Josephite Companions are women and men who live the Josephite charism of Mary MacKillop and Julian Tenison Woods in our daily lives, making a difference in our local situations and so furthering the Reign of God in our world. On Saturday 30 August, about 40 Companions from across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand gathered online for our annual webinar.
Two years ago, we decided to adopt Annie MacKillop, Mary’s sister, as a fellow Companion. We did this as we recognised that Annie had ‘companioned the Sisters’ in those early years of the Congregation, being with Mary and/or the Sisters as they established new communities and embarked on new ministries. Hence this webinar, held to honour the anniversary of Annie’s birth in early September 1848, has become the forum through which we as Companions gather across the Regions each year to share and learn from each other.
This year’s theme was “Companioning with a Josephite Heart” and was led by Aotearoa New Zealand Companions: Catherine, Helen and Tracey. The themes contained within our Companions Prayer were used to allow us to think more deeply about what it means to live as Josephite Companions today. These themes included prayer, friendship and hospitality and service in the ordinariness of life. The presentation was very reflective and gently allowed us to take time to think about what it means to live in the spirit of Mary MacKillop and to ‘listen to the heartbeat of our world’ in the places where we are living today. We were invited to reflect on how we find God in the ordinariness of life and walk with each other. Gentle music enabled us to spend time in quiet contemplation, reflecting on these questions:
Where in my life am I being called to extend hospitality or deepen friendship?
How am I being invited to listen more deeply – to others, to creation, to God?
What kind of service am I being called to – hidden or visible?
What does it mean to live justly in today’s world?
Where am I being called to deeper justice, tenderness, or humility?
Following our personal reflection time, we formed small online groups to share our thoughts about these questions. Some shared insights included listening which can mean being aware of God’s presence revealed through creation and in the ordinariness of our daily lives. Friendship and hospitality are instinctive for us as we live the Gospel values and the way we live these characteristics reflect the time of life in which we are living. Likewise, the service in which Companions are engaged evolves over time, depending on the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Living justly includes the attitude that we bring to our words and actions, knowing that small things can make a difference in the lives of those with whom we share life experiences each day.
There was a great sense that this time of reflection shared with fellow Companions was indeed a very special and blessed moment. We are grateful that Annie MacKillop has inspired us to enable her to become ‘one with us’ as a fellow Josephite Companion!
Mary Hemmings
Josephite Companion