A weekend of commitment in formation within the Precious Blood family

By Sister Juliana Wuur and Newton Lih, C.PP.S. 

Juliana 

From Feb. 13 to Feb. 15, three Sisters of the Precious Blood and six candidates of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood gathered at Salem Heights in Dayton, Ohio, for a formation gathering as members of the Precious Blood Family. This was the first time many of the Missionaries’ formation candidates visited Salem Heights, which is the motherhouse of the Sisters of the Precious Blood in Dayton. It was a simple but very meaningful time for all of us. The quiet and peaceful atmosphere helped us to pray, reflect, and share freely with one another. It allowed us to focus deeply on our vocation and what it means to live as one family in the Precious Blood. 

Each year, the planning committee does its best to highlight one of the three Precious Blood Religious communities in our family: Adorers of the Precious Blood, Sisters of the Precious Blood in Dayton, and the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. Even though the Adorers were not able to join us this year, we felt united with them in prayer and spirit. We were also joined by Father Vince Wirtner III and Sister Marla Gipson, who supported us in our conversations.  

Sister Joyce Lehman led the weekend on two topics: “Ministers not Messiahs” and “Our God Is a God of Community.” What made this weekend special was the sharing. We laughed together, prayed together, and shared meals together. It reminded us that formation is not only about learning, but about growing together in the present and into the future. 

Newton 

Formation gatherings are the product of discernment from past generations of formation, which led us to work to build a stronger inter-religious congregation by communing across community lines. Each year, each community participates by electing a volunteer to help with planning and organization. This year, Sister Juliana helped me to organize this wonderful weekend.  

The weekend began with Friday and the bustle of driving to Salem Heights, Dayton. Father Patrick Gonyeau drove from the Sorrowful Mother Shrine in Bellevue, Ohio. The rest of us came from the formation house in Chicago. The drive was a special time to sit and catch up with each other. Sometimes the best bonding happens over a long drive.   

A special gift to our formation gathering was the hospitality of Salem Heights. The Sisters were so warm and welcoming to us. Each candidate was welcomed to their room with a special name plate in front of their door, and I personally received the honor of eating lunch with a Sister who recently celebrated 50 years of faithful service.  

In planning for this year, it was important for the planning committee to make sure that our materials and discussions would be accessible for non-native English speakers. As our communities include more international candidates in formation, we wanted to make sure any obstacle to participation was at a minimum. Sister Joyce’s deep sharing opened my eyes to what is possible in these settings: she combined simplicity with depth and encouraged each member to ask the “hard questions” without resorting to complicated theological language.  

I have to admit that when we invited Sister Joyce to be our speaker, I did not know she was the acting president for the Sisters of the Precious Blood. Imagine my chagrin on instructing the president of our Sisters on how she should prepare her sharing! Humbly, she humored me and was more than gracious and accommodating my foolish demands.  

One takeaway I bring with me is from our new Tanzanian seminarian Joely Kashmiri. In speaking of community, Joely encouraged me to make sure not to “suffocate in community, or you will breathe somewhere else.” This simple image of breath was a concrete and tactile metaphor, and I carry it with me.  

This year was a wonderful formation gathering!