Chapter Circle 1

Contemplative Dialogue

Our Evolving Experience of God 

Where have we experienced
 the movement of the spirit in this conversation?
From our conversation, what do we want to share with our sisters?

Chapter Circle 1 Responses

Chapter Circle 1

1.  We were happy with the process—sharing from depth of the heart. Although feelings are different , today brought us together to a new comfort level that was very  gratifying.

2.  We noticed that our quest for God has included struggles as well as joy;  today we all experience God in a new and unfinished way which reminds us of evolution in a troubling world which we are eager to serve collectively.

Chapter Circle 2

We sense that we are called to ever greater openness to the presence of God in our ourselves, in others and in the universe.  We want to help one another to respond to the challenges of our time.

Chapter Circle 3

As our experience of God has changed and deepened over the years, so to our call.  The call today is quieter & simpler with an outreach, mission, where we are.

Chapter Circle 4

Gratitude for being able to talk with one another about our relationship with God; Awareness about our commonality as we live our lives dedicated to this “God-quest”;

Appreciation for level of sharing and the depth of trust experienced.

Chapter Circle 5

We are grateful for the opportunity to share with one another and the level of trust in who we are before God and with one another. There is a deep acceptance and comfort in the group as we are receiving the challenges of each one’s experience and sharing that presence in conversation.

The shifts in our experience of God echoed for each of us the Mystery of God, often beyond words into being in and with God. The broader vision of God in the expanding cosmos, the embracing Spirit and the faces of those we serve invite us to a deeper openness to whatever is before us now.

There is a sacredness of all things; this is a sacred moment for us now.

Chapter Circle 6

We continue to be called to give joyful witness to love in the way we minister to others and ourselves which makes us one.

Chapter Circle 7

A spirit of openness, sincerity and deep sharing,

A spirit of hope, appreciation, and awareness,

A spirit of gratitude for the prep involved in these conversations,

A spirit that caused the fear of technology to wilt,

….to permeate all our circles and all our future sessions.

Chapter Circle 8

We are evolving in consciousness in community. We are open to learning. We experience solidarity in our convictions, incredible wisdom among us, the love of God binds us together, deep peace gives us assurance of the presence of each other and of God in our lives, we experience communion living in supportive coexistence and feel a oneness and concern for each other.

Chapter Circle 9

God is faithful and continues to be revealed in new ways, God seduces us.  Surprised by the unfolding of the spirit in our sharing.  A deep trust in one another as we shared with simplicity, honesty and joy our experience of God in our lives.

Chapter Circle 10

  1. We have moved from a very “Catholic neighborhood” way of being to a much bigger world. We are able to know people in new ways.
  2. Our image of God is bigger; God is found in nature and all around us.  Our challenge is to see from this perspective?
  3. The widening of our perspective makes us more tolerant of one another’s ideas and the way each of us chooses to pray.
  4. We have moved from saying prayers to praying
  5. We have been blessed with the ability to let go of old ways. That we were able to make these major shifts is cause for rejoicing.
  6. We have been stretched, are being stretched by the Spirit, making these conversations possible.
  7. We would not be at this point without the creative imagination of folks on the committee who believed that this process would be possible for us at this point in time.

Chapter Circle 11

Believing that our charism will move into the future, we wonder what it will look like ?

(We talked about the tension between believing in our charism yet not able to image or articulate a path to our future.)

Chapter Circle 12

Members of our Chapter Circle 12 enjoyed an open conversation and
heartfelt sharing about our evolving experiences of God — moving from
earlier more legalistic concepts to a growing awareness of freedom and
the central importance of relationships with self, other persons, and
the whole of creation, as the place of encounter with God.  We affirmed
the value of directed retreats and good reading materials and noted how
fortunate we are to have these opportunities which are not so easily
available to many of our family members, friends, and colleagues.

Chapter Circle 13

In our group we all expressed our image and experience of God, now, as one of immanent presence in every thing God has created: humanity and all creatures,  this world of ours and the whole universe! This should increase our hope as this God of love will never abandon us but will be with us through every event and circumstance.

Chapter Circle 14

Together we were a movement of trust, self-revealing courage and the love of God.

Chapter Circle 15

The group was engaged in the process and felt the movement of the spirit affirming this process.

We each need to trust our own experience of God. God’s presence is experienced and revealed in liturgical and non liturgical settings.  There is diversity and new ways of experiencing God’s presence.

Chapter Circle 16

Our evolutionary faith has led us to where we are – probing the mystery of God.  There is a freedom in knowing that we don’t have it all together.  This has led us into being a cohesive group, trusting and vulnerable, and comfortable with one another.  Our present ministries are shaping us and providing ongoing challenges for us.  This moves us again into the mystery of God.

Chapter Circle 17

Our zoom call of 10/16 was a spirt-filled and moving experience for all.  Here is what we would like to share with the congregation:

“With the Spirit, we are enough.”

“We learn from one another and it is good.  The “one-another” includes  the members of the congregation but also the world community and all of creation.”

“The bond we experience with all the Sisters in the Congregation is a source of hope for each of us, but also a hope we share with the world.”

“We have a great appreciation for God’s presence among us.  This is a real gift.”

“We experience a feeling of gratitude and thanksgiving, and that moves us to share with others.   We move outwards to bring kindness and compassion to all those around us, no matter how we may feel from one day to the next, and no matter what the  other may be feeling.  We experience compassion for the world, for those suffering and a desire to open our hearts to that suffering.

Chapter Circle 18

To Come

Chapter Circle 19

We sensed that all of us are experiencing the expansiveness of God’s love.  Out of the depth of our sharing come new life and courage to engage in the challenges before us.  No one spoke of regret, but rather of looking forward in hope.

Chapter Circle 20

The consensus of the circle was that there was indeed a “different feel” to our Assembly.  We thought that as a whole we were more open to listening to one another and that there was an ease about how we spoke and interacted. Several times the phrase of being “at home” with each other was expressed throughout the call. Here are some bulletin points to let you know how each of us summarized the experience of being together on Zoom.

  • oasis of tranquility
  • being at home with each other
  • being honest and authentic with each other
  • gratitude for all the sharing

Once we got past a few glitches in technology, the tenor of the call was prayerful and respectful.  Unfortunately one member was only on a short time due to internet problems. It was great to hear a little more about each other than we may have known before the call. Looking forward to next time!

Chapter Circle 21

We want to share with our sisters that our Chapter Circle was just the best! When trust and gentleness are present and felt deep sharing happens.

Chapter Circle 22

We do small things with great love.We recognize ourselves as growing more aware and more grateful to God who surrounds us and whom we find in creation, and in others. We find inspiration in sharing with each other simple reflections on our life in God.

Caritas Chapter Circle 1

We all come to God in different ways. We are grateful for the freedom to “determine our own patterns of prayer” (C.53)and thus develop our unique spiritual way of living for the good of the world.We appreciated this method of contemplative dialogue and want to expand its use among us.

Caritas Chapter Circle 2

Thank you for beginning with this topic. It was good to have this special time to share our relationship with God. We need have no worry about numbers if we are all involved in deepening and spreading our wide experience of God.

Wellesley Chapter Circle A

Our Wellesley  Circle A met Oct. 28 and flowed smoothly.  What we want to say to the sisters is that we believe we are called to respect the differences within the community and groups. We are also called to appreciate the gifts of one another, seeing differences as gift and not as negative, as we move forward together.

Wellesley Chapter Circle B

We enjoyed being with each other and appreciated knowing each other on a deeper level.  It was a gifted time; the pace was good.  We definitely felt the presence of the Spirit.

Associate Chapter Circle 1

We went back to the charism which drew us to become Associates – we are following God as He is inspiring us with our evolving insights and experiencing God’s presence in our surroundings – encountering and giving love to our friends, family, neighbors and strangers and doing it joyfully.

We feel grateful that we are sharing with Associates and Sisters with their profound wisdom.

We are aware of the family of God that is expanding in our lives in broader and broader circles and our desire to bring that charism and expand that gift of love and witness to the world joyfully.

We are spiritual seekers and work toward having a relationship with God that sustains us in our daily lives .

Associate Chapter Circle 2

We are with you on this journey in spirit and in prayer. We are thankful to be a part of the Chapter Circles.

Associate Chapter Circle 4

As Associates in our God-Quest, we acknowledge the shift from “religion“ to spirituality, to embrace God in all God’s wonders through contemplative being.

We carry out this commitment in our daily lIves  through a greater awareness of the needs of the Global  Village, Mother Earth and of one another.

Chapter Circle 1

Materials

Contemplative Dialogue

Contemplative dialogue is a practice that engages us in seeing not only the whole but also seeing from the whole. It is the recognition of our interdependence and engages us in the good and sometimes hard work of opening ourselves to other ways of seeing than our usual patterns allow. 

Download a copy of the Contemplative Dialogue explained

Article -- The Primacy of the Religious Quest in Religious Life by Carol Quigley, IHM
Song -- God Beyond All Names -- Bernadette Farrell