Audrey Dol, nds

As we took a new look at the teachings of Vatican II from within our experience of lay associateship, the Council message about Baptism and the identity and mission of the laity was brought alive in a new way. We have spent rich hours considering the relationship between the call to holiness, baptismal consecration, and consecration through vowed life. It has helped us see that the inspiration for the Associate Movement is deeply rooted in the Council’s understanding of the role of the laity in the Church. For this we are very grateful. 

Our study of the origins of Sion has helped us realize that ‘seeds of lay commitment’ were present in our early ‘origins.’ Already on June 23, 1797 at Turkenstein, during the years following the French Revolution, two lay women and a priest entered into a solemn commitment together! We look forward to our Associates Retreat the weekend of May 30-31 when we will reflect together on these important roots and what they can mean for us as lay Associates today. 

Another important occasion for us was April 9th when we participated in the Nostra Aetate event: Understanding the Past: Discerning the Future. The afternoon was sponsored by the Sisters and Associates of Our Lady of Sion and was hosted by Avila University. It brought together 31 representatives from three Catholic institutions in our neighborhood: Notre Dame de Sion School, St. Thomas More Parish, and Avila University. The afternoon began with a presentation by Audrey Doetzel, NDS in which she reviewed some of the history which led to the Council’s focus on our relationship with Jews and Judaism. 

The presentation ended by highlighting a sentence from the encyclical by Pope Pius XI, Mit brennender Sorge, which was read in the churches of Germany on Palm Sunday, 1937. After addressing the gravity of the situation under the Nazi regime, the encyclical stated: “Like other periods in history…the present has ushered in a new ascension of interior purification.” We couldn’t help but see that our present time is another such period — a period which is calling us to a new “interior purification.” As we reflected together on the “signs of the times” today, we saw the degree to which polarization has intensified on all levels of society — in the church, in politics, and in international relations. A resolution, which surfaced spontaneously and unanimously, was to replace our ‘teaching of debate’ with the ‘teaching of dialogue.’ We realized, perhaps more profoundly than ever, our important role today as educators — be it in a school, a university, or a parish.

Source: Dynamic Moviment of the Spirit (Sisters of Sion from Canada/ USA).