Jubilee is celebrated each year by sisters who have reached a milestone in their lifetime of service to God. This year, we celebrate Sister Mary LaReina’s 50th year, Sister Margaret Mary’s 40th, Sister Julie Marie’s 40th, and Sister Mary Leanne’s 25th. To leave a congratulatory note for a sister or to make a gift in her honor, please contact Anne Interrante at ainterrante@sndca.org. As we celebrate this year, we hold in memory Sister Mary Anita and Sister Mary Lynn, Jubilarians who passed away recently.
As we approach the time of Jubilee, the image of tree rings comes to my mind very forcibly. The tree grows from a slight sapling, never knowing its future, never contemplating how many rings will speak for its life and growth. Each of us in our lifetime is like this. As children we dream of what we will be when we grow up, but when do we qualify as a grown-up? As we grow in years and hopefully in maturity, our dreams may change, morph, or become bigger or smaller, but if we’re lucky we still look forward to some dream!
The tree rings tell a story. What is our story? Can we see the impact of the “weather” that has affected our life? Do we understand how one “ring” inevitably leads to another? Are we able to pinpoint the ups and downs of our life journey and can we be grateful for both experiences?
Next weekend we will celebrate the Jubilees of four of our sisters: one golden, two rubies, one silver and two who sneaked into heaven within the past few months. I am sure the celebration for Sister Mary Anita and Sister Mary Lynn will be splendiferous! And I bet both are telling their stories, proclaiming God’s goodness to them over the years and telling by their lives how our gracious and provident God has taken care of them over the years. For me, Jubilee time is truly a time for telling stories, telling of the marvelous works God has done one ring at a time!
-Sister Marie Paul Grech, SND