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Our Mission
We, the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon, share in the mission
of Jesus by proclaiming the Good News of God's love.
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Letter from the Superior General: June 2020
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Dear Friend,
Greetings from the Motherhouse in Beaverton where we continue to isolate and to pray for the end of the pandemic. Every day we have a special intention, praying for relief from the pandemic and for a particular group of people affected by it. As the end of the school year approaches, we often have conversations about the impact this crisis will have on the lives of the students and young people in our world. Stories of creativity, courage, and generosity continue to inspire hope for our future in the “new normal” that will nurture life and love in new ways. Because of the restrictions and not knowing how long these restrictions will be in place, we have decided that our major celebrations this summer will be live-streamed. The first is the Installation of the incoming Leadership (2020-2025) on June 28. The ceremony will take place at Mass at 9:00 a.m.
Other celebrations will include Jubilee on July 26 and Perpetual Profession on August 15.
At long last, we were able to return to our renovated kitchen. The project took far longer than anyone anticipated and we are still ironing out a few wrinkles. Our hats are off to Bob O’Connor, who so graciously and patiently continued to prepare our meals from the makeshift kitchen set up in the cannery. We are so grateful to all the donors who made this endeavor possible.
As mentioned earlier, June 28 marks the installation of the new Leadership of our Community. Needless to say, we wish them well and promise to pray for them daily.
Click on this link to our website with information about the Election and Direction Statement:
https://www.ssmo.org/news-from-ssmo-chapter-meeting/
I would like to take this opportunity to thank my Sisters in Community and you, our friends and families, for your support throughout my two terms (10 years) in office. There have been challenging as well as magnificent moments of sharing in the life that God has given us. I have come to realize that our Community is blessed in so many ways that it is impossible to comprehend fully the goodness of God. As we continue on, our call is to continue to respond to God’s invitation to “live as women of prayer, in simplicity and sisterly love, as compassionate, joyful servants of the Lord.” (taken from our Charism Statement)
Stay safe and close to God.
Gratefully,
Sr. Charlene
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We are Praying for You
The Sisters gathered Monday on the lawn of the Motherhouse, lowered the flag to half staff, honored and prayed for the victims of the COVID-19 global pandemic. The campus bell tolled seven times to represent the seven continents of the worldwide victims. The Sisters then gathered in the chapel to completed the Holy Hour prayer time in memory of the COVID-19 victims on the Feast of Mary, Mother of the Church.
The Sisters are also praying to end racial injustice and bring God's peace and understanding to the hearts of all people.
Click this link to read the SSMO Campus statement on racial injustice.
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Q & A with Sr. Michael Francine
Pictured: Sr. Michael Francine
Q. What is it like for you to be involved in this leadership transition in the midst of a global pandemic?
At the time of our Chapter of Affairs and Election, March 2020, the SSMO community and the Ministries were experiencing the start of the global pandemic. We were fortunate as a Religious Community to be able to have all our Sisters here at the Motherhouse in Beaverton, to enter into and complete our Chapter. The Chapter Planning Committee worked well with our IT Department to make it happen. In a safe and secluded manner, we worked with our facilitator, Sr. Joanne Hanrahan, S.S.N.D. from St. Louis, MO, who was present via Zoom. We are grateful to God for this.
At the end of Chapter, Sr. Charlene was well prepared; she and her Council had done wonderful work combining documents in a binder, called the SSMO Leadership Transitional Handbook 2020. Each of the newly elected leadership team received her own copy. Time has been well spent with reading, attending meetings, and asking the many questions pertaining to the function, duties and tasks of leadership. We have quickly adapted to ZOOM meetings and conference calls. Each of us on the leadership team has had a good experience and has served on boards in our own areas.
Q: In addition to the election of new leadership at the Chapter meeting in March, the Sisters adopted a new direction statement. What are some of the highlights of that statement?
Our direction statement is the culmination of a year’s work by the SSMO Community. This beautiful statement speaks to our SSMO Charism and for me the focus of our life in 2020. Guided by the Holy Spirit, we are called to a deeper sense of community. We are asked to pay attention to our communal gifts, spirituality, sacred space, and ministries as we engage the whole of our community. We had the insight to know that we want and can embrace technology as a tool to enhance and promote our life as women of prayer. Our new world has plunged us into using technology in ways we had not imagined.
Q: In these uncertain times, many people are struggling to see the positive. What are you most looking forward to in the coming months and years? What gives you encouragement?
I am so grateful that God led me to the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon. I love our Community and the Charism with which the Sisters are called to be women of prayer, in simplicity and sisterly love, who are called to be compassionate, joyful servants of the Lord. I do not want to be anywhere else. What I am looking forward to is meeting many of our SSMO Community families and friends, with whom I have not yet been able to have great conversations. It may not be face to face straight away, but we will be able to converse and I look forward to hearing from them and praying for them on a personal level.
Q: Since this is graduation season, if you could travel back in time to tell your 18 - year - old self that you would be transitioning into the role of Superior General of this Community in June of 2020, how do you think your 18 - year - old self would react?
God is with us and has each one of us in His sight. God loves us and by his loving makes us lovable, and thus we can love each other. My eighteen old self might have been stunned and frightened. However, at 18 I was always armed with my Rosary wherever I was. I have always trusted God to lead me. All these years later, I am still armed with my Rosary, trusting in God and with the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel on my lips, I can see with amazement God’s loving plan for this next part of my journey.
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Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon: A Valiant History
Pictured: Mother Wilhelmina, the first Superior General of the SSMO Community
Mother Wilhelmina was just 29 years old when she became the first Superior General of the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon. You can read more about Mother Wilhelmina and the early days of the SSMO community on this link.
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Congratulations to the Class of 2020
Pictured: VCHS student body officers pose with the six OSAA Cups awarded to Valley Catholic.
Congratulations to the Valley Catholic class of 2020! These seniors persevered through an unusual and challenging spring. They won't have the traditional graduation, but they are being honored in creative ways this year. Check out where our VCHS seniors will be headed in the fall in this video.
We will be sharing a video of the "drive-through" graduation taking place on Saturday, June 6.
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Prayer Requests
If you would like the Sisters to add a special intention to our daily prayers,
please send an email to prayers@ssmo.org.
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