On one of my final days in Rome last week, I woke up to quite a surprise when the city was blanketed in snow. Many took on the delight of children again, making snow “people,” running and laughing with joy. Everything else seemed to come to a stop. It became for me a good day to pack and prepare to return home.
As my flight took me first to Amsterdam, I had requested 
a window seat, knowing we would cross the Alps. Was I ever rewarded! All that new snow shone in a brilliant sun. Mountains are often used as metaphors for the strength and presence of God, and flying over the tops of them brings one to sheer awe, silence, and humble contemplation.
Now, it’s truly good to be home. Ministry among young people is always fun, and I’m glad to be back at it. A discernment retreat over the weekend for women wanting to learn more about religious life provided great conversation and sharing. And this week, at Missouri Southern 
State University in Joplin, Missouri, we have 27 open and committed university students participating in the Busy Student Retreat. Together, we listen to the Spirit of God, who leads us ever deeper into prayer, faith, and the life journey with Jesus. What could be better?
so many countries and cultures. We make great effort to listen well, to be sure we understand what others are sharing, often in unfamiliar languages, and to have hearts open to God’s Spirit and the wisdom of the group.
We St. Louis Vocation Directors thought we were pretty clever when we called our recent Nun Run a Convent Camino. We did it with great intention, because the invitation to Come and See where we live, to share prayer, meals and conversation about religious life, is more than a tourist run, it’s a pilgrimage, an opportunity to get at the heart of what makes Sisters tick.
Congregations joined young women discerners in lively conversation, prayer, meals and fun. There were no dull moments, as topics of community, prayer, ministry, vows, and “Women of Laudato Si” invited honest sharing and questions.
A couple of Saturdays ago, four of us Ursulines visited a local vineyard for their autumn festival. It was a rustic place with picnic tables set among many trees. There was good food, wine tasting, and great camaraderie. Having lived in Italy, I’m always delighted to see grapevines loaded with fruit at harvest. They remind me of Jesus’ passion for his mission, “I am the vine, you are the branches,” . . . “You have not chosen me; I have chosen you.” The vines also stand as vivid symbols of how we are connected, one to another, in a relationship never diminished but only strengthened by struggle, suffering and a share in the Cross.
We recently welcomed freshmen from Ursuline Academy, St. Louis, to our province offices. It’s always fun to introduce them to who we sisters are. After a brief tour, they met with us in small groups, and could ask questions. As always, one asked me what I like about being a sister, and I said one thing I love most is being connected to people on every continent whom I can call “sister” and “friend.”
The international Ursuline links we have are truly remarkable. In just one day last week, we received photos of children from our school in Jakarta, Indonesia where Ursuline leaders from Rome are visiting. There was news of a new mission school in a rural area of Senegal, with a picture of the Ursulines and their teaching team, dressed in the glorious colors one finds only in Africa. Later that same day, we made contact 
with Ursulines in Puebla, Mexico, anxious to know they are safe after the earthquake, but understanding how they suffer with their people who have lost so much.
alive and serving every day.