Sinsinawa
Spectrum
A Congregation News Magazine
Who Are Associates and What Do They Do?
Associate Diane Moss
by Associate Diane Moss
Whether you’re an Associate, Sister, or “friend of the family,” you’ve probably heard that question―and maybe even asked it. I know I have. Throughout my 20 years as an Associate, my response has taken many forms. I recently learned that this shifting definition is common.
In a workshop called “The Spirit and the Law,” Canon Lawyer Kate Kuenstler, PJHC, identifies Associate relationship as a work of the Spirit and describes it as a work in progress. For years, she states, we have defined Associate relationship by what it is not. We are just beginning to say what it is. She explains that no books yet on the market define Associate relationship. The reason? We are still writing the story, and we each have a page to contribute.
In the months preceding last fall’s Annual Gathering of Associates and Sisters, an invitation went out to “Come, tell your stories.” That was a constant refrain during the gathering, too. We attended workshops of our choice, learning how to tell our stories through song or dance, written word or art. I hope we’ve all continued to think about our stories and how we might use our skills to tell them at the 25th Anniversary Celebration of Associate Relationship (Oct. 22–24, 2010).
Each Associate has a personal story. Some are fortunate to belong to a group of Associates and Sisters with a collective story. These stories need to be shared. Through telling yours, you will remember your roots. By listening to others, we all might find inspiration and the strength to continue our mission into the future.
The saying, “When you’ve met one Dominican, you’ve met one Dominican,” applies to Associates as well as Sisters. Our similarity lies in our adherence to the four pillars of Dominican life. We all study, pray, and come together in community to empower us to preach and to serve. But each of us walks a unique path. As our lives unfold, our service evolves.
For example, after many years in parish ministry, I moved into mental health work. At the same time, I became involved in Habitat for Humanity and our parish liturgy team. In 2001, I was elected to shared leadership in Circle of Preachers and served six years. In 2008, I was named to the Associate Spirituality Committee. And in 2009 I met Jill Poehlman, newly-appointed Promoter of Associates and found myself volunteering to assist her. For nearly a year and a half, we’ve been working together and traveling the Midwest to meet Associates and Sisters. Throughout these years of changing service, my husband, Chuck, and I have watched our children become adults, marry, and raise families of their own. We have cared for aged parents and provided a home for a grandson.
Whether facing life’s day-to-day challenges is ministry depends on how we do it. It is hard to judge if you’re demonstrating gospel values in your own life and work. We need one another to encourage and affirm our efforts to bring a Dominican spirit into our daily contacts, for only then can our ordinary work be considered ministry.
People say that couples who have been married for a long time begin to look alike. The Associates and Sisters of this Congregation have been “wed” for 25 years, and I wonder: Is that happening to us? As an Associate or Sister, when you listen to the story of another, do you hear yours? When we gaze into each other’s eyes, do we see reflections of ourselves?