Jubilarians Reflect on Y
by Jody Iler
As the promise of summer is fulfilled in the lush grounds of Mount Carmel
high above the Mississippi River in Dubuque, Iowa, the Sisters of Charity, BVM
are once again celebrating their jubilees—reflecting the fulfillment of promises
they made many years ago.
This year their jubilees take on an even deeper meaning, as religious throughout the world examine their past, present and future in the context of Pope Francis’ call to “Wake Up the World” in this Year of Consecrated Life (YCL).
For BVMs, reflecting on the past with gratitude is an integral part of engaging in the present with passion and anticipating the future with hope.
Here, five jubilarians express their
joy in living consecrated lives:
Silver Jubilarian Kathleen J.
Sinclair, BVM shares, “I’m
grateful for the wonderful people who were a part
of the missions where I
served—the children at
Holy Family School in
Chicago; the parishioners at St. Francis
in Des Moines, Iowa; the young adults at
Clarke University in Dubuque; the Jesuit
Volunteer Corps in San Francisco; the
educators at Loyola Press in Chicago; and
now the youth at Carmel Catholic HS in
Mundelein, Ill.”
As she considers her ministry today,
she says, “It is very easy to live the present
with passion at a Catholic high school!
The ‘Carmel kids’ are filled with so much
enthusiasm for life, what they are involved
in at school, and how their faith can
sustain them in all circumstances. I am
grateful to have the opportunity to assist
them in navigating these important years
through my presence at this wonderful
school.”
Kathleen is confident about the future
as well: “At every mission where I have
served, I have had the blessing of listen-
14
|
S A L T MAGAZINE
ing to others share their desire to serve
God. At Carmel, the future is well tended
through the spirit and charism of the congregation’s mission of service to others.”
Golden Jubilarian Margaret
Mary Cosgrove, BVM offers
these reflections on the past:
“Looking back, my heart is
filled with gratitude to God,
my BVM sisters, family and
friends. God has graced
me with gifts too numerous to name. My
ministries have ranged from teaching elementary and college students; serving on
a number of corporate and not-for-profit
boards; and in my current work with an
investment management firm, I serve our
clients from religious congregations.
“Each ministry challenged me in different ways, each helped me learn new
skills. I forged lifelong friendships and
learned much about myself when relationships were challenging. Gratitude is a part
of my daily life as each night I reflect on
the blessings of the day.”
Margaret Mary is filled with enthusiasm for the present. She says, “There are so
many emerging needs that challenge me.
Two areas in which I work give me hope
for the future and a passion for ministry.
“I feel very energized when I serve on
investment/stewardship committees for
religious congregations. I enjoy working
with congregations who are developing their Investment Policy Statements
(IPS). Each congregation has a different
mission and charism; it is exciting to see
how they work to express these values
in their IPS. The next step is usually to
decide on an asset allocation strategy that
helps the congregations meet two critical
needs: supporting ill and retired members and generating investment returns
to fund ministerial projects. This is not
direct service to critical social needs, but it
addresses issues critical for the survival of
religious congregations.
“The second area is serving on the
Catholic Charities Board and the Catholic
Charities Foundation Board. Catholic
Charities of the Archdiocese of Dubuque
meets human needs daily as it works with
a wide variety of persons in areas such
as jail and prison ministry, counseling,
affordable housing, and refugee resettlement (among others). We have recently
raised funding support to retain an immigration attorney to work with and on
behalf of immigrants seeking citizenship.”
As she contemplates the future,
Margaret Mary reflects, “Pope Francis’
emphasis on the person in need encourages
me. I hope his perspective on simplicity
infuses the whole church and moves it away
from a ‘princely’ hierarchy to one focused on
service to the neediest among us.
“In his off-the-cuff remarks to religious
and clergy in South America, Pope Francis
spoke about graciousness. I believe if our
religious congregations live their lives in
a spirit of graciousness, all other gifts will
flow from that attitude. As we work with
and serve all persons with graciousness, we
bring the love of God to each person and
we are a loving presence in their lives.”