For Volunteer Programs : National Conference

2002 CNVS National Conference

Conference “Speakers of the House” Provide Insight and Inspiration

By SR. MARY MONTGOMERY
Director, Providence Volunteer Ministry

The greatest highlight for me of the 2002 CNVS National Conference was gathering with the many attendees – prophets, pilgrims and pioneers, faithful witnesses of gospel living, beacons of hope and light, compassion and love in our world. Meeting new people, as well as reconnecting with friends from past years, hearing stories of life and service were energizing.

The insights, wisdom and challenge, our Speakers of the House portrayed through very engaging styles of presentation were very inspiring to me. The staggering statistics which Marian Wright Edelman shared about children and the lack of will our government has in funding life-giving measures were not new to me, but sounded an alarm in me for attention and action. I appreciate the vision and strategies of the “Children Don’t Come in Pieces” campaign joined with Marian’s passion, commitment and energy.

Sister Carol Zinn, SSJ held up for us a spirituality/citizenship that is global in nature and reminded us that the world is looking for us. Two-thirds of the world population has never used a phone and much of that same population does not have access to safe drinking water. She said three commandments come from the wisdom of the universe: take care of yourself (I – interiority), take care of each other (you – differentiation) and take care of this place (we – communion). Everything in the universe is one.

I have reserved the book, John Adams, in our resource center because Robert Kinast made a significant impression on me by his heartening description of John and Abigail Adams. Robert told stories of Scripture, John Adams and Jimmy Carter as examples of holy experiments in spiritual maturity.

I also enjoyed Sister Bea’s very firey, “Are you ready? Be ready!” reflection during liturgy. The fire alarm, while annoying at the time, has become a metaphor for me to sound the alarm for children, our planet and universe wherever and however I can…and sometimes the place for that is liturgy.

I left the conference, my heart filled with gratitude to Providence for all the blessings of our time together and for all the work of the conference committee, CNVS staff and participants for weaving a holy experiment of community, integrity, simplicity, equality and peace (Quaker principles).

As I drove home to Indiana after the conference, I imagined a retreat offering for directors and staff in my “neck of the woods.” A theme might be “Inroads to Freedom: A Holy Experiment Continued.” Let me know if you would be interested in coming to Saint Mary of the Woods for a personal or communal retreat. I would love to welcome you to this Holy Ground, Holy Experiment. Thank you to all those who carried the weight of providing this “inroad to freedom” for us! It was, indeed, a holy experiment/experience! Thanks for sounding the alarm to come to Philadelphia!