“As the Sisters of Life, we exist for you,” said Sr. Ann Immaculée. “We exist for you, that your heart and every heart know how profoundly and inherently chosen you are. The heart of Jesus is madly in love with you.”
Sr. Ann introduced herself, Sr. Lumen and Sr. Josephine, all Sisters of Life, on Dec. 5, the first of their four-day visit to parishes in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The sisters visited St. Francis de Sales in Lake Geneva where they spoke of their respect for all life and the overwhelming love of God for everyone. They also visited Immaculate Conception, Milwaukee; St. Jerome, Oconomowoc; and St. John Vianney, Brookfield.
The Sisters of Life are a contemplative/active community of women religious who profess the three traditional vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, and a fourth vow to protect and enhance the sacredness of human life. They were founded by Cardinal John O’Connor in New York in 1991 and received formal approbation as a religious institute in 2004, under Cardinal Edward Egan.
“As sisters, we serve in places of the human heart, society, churches and parishes,” explained Sr. Ann. “We live a life of prayer and accompany women who are pregnant and vulnerable to abortion. We have mothers live with us in Manhattan during their pregnancy. We also host retreats and have a mission of hope and healing, seeking mercy that only Jesus can give. We let post-abortive women know there is new life after abortion.”
Sr. Lumen told a story about a priest friend who was traveling and sitting next to a little boy on the plane. The flight out of Chicago was turbulent and everyone on the plane was nervous, except the little boy. As the flight continued the turbulence increased and the priest began panicking. He looked over to the boy who calmly looked out the window. Finally, the priest couldn’t take it anymore and asked the little boy why he wasn’t scared. The boy looked up, smiled and said, “My daddy is the pilot.”
“The message is simple,” said Sr. Lumen. “Trust in the Father. When we know that our Father God is the pilot of our lives, we are blessed in that reality. If we focus on the idea of resting in the beginning of Advent, it is very important. Every aspect of the Lord is moving towards Christmas and the awareness of Jesus coming into our world and lives.”
Sr. Lumen shared that in the story of creation, creating humans on the sixth day is not the high point of creation. It was the seventh day when God rested.
“That is a supreme holy day. God’s rest is itself the culmination of the whole universe, his rest of the seventh day,” she said. “There are three aspects of rest: leisure, trust and letting God be God.”
Explaining that leisure is not a luxury, Sr. Lumen said it is a time to do something for yourself, not to perform. She offered ideas such as going for a run, wandering among the trees, playing piano or other ways to immerse yourself in beauty.
“Leisure is not a luxury; it is a destiny and all about love and communion with God,” she said. “See everything as gift. If we don’t get leisure right, we won’t get work right. All work and no play leads to disorder.”
Sr. Lumen explained that she graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in engineering in 2013. She was a self-described workaholic, stuck in a chronic world mentality.
“I lived in this world, and work was what I did and achieved. Imagine that world of living like that where everything is a calculation of how much I work, comparing myself to others and trying to produce something so that I am something,” she explained. “The interior voice of that side is perfectionism, and the other side is life as a couch potato and withdrawal from life. The result of this life is apathy. Allowing leisure each day, placing yourself in God’s presence, will allow his life to fill and transform us to let us know who we are.”
For Denise Christensen, member of St. Francis de Sales, the evening, which included music, singing, Eucharistic Adoration and biblical reflection, offered her the ability to enter into God’s presence and be open to the message of leisure, trust and love.
“When Sr. Ann told me she was here for me, I appreciated how deeply kind and sincerely she connected to every person in attendance,” she said. “Additionally, I personally felt a melting away of stress (which I was unaware I was carrying) as I sat back and relaxed.”
When Sr. Lumen reflected on the story of Bartimaeus and Jesus, Christensen envisioned the blind man who was waiting for Jesus to restore his sight.
“Everyone was asked to imagine the setting, what sounds they heard, especially those of others who were annoyed at Bartimaeus calling after Christ,” she explained. “The sisters invited everyone to ask for what they wanted from God this Advent. Bartimaeus wanted to see his holy face and his faith healed him. Honestly, I too want to see his face with my eyes wide open and focused upon his divine will.”
With tears in her eyes, Kayla Parks from North Chicago said she heard of the Advent event from the Sisters of Life website, sistersoflife.org. Touched by the sisters’ prayerfulness and reverence, she was excited to share her experience.
“I enjoyed their reflections, music and adoration,” she said. “I was raised Unitarian Universalist and have been thinking about converting to Catholicism. I really love these sisters and went on a retreat with Sr. Josephine in Stamford, Connecticut. I am praying about what to do.”
Christensen said she is reflecting more on Advent following the sisters’ witness and Adoration.
“This enlightenment has set the stage for my Advent season in which I will be following the sisters’ advice to incorporate God’s leisure, connections, trust and faith. As for the sisters, they emulate St. Elizabeth of the Trinity’s spiritual mission because I sure felt a deeper encounter with Christ.”
Members of the Sisters of Life lead worship music during their visit to St. Francis de Sales, Lake Geneva, on Dec. 5. See additional photos below story (Submitted photos)
