Spring 2012 - Dominican Sisters of Peace

Direct,
we beg you, O Lord,
our actions
by your holy inspirations,
and grant
that we may carry them out
with your gracious assistance,
that every prayer
and work of ours
may begin always with you,
and through you
be happily ended.
Amen.
My experience of prayer has
changed so much over the years.
In childhood, I delighted in learning the Hail
Mary and Our Father from my mother, and then
more complex prayers from the Sisters who taught
me. Much of my prayer life was one direction –
namely me asking God for things I wanted in life.
In high school, the Sisters at Dominican Academy encouraged us to
spend time in contemplation, and I would go to the chapel during
lunch and just listen to God. To me, this was not only a new experience
of prayer, but also a new experience of God!
Then in my years as a Sister, my prayer life continued to evolve. In
the early years, our prayers, like everything else in our lives, were
scheduled for us; we prayed the Office at prescribed times with prescribed
words. After Vatican II, we began making our own schedules
and needed to find time for prayer. We also were encouraged to explore
new ways of prayer. Over the years, I’ve learned I can encounter
God and pray in so many enriching and sometimes unexpected ways –
in nature, through song, in reflecting on photos or other imagery.
Recently I’ve started a new ministry of creating videos, incorporating
song, photos, scripture, and other things into brief YouTube presentations
that have been used by individuals and groups from all over
to enhance their prayer experiences. Many have expressed to me what
a gift they have found in one video or another. But what a gift it has
been to me as well, to find the Holy Spirit using me in a special way
to share this new kind of prayer experience with others!
Sr. Michelle Sherliza
Watertown, Massachusetts
NONPROFIT ORG
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
COLUMBUS, OH
PERMIT NO. 709
Central Administration
2320 Airport Drive
Columbus, OH 43219
what are these things, anyway?
A “QR Code” (Quick Response Code) is a matrix bar code that
you can scan with your smart phone or other device. We use
them as an easy way for you to access a web page for more info!
Publication of this newsletter was made possible in part through the generosity of Kenwel Printers, Columbus, Ohio
Á
Á
Á