Commissioned to Go

On Thursday evening, 14th April, we gathered in the beautiful chapel at Kedron for the ceremony of Commissioning for Sisters Karen Bourke, Maureen Andrews and Patricia Cordwell. This ceremony underlines the fact that wherever sisters minister they do so in the name of the Institute and give life to our mission statement which commits us through a simple, communal lifestyle of service to creating ever-widening circles of communion – reverencing creation and embracing all people, especially the marginalized.

L to R: Patricia, Maureen, Karen

Sister Patricia has begun a pastoral ministry in Toowoomba, Sister Maureen leaves after Easter to take up the position of Pastoral Leader in the parish of Cunnamulla and Sister Karen is called to Pastoral Care at Delamore Retirement Community, St. Anthony’s Schools and Mt Alvernia College.

Sister Pauline Robinson presented the Sisters with a lighted candle and a Tau Cross on a brown cord.
The Tau was the favourite sign of Francis: he used it to sign letters and he painted it on places where he retired to pray and it continues to be widely used by Franciscans. The source of his devotion was Ezeckiel 9:4.

The reflection offered for the occasion was taken from A Psalm for Midwives:

You will know when it’s time to bring to birth a new creation

The signs will be all around you, urging insisting: now is the time.

You have to know just when to bear down and concentrate on one thing only.

It takes labour, hard, hard labour, to bring forth something new.

ALL:  Be midwife of our dreams, O God, make us midwives of your mission.

You have to know just when to push for something that is worth fighting for.

If you push too soon, the dream, so close to fulfilment may be still born.

You have to know how hard to push when something new is about to happen.

If you push too hard, you may be too exhausted or too discouraged to continue on.

ALL:  Be midwife of our hope, O God make us midwives of your mission

You have to know when to cut the cord let go of what has been
to let a new life thrive and grow.

What will be, will be different, and it will take some time to adjust.

You have to know how to wait for things to settle after the dream is born.

And how to handle the consequences clean up the messes and move on!

ALL:  Be midwife of our freedom, O God, make us midwives of your mission

How good it is to bring to birth or help another bring to birth

How good it is to deliver the dream that is God’s dream.

Let us nurture it to fruitfulness and support it to fulfilment.

ALL:  Be midwife of our future O God, make us midwives of your mission.

(Adapted from Miriam Winter, Woman Witness)
 

The Commissioning concluded with the Sisters praying a blessing:

May the God who gifts with extravagant generositiy,

accept with joy the gift of our lives.

May the God who gathers all people and sustains them in being,

hold us in his embrace.

May the God who called us in our youth,

whisper our names forever and ever,

and bless us today and forever and ever. Amen.

L to R: Patricia, Maureen, Karen

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