'Mysticism, action abundant at AMOR XV'

Salesian Sister Edna Mary MacDonald is a provincial superior and served on the executive committee of AMOR XV. She came to the AMOR XV conference of women religious leaders from Asia and Oceania, held in Samphran, Thailand, Oct. 13-21, from Victoria, Australia. I interviewed her during a break on the meaning of the gathering.

What were the major developments during this AMOR meeting?

I think the shifts that we want to continue have continued. We want to develop a prophet model, meaning that we are both “rooted” and “relevant” in today’s society. “Rooted” in the sense of going back to our biblical roots, going back to the Jesus of the gospel, and enabling that message to be relevant in today’s world, in our congregations, in our church, and in society.

So it’s cross cultural; it’s cross religious; it’s wherever – as our theme “Jesus Encounters the Syro-Phoenician Woman: Called to Move Beyond,” is saying. Jesus cured the mother’s daughter. However, it was the woman who challenged Jesus’ perspective on faith. So it’s a constant shift to see where the dignity of humanity lies in our world today.

Do you see an evolution in AMOR’s thinking?

I think it’s a constant evolution. It’s a never-ending unfolding. It will be always moving beyond, as our theme has emphasized, to make shifts from a pietistic understanding to the depths of spirituality, not to be attached to a timetable, but to allow the Spirit to speak whenever and from whomever; from a leadership model in which one person speaks in the name of the Spirit to a model in which the Spirit is not contained in any one person, or even a leadership team. So we listen to whomever the Spirit is speaking through.

To me it is a constant discernment between charism and structure, what is essential, what can let go of, what we need to retain and cherish, and what we can depart with. And to do this, it needs constant discernment. This happens not only at an AMOR conference, but it is highlighted at this conference where women come together from all over Asia and the Pacific in an effort to share hopes and concerns and frustrations.

But at the grass roots level to me this is wise discernment, and it fits according to the Jesus of the gospels, according to our congregations’ charisms, which are to none other than the Jesus of the gospels. Within our church -- and I say this with great love for the church -- we are the church, all of us together.

The Spirit speaks through the hierarchy, the religious, the clergy and the laity. We are in this together. We shouldn’t be creating a “them” and an “us.” Whoever the “them” is and whoever the “us” is. Its this mutual collaboration I am talking about. I go back to Vatican II. We haven’t even touched the surface. Vatican II taught us that the Spirit speaks though every baptized person. If we really believe, this is powerful and it allows for collaboration and mistakes. It allows me to shift my perspective because I just listened to someone else.

What I find here among these women is a depth of prayer life. They bring together the mystic and the active. No one here is not a prayerful person. There is a depth here and it is seeking wisdom. It gets expressed in the actions these women want to take.

Any surprises here?

This is my third AMOR conference. I have been on the executive committee twice. While the planning is tough and demanding, I am energized by the experience. I am not surprised, but I am amazed at how, particularly in areas of world and church where women religious are under enormous political and social pressure, they are being prophetic at the grassroots level. They could walk out the door and be shot or could get attacked in a camp. These are amazing women.

Any thoughts on the solidarity statement you issued with U.S. women religious?

The statement means we are in solidarity with our sisters whom we don’t even know. This is very energizing. But we have to acknowledge that people here are at different levels of “moving beyond.” So to have voted unanimously says a lot. The whole group offered support. This says a lot it, it says “we are one” and we want to proclaim the prophet voice we heard. It says we want to offer our support to a group of women religious going through difficult times. It was important that there was a unanimous feeling in the group that we should offer this support.

Thank you.

Fox is NCR Editor and can be reached at tfox@ncronline.org.