2009 Affiliation Retreat: a pilgrimage of peace
by Lola Burge

On July 30 and 31 I had the rare and joyful opportunity to attend the Affiliation Retreat “Opening Ourselves to Peace” at the Christine Center in Willard, Wis. I became a covenant affiliate in 1996; since then my dream has been to attend a retreat in Wisconsin and meet more affiliates. I live in Oregon and Sister Betty Bradley, my contact, lives in Spokane, Wash., where I meet with my companion community four times a year. As much as I look forward to our meetings, I always yearn for the opportunity to be at St. Rose as part of the bigger group. I can’t express in words what this experience meant to me.

My pilgrimage began on Sunday, July 26 when I flew to Spokane. Sister Betty and I left the next day, driving all the way to La Crosse. We had a great and uneventful journey, and saw a lot of country. I enjoyed Sister. Betty’s company. We arrived in La Crosse on Wednesday and on Thursday morning I was off again, this time to the Christine Center with nine other affiliates. The trip there was very pretty; we experienced both Wisconsin farmlands and woodlands including deer, rabbits and pheasants. Two hours later we arrived at the Christine Center.

Our retreat was everything I imagined and more. Sisters Cecy Corcoran and Johanna Seubert were great leaders. We took time in silence and time to understand the deep meanings behind the general assembly’s call for inner transformation, authentic relationships, and awakening consciousness. Not only were the meals at the Christine Center incredible, but it was wonderful to have time to get to know the other affiliate participants up close and personal.

On Aug. 1 we got up early and were on our way back to La Crosse to attend the peace conference, Together, Creating a Culture of Peace. This conference was the culmination of the most amazing days of my trip to Wisconsin. I thoroughly enjoyed the speakers and what each of them brought to our awareness through their interpretation of how we can all create a “culture of peace.” Each speaker had such a great way of explaining our deeper values that brought us to such an event. There were two gems of wisdom that will always be part of my life: “Peace is not peace unless it is shared,” and “To forgive, we need to become like children.”

Sister Betty and I left early on Sunday and started our trek to Spokane. The trip was just plain fun. We shared our thoughts and how the conference changed us, and I shared my joy and gratitude for having been able to make this pilgrimage of peace; it was a dream that became a reality. I am grateful for everyone who was part of making this retreat and conference possible—I am truly blessed.