Twice a year the Sisters of St. Basil gather for community meetings at the Mount. The theme for the July 20-23 meetings was “Rejoicing in a Century of Ministry.”
The days were filled with a variety of events: blessing of vehicles on the feast of Elijah the Great Prophet, celebrating the Jubilee of three Sisters, taping hymns for our virtual Pilgrimage, celebrating our 100th anniversary of ministry, preparing for our upcoming Provincial Chapter and reflecting on reports from our Provincial and Treasurer.
One afternoon the Sisters spent time sharing their memories of Mother Macrina Melynchuk, the foundress of our Province, The Sisters also shared memories of inspiring and humorous incidents of their years in community.
On the final meeting day, Father John G. Petro was invited to speak to the community and to concelebrate the Divine Liturgy. His theme was “My Joy: Christ Is Risen!” He explained how the joy of the Resurrection is to be the overriding theme of our life, and how our Church reminds us of this in the prayers of each Sunday when we celebrate a “little Easter”.
The annual Missioning Service concluded the program. Each Sister offered a written outline of her years in ministry which were held aloft before the altar in thanksgiving to God for his gifts. The Sisters received copies of their personal vocation memories in the form of letters they wrote to the officials of the community when advancing through the stages of their formation. A celebration in the dining room completed the days.
