By Sister Janet Gildea

Sisters Mary Bookser, Mary Kay Bush, Janet Gildea, Monica Gundler, Maureen Heverin and Mary Ann Humbert joined the Company of Charity Formation Personnel (CCFP) for the annual meeting hosted by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth in March. Multicultural perspectives on our Vincentian charism were welcomed, explored and celebrated in panel presentations, discussions and liturgy. "Caritas Christi Urget Nos!" proclaimed in many voices and languages created a profound awareness of our common charism bursting forth in diverse cultures.

S. Shalini d’Souza, SCN, offered keynote reflections that reviewed the external and internal dimensions of "culture" and challenged us to reverence and welcome "different ways of living, thinking and being." Tracing the journey of Vincent de Paul’s rule through the centuries and around the globe, she presented a strong case for a charism that "pushes us to radical, prophetic and especially intercultural relationships and mission." For formation personnel this means traveling, literally and figuratively, to the edges of our cultures and beyond. We are called to live in the tensions between pilgrim and homemaker, to discover, invite and accompany those in whom the charism of Charity has already been set ablaze.

S. Sandy Howe and Associate Mary Jo Borgman participated on panels with temporary and perpetually professed Sisters and Daughters of Charity from Korea, Vietnam, Belize and Peru. The women shared the richness and the struggle of learning the cultures of our congregations. With reverence, sensitivity and passion they expressed gratitude as well as challenge to those of us from "dominant cultures": "Be patient with those of other cultures and languages. Listen to us. Try to learn and understand internal values. Listen to our silence even. Be sensitive to what might not be said. Be flexible. Advocate for us."

Coming from a history of colonial domination, "we hunger for mutuality in relationships. Decisions have been made for us, not with us. It will take time to build trust. Rejoice in the newness that we bring to the congregations as we rejoice in the traditions you have held for us." One young Sister summed it up eloquently: "What do I ask of you? Live your vocation as Sisters and Daughters of Charity because we know that there is in God only one culture: the culture of Love!"

What was so clearly evident in the gathering was the multicultural diversity that not only has been our history but will be our future. Can we allow ourselves to be changed, transformed, not just by the presence of Sisters from other cultures joining us but by waiting in joyful hope to see how they carry the charism in ways we cannot even imagine? The charism and even the Congregation will look different and will be different as we welcome the "other." Lest it take our breath away, Vincent would remind us, "As long as charity, humility and simplicity exist amongst you, one may say: The Company of Charity is still alive."