On October 12th eighty Loreto Sisters journeyed from all over Ireland to The Glenview Hotel in Wicklow, for our annual Province meeting, carrying in our hearts the sisterly presence of many at home, unable to travel.
This year in particular the Garden County flaunted its beauty in golden sunshine with quite an ostentatious display of rich autumnal hues. Spectacular views of the glen, from the hotel, so aptly named the Glenview, left many of us feeling quite breathless.
This natural beauty surrounding us, was successively rivalled on this day, by the warmth of our welcoming conversations. The richness, sincerity and wisdom of our sharing and reflecting, rested easily alongside autumnal moments of nostalgia for times passing, letting go and dying to a yet unseen spring-future. These moments too resting easily alongside heart moments of insight, warm fun, sunny-tears of laughter moments, as we expressed through, art, music, poetry, movement and symbol the reality of our lives today. How we might tend to province life, tending to our members as we pondered, Mary-like, what new growth God might be calling forth in each of us today.
It was a memorable day, a day replete with natural beauty, sunshine, joy, fun, tears and laughter. It was, above all, a day of giving gratitude to God who has called us to hear and answer the call of God’s people, companioned by a truly great bunch of Loreto women.
It was a day to give thanks for countless Loreto colleagues and friends in Ireland and beyond who surround us, support us, enable us in enabling God’s life to breathe life, as they lead us and for us, as they tend to us, nourish and care for us.
For all that has been thanks, for all that will be yes Dag Hammarskjold
It was a day to give thanks to God, for Loreto Women of today, of yesteryear of futureyear Jesus say, Amen Mary Ward)