October 27, 2007. Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Philadelphia, PA. Days of reflection for women organized by the Archeparchy of Philadelphia, Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate, Sisters of the Order of Saint Basil the Great, and the Missionary Sisters of the Mother of God have become an incredible opportunity for women to get together for prayer, sharing and reflection. Through the efforts of the members of the committee: His Grace Metropolitan Stefan Soroka, Mother Nadia Baranick, MSMG, Sr. Laura Palka, OSBM, Sr. Elizabeth Bertoldi, OSBM, Sr. Dorothy Ann Busowski, OSBM, Sr. Michele Yakimovitch, SSMI, Sr. Natalya Stoczanyn, SSMI, Daria Zacharchuk, Mary Quinn, Helen Fedoriw, Anne Stefanic, the event gathered over 95 religious and lay women from various parishes of the Archeparchy, and as far away as New York, Connecticut, and Illinois. Two guests of honor: His Grace Stefan Soroka, Archbishop of Philadelphia, and Most Rev. John Bura, Auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia, attended the event.
Although rainy and foggy, Saturday morning of October 27, 2007 did not discourage the women from arriving at the Cathedral hall to meet their fellow sisters and to spend a day nurturing one another. To help the participants fully understand the idea of nurturing, a garden scene was set up in the center of the hall. The heavy soil, empty of foliage at the beginning, nurtured, planted and watered, turned into a beautiful garden by the end of the day. The same transformation happens to us when we nurture and are nurtured.
Upon the invitation of Archbishop Stefan Soroka, Sr. Janice Soluk, Superior General of the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate, arrived from Rome to share her thoughts and experience of being a Ukrainian Catholic woman; to help women realize their important role in building the future of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the USA; to rediscover their inner potential and follow the examples of various women who have made a difference in our world, the greatest of them was Mary, the Mother of God.
After the opening prayer, Sr. Michele Yakimovitch, SSMI, introduced the guest speaker, Sr. Janice, as “a teacher, a nurse, an administrator, a follower, a leader, a woman of faith.”
In her morning session, Sr. Janice discussed the idea of nurturing as the one that fosters growth and development.
As we plant the seeds, we realize their fragility and their power at the same time, and in this way they are similar to us, fragile women empowered by the Spirit of God. Sr. Janice used the story of Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan woman, who in response to massive destruction of the forests, organized women into planting new trees. This woman, although persecuted, beaten and jailed, became Kenya 's Deputy Environment Minister, and in 2004 won the Nobel Peace Prize. Her award is recognition for the many efforts of African women, who continue to struggle despite all the problems they face.
Another powerful model to follow is Mary, the Mother of God. Using excerpts from Carlo Carretto's book ‘Blessed Are You Who Believed', Sr. Janice presented the Theotokos as a woman who devoted her entire life to nurturing. Through her example, Mary, the woman pictured with a sword piercing her heart, helps us realize that nurturing is inseparable from suffering. Thus, quoting the author of the book, Sr. Janice encouraged us to “discover a vital contact with her (Mary).” To us, women, she should not remain “a remote figure to whom I owe ‘worship'”; rather she should become ‘the sister of my heart, the companion of my pilgrimage, the teacher in the faith.' One woman, who followed the example of Our Heavenly Mother, was Bl. Josaphata Hordashevska, the foundress of the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate.
During the time of sharing, those present were invited to share their own experiences of nurturing and being nurtured by other women. Many of those present used an opportunity to benefit from the Sacrament of Reconciliation, to visit our beautiful Cathedral, or to spend time in conversation.
In her afternoon session, Sr. Janice explained the mission of women in building the future of our Church in the USA . She used the symbolism of a table to present the focal roles we, women, are called to assume, to ensure that the seeds of hope will grow. Just as every table has four legs, the women are called to pursue a fourfold task: to witness spirituality, to give leadership, to give service, and to live their womanhood. She encouraged those present to remain women of prayer, as ‘family that prays together stays together.' Sr. Janice used these words to illustrate the history of our Church in America . Our ancestors brought their religion and culture from Ukraine . Having settled in a foreign land, they have maintained their treasure by staying united. They built beautiful churches to ensure the future for their children and grandchildren. Today, we face a different reality. Our beautiful churches built for us through the dedicated efforts of our ancestors, are empty. Whether it is due to assimilation, or our reluctance to let new members in, we are losing young people. Thus, it is our task to rediscover our roots as the Ukrainian Catholic Church and make it home for those who are not familiar with our heritage; to remain an ethnic church, but not a chauvinistic one, nor a closed one.
As a conclusion to her presentation, Sr. Janice invited those present to reflect upon their mission in nurturing faith in their families and communities. As more and more women shared their ideas, it became obvious that, as Sr. Janice said, we have an opportunity for a fruitful future, but not without our own efforts to make it such.
As a logo for the Women's Day, the committee chose the sunflower. To better understand its symbolism, Sr. Natalya Stoczanyn, SSMI, explained the multi-leveled nature of this flower and its connection with the Holy Scripture. The explanation was prepared by Sr. Laura Palka, OSBM, Provincial Superior of the Basilian Sisters. As Susan Roncoroni performed a beautiful song ‘Blessed are you among women', the analogy was made between the sunflower and Jesus Christ, who was seeded in the womb of Mary. He, the Logo, the Word, was made flesh and dwells among us, as Lover of Humanity. “Our Logo, the sunflower, is resplendent in beauty. Today, the Word, the Logo, is fully alive in us, as “Women Nurturing Women”, concluded Sr. Natalya. The day ended with an annointing by His Grace Most Reverend Stefan Soroka.
With new friendships made, the women concluded the day of reflection with the Divine Liturgy celebrated at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Main celebrants were: Most Reverend Metropolitan Stefan Soroka, Very Rev. Ivan Demkiv, Rector of the Cathedral, and Rev. Myron Myroniuk, Assistant Pastor of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church in Philadelphia . Responses were led by Sr. Natalya Stoczanyn, SSMI, and Mary Quinn read the epistles.
Being enriched by the experience, wisdom and spirituality of Sr. Janice Soluk, women left with a strong conviction that each and every one of them can make a difference and, with God's help and mutual support, we can ensure the future for our Ukrainian Catholic Church in the USA and worldwide.
Words of gratitude are expressed to sponsors of the event: the Ukriainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia, the Sisters of the Order of St. Basil the Great, the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate, the Missionary Sisters of the Mother of God, Providence Association, Self-Reliance Federal Credit Union of New Jersey, and anonymous donor, for making the day of reflection possible.
Iryna Ivankovych-Bloshchynska, THE WAY