International Presentation Association Assembly

IPA Assembly St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador

 By Sr Eleanor O’Gorman

The 8th International Presentation Association Assembly took place in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada from 18th – 24th June with delegates attending from the 20 countries where Presentation Sisters and Presentation People live and work. Our delegates from the English Province included Sr Jacinta McKillion, Sr Julie Hurtado, Brian O’Toole, our IPA Justice Contact, and Sr Eleanor O’Gorman.

The theme of the Assembly was Listen! God of the Universe Beckons.

During the opening ritual Sr Julie Watson reminded us of the example of Nano Nagle and Mary Ann Collins. Nano was moved to act against the injustice of her time and Mary Ann Collins continued the mission in spite of many difficulties. We too need to persevere - “our origins are in frailty, weakness and limitations” but we are called to trust in God as we live out our deep faith.

The Assembly gathered for a day of reflection, led by Dr Jessie Rogers. A theme she developed was the idea of both remembering and forgetting. In Isaiah 43 God calls us to both remember and forget so that we create enough space in our imagination for the new. We need to notice what is happening and to see the green shoots. God is making the way but we need to make the journey. We will not see the whole journey but we will see enough to take the next right step. The God of Nano Nagle is the same God who is saying something new is happening. We need to root ourselves in our story so we can recognize God’s footprints now.

Brian O’Toole, the Justice Contact for England and Ireland said -

Justice Now puts the most marginalised at the centre.

Justice Now is about advocating for an environment that is renewed.

Justice Now is about working actively for peace. Justice Now is about welcoming the stranger.

Justice Now is about a politics that is characterised by kindness, listening and truthfulness.

There were many reports and much listening…

watch this space to see the recommendations and focus

for the next years as we move forward together to shine Nano’s lantern in our world.

At the closing liturgy seeds were planted, symbolic of the green shoots that those gathered  saw emerging during the week.

In her closing address Sr Julie Watson reminded us that God meets us in the real experience of everyday and is making a new way in the

wilderness for us all.

We are encouraged to reach out in compassion as Nano did,

mindful that Nano was sustained and nourished by prayer.

We can make a difference even in the smallest of actions.

God is beckoning us to be prophets of our time.

"You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going.

What you need is to recognise the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith and hope"    Thomas Merton