They call me “ Woman of the Untold Story” and while pondering silently here in this beautiful Convent Garden for many years, I now have lots of stories to tell.
You see when folks created this sculpture that bears my name, I wonder did they realize at the time that they had given me Xray vision. This enabled me to see and hear beyond the confines of this sacred space called Hackney.
And so ..Good morning!
I love this sacred space and I particularly love the title they have given me, since it enables me to capture the essence and the stories of the many who come here, especially the Sisters of Charity.
So now I invite you to just sit back and relax as I share with you a little snapshot from my book.
It seems like only yesterday that I noticed a larger than usual group of sisters descend on this little corner of the universe. My antennas were certainly engaged as I heard voices with different accents coming through to me. So this was different. Some had Scottish accents, others, English and still others, Irish. The sisters looked to be quite solemn as they congregated in the chapel area.
I saw small groups forming in circles where the sisters seemed very focused as they engaged in the given questions.
The conversation and the language seemed strangely different to me.
Phrases and words such as Proposals, Symbols, different cultures, commitments, expectations, limitations, and the list could go on to such an extent that I wondered what this was all about and where they were going with it?
Was this a huge important moment in the life of the congregation? Why so much coming and going in the ensuing months during that summer of 2025?.
Some sisters from different countries came and sat by me. One said she had my back and another whispered into my ear “You are the keeper of the dream”
This time however, as the sisters gathered in the same semicircle, the mood was totally different. There was a lightness in the air.
What had shifted?
What caused the radiant smiles to appear in this assembly?
As if in answer to my pondering, I heard what seemed to be a musical response to one of my questions.
We are going … going … Heaven knows where we are going…
As if in answer to “who we are” I heard “Interconnectedness”.
As if in answer to anxiety/fear I heard, “Trust in Divine Providence”.
As if in answer to questions regarding the future, I heard “We take care of each other”.
Like an orchestra with all the pieces coming together in one blissful harmony, I then heard a profound yet simple statement being proclaimed:
We are one in Christ living our charism
The response was a contagious YES!!! I could live with that. That is exactly who we are!! And so the celebrations began.
There are many chapters in my storybook where living that charism can be told in detail but that is for another day.
Suffice it to say that each story has a message of hope, resiliency, and compassion, as the sisters reach out to the most vulnerable all over the world.
As this day is drawing to an end and in closing this little chapter of my book, I look to the illuminated chapel beside me and feel enfolded in the outstretched arms of Jesus.
I cannot help but sense that all is well with the world and that the daughters of Mary Aikenhead are indeed surely living and sharing her charism as One in Christ.
I now bid you Good Night.
