Elizabeth Prout renews the spirit for flight

This is a common bird in New Zealand - Fantail.
A Grey Fantail, a very elusive bird to capture in flight with an erratic and aerobatic flight, sits very briefly to rest.

My mind is full with so many thoughts and ideas. Currently in the mornings I am soaking in information and gathering like a little busy kiwi fantail bird (fan to keep me cool ;o) ) to create the congregation website, which feels a little like making a nest. Some place that while stringing together words and images using structure to hold everything together, there is hope, love and rather a sense of wonder that this nest births to unity of setting a bridge to truely live as a global community in all its complexity. 

Elizabeth Prout
Foundress of the Cross and Passion Sisters
(England) 

Today, I have been writing about Elizabeth Prout to give her due credit and raise awareness to the world of the amazing life she lived. I am taken once again by her story. There are phrases and words Sisters have written about her that I think - yes Amen to that!! 

Coming from the side of the world I do, St Mary MacKillop and Suzanne Aubert both woman foundress of religious orders, both women whose story has strong similarities that at times can just replace their names and the story will be true. Whilst none of them met, they had so much in common and they would have had plenty to talk about. Women of strength and courage who still inspire today, empowering and so progressive. 

In the recent meeting in Argentina the question was articulated “Imagine Mother Mary Joseph was present. What would she think?” When she founded the Congregation her world did not include Sisters from any countries present, (Argentina, Chile, Botswana, Vietnam, New Zealand, Peru, United States, Ireland) It was observed that rather there were no one from England, the very place we were founded. This speaks louder than words, rather a reality we are living. Wow! 

Suzanne Aubert
Foundress of the Sisters of Compassion
(New Zealand) 

During my time in Argentina I came to have one of those ‘heart enlightened’ moments of realisation which leads me to reflect just what is been asked of us as individuals and as a collective group, asked at the heart level. 

The reality that in every one their primary place of response and forming as an individual comes from the land they are born in. The history is in the DNA of the land, and a deep reminder that everything is interconnected. The recent history of Argentina was striking to me listening to the Sisters tell their story of the country action, of the government actions, the people disappearing with woman coming together to call for reunion with their stolen children. There were similarities that can be seen in the history of other countries like Vietnam for example. The soil holds this grain of reacting to oppression, to violence, to seeking justice for the people, justice in an injustice world that is recent, not history rather living in the soil we walk upon, in the food that is consumed, in the relationships that are developed in the air that is breathed. 

Mix this in with countries like Botswana who have never been to war, or for myself coming from a country that justice has been served and is on going to right all wrongs that were made between the British and the people of the land - Maori people. Maori people have the same rights, if not in some situations more opportunities than European people. This is in our blood, what we have been raised with and taught of equality and injustice does have a solution with accountability, ownership and reconciliation in spoken, written and physical action. 

Today though as I write and filter through the different English words use to illustrate Elizabeth Prout story, I can see that maybe her spirit is larger than we realise or even at times embrace with the box limitations we put on it. 

St Mary MacKillop
Foundress of Sisters of Saint Joseph
of the Sacred Heart
(Australia) 

Thinking of Suzanne Aubert whose mission was outside her own country yet walked with the people in every aspect from living to develop her ministry for them, by them. To St Mary Mackillop, while born in Melbourne did a lot of her ministry in South Australia, a very different culture and ministry to the suburbs of the city. Elizabeth Prout was very similar to St Mary Mackillop in staying within the land she was born yet change in location, culture and reality. Living and working in the mill area, not the class that she was born into, not the area or town she was raised or family connections with. Rather she ministered to refugees, which I would believe predominately Irish. Maybe this is why sometimes its easy to mistaken our congregation for Irish foundering rather than English.. just a thought … 

Yet here was living within the land she was raised yet in a community that was of another culture. Was this very fact the reason today we are an international congregation, after all it would have been a lot easier to confine to England and Ireland. 

Its not easy! It is not easy to be a global community, seriously, look around you. I am not talking about just religious, I’m talking about the world. We live in a world that is more international than ever before. It holds pockets of people living interculturally while other pockets of boarders, walls and mono culture. Nationalism is starting to scream louder to the point of exclusion or dominance. 

Elizabeth Prout express in a letter to Fr. Gaudentius C.P she says of herself

 “I cannot, dear Father, say one thing and believe another” 

In this moment for me, theses words hit my heart with a little healing and tender love. I have always held the same ‘high standard’ of myself and others. To speak one thing and do another, or to say something that you believe the other is the biggest injustice you can do to yourself and to others. We live in a world where at times this is a normalised. 

Bring me back to the fact that we live in an age of nationalism seems to want to be put on loud speakers where other cultures or nations hold little importance to the point that they are stripped away - just need to look at the pacific islands and other countries treatment towards them. 

Living as a global community is no easy task, it is harder than living as intergenerational society.

Maybe its time to realise the beauty and giftedness the Lord has given be the norm not the exception. Be the church that live interculturally in all its factors, diversity and life giving nourishment.  

I have so much to learn, to witness and explore. I can feel through all this though that a small seed within me is present, a comfort of the reason I am called to a congregation that I feel to be living in a very different way to every member. Reason Lord has called me to leave the my homeland, my culture with the easy adaption into other lands which at times I have learnt has been mistaken for wanting that dominate culture to reform me, either unconscious or conscious into the majority culture. Yet give me a moment, my feet are starting to test the rock I am on, they are starting to realise the weight that can be carried and when I move in the grace and strength of the Lord, the world will move too. 

 I believe that the Lord has called me to walk in the way those who deeply inspire me to walk yet in the world I live today, the time I live - its time to have deep Fatih and confidence in this - inner belief!

Continue to be tested by the Lord to build my strength, faith, foundation, self awareness and then when those wings extend, pray the Lord lets me fly… while you journey me just think what a flight its going to be…