As Presentation Sisters we are women who have responded to the call to follow Christ in the spirit of our founder Venerable Nano Nagle.
The source and heart of our lives is, as it was for Nano Nagle, communion with God in Christ.
This communion is deepened by our contemplation of scripture and through the sacraments.
We value silence, stillness and solitude as ways of nurturing our relationship with God. (Our Way of Life. C13*)
Our Way of Life expresses our yearning for union with the Living God,
present in mystery
in the unfolding of creation,
in its magnificence, beauty, and wonder,
in its darkness, pain, and woundedness.
We are called to awaken to the Spirit of God
present and active in all that exists;
to a Spirituality of Being in Communion;
to participate in the universal mission of Jesus Christ. (Our Way of Life. C3)
The compassionate Heart of Jesus
The compassionate Heart of Jesus is a significant symbol for us and conveys our call to live in mutual love and unity; to listen together with compassionate hearts to the Spirit of God in the cry of the Earth and of people made poor; to stand with people in their struggles; to speak and act for justice and healing in our world. (Our Way of Life. C10).
Our faith is deepened by being shared with one another and the people with whom we live and minister. Our prayer gives us vitality for mission, moving us beyond ourselves in solidarity with the whole community of life, strengthening and enriching us as we witness to God’s love and compassion. (Our Way of Life. C13)
* C denotes Our Way of Life – Constitutions of The Union of Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Sr Brigit Mathew, who lives in the Lusaka Community in Africa, is working on some programmes on Spirituality of Being in Communion – the Presentation Spirituality. We are delighted to share her first programme – Spirituality of Being in Communion
Sr Brigit Mathew shares her second programme – Celebrating the Divine at the Heart of Life
Sr Brigit Mathew shares her third programme – A New Religious Consciousness
Spirituality of Being In Communion
As Presentation Sisters, we are committed to a Spirituality of being in communion that seeks God in the inter-connectedness of the whole of creation and empowers active love for self, others and all of nature. This is captured for us in the picture by the artist Mary Southard CSJ.
Here the community gathered around the table signifies our sharing of life, love, and Earth’s gifts with our brothers and sisters everywhere. This community is part of Earth’s Communion of Life. One can see brother Sun, sister Moon, the rocks, winds, fire and water and all that lives and grows in the heavens, the seas and soil. The oak trees and acorns symbolise the unique gift of our Presentation charism to this sacred community. The fire rising from the bottom centre, the burning bush, reminds us we are on Holy Ground wherever we are. A medieval symbol for God at the top centre reminds us that Divine Energy permeates this intricately woven web of life binding us all together into ONE SACRED COMMUNITY.
There is no greater happiness in the world than to be in Union. Nano Nagle
When we gather around our tables, whether at home, or in places of worship, we share the fruits of this Sacred Communion of Life, and we come with grateful hearts. All are welcome, all are interconnected. Every meal is sacred – Eucharistic – when we recognise that some creatures have given their lives that others may live. We might say that the Universe is a banquet, and that every being in the Universe puts itself on the table: gives itself generously as nourishment for the good of the Whole.
May they all be one. John 17:21