter called us “to expand how we see ourselves and our world”, and in response to this challenge we recently began to construct a new bridge, a missionary volunteer program for youth and adults from our schools and beyond. Some initiatives are showing positive results. The same fire that burned in the heart of our Founder, Jean Gailhac, is, in our day, the passion for God and for humanity that moves us to build a future full of hope, in a troubled world, by crossing boundaries and building bridges in collaboration with many others throughout the world. And now: some questions we might ask ourselves as we depart from this chapel today: • What type of difference are we called to make in our time? • In what ways might we be able to do this? • What would be some signs that we are making a difference? I want to thank you for this opportunity to be with you and to share a little on what we as a religious community, deeply connected to LMU, are attempting to achieve through our Mission Statement. Let us continue together to nurture hope by crossing boundaries and building bridges in our world that so desperately needs us. 5