BICENTENNIAL RETREAT DAY OF GRATITUDE
On November 18th, the New York RJMs celebrated our bicentenary with friends and associates – past and present. We held the event at the St. John’s Parish Center (the former 230th Street convent) using both the chapel and the “renovated” community room for our gathering.
We were delighted that Sr. Rosemary Mangan was our presenter for the celebration, in a place that held many wonderful memories for many of the participants (past students, associates ,former RJMs, and mission club members).
Rosemary offered the story of Claudine as a compelling example of what it means to live aspects of “the way of Jesus.” As you can well imagine, her reflections and her stories were engaging and much appreciated by all, as we journeyed with Claudine, 1818-2018!
Time was given for reflection on the aspects of forgiveness, care for the least, knowledge of God, and companionship and, afterwards, for sharing memories of RJMs who touched our lives and/or impacted our choices and values. The names of several deceased RJM’s were remembered fondly and stories were told about Sisters Camillus, Mary Regis, Mary Immaculate, Margaret M. Dalton, among others. Even the story of Mary of Mercy (Lorraine Ayotte) and the stuck confessional door surfaced!
The celebration ended with Rosemary presenting a power point on the USA’s Province history. Many participants expressed appreciation for this historical overview and most especially for Rosemary’s presentation on Claudine. Those who attended were truly representative of many other JM students, partners in ministry, FJM associates, former RJMs and friends who were present in memory. “It was good to be together!”
The weekend culminated with the RJMs enjoying a wonderful and delicious Thanksgiving meal on Sunday, November 19th, at the new community house In Yonkers!
