Little Design Communities - Part III

A  LAY MOVEMENT OF SPIRITUAL FRIENDSHIPS

 “Beams of Love” © Mary Southard, CSJ, www.marysouthardart.org [i]

Welcome to the third and final conversation with Sisters Wendy Cotter and Rosemary O’Toole talking about Little Design Communities.

Wendy: Where do you see these Little Design communities in communication with our CSJ heritage today and in the future?  

Rosemary: I find myself pondering this question a lot and believe it is an important discernment. Of course, ever since our beginnings in Le Puy, lay partnerships have been a constant reality for us vowed religious. These small groupings of Little Design are not canonically linked, but they are guided by their common desire to live a Gospel way of life Father Médaille described in The Eucharistic Letter. He believed that if these communities maintained their spirit of littleness, hiddenness, and self-emptying love, they would thrive. And as we reviewed our beginnings and growth here in Ottawa in our earlier conversations, I do see them thriving, just as Father Médaille said they would.

Wendy: I think we as a congregation have been appreciating more and more the way laypeople do partner with us, sharing our charism and mission!

Rosemary: Most definitely so. Since Vatican II and the resounding call to embrace the universal call to holiness, we have been seeing and acting with a larger vision. What has always struck me as significant, is the fact that Father Médaille gave The Eucharistic Letter to Marguerite Burdier,[ii] one of the first six Sisters of St. Joseph. So it seems to me, that we must be needed as instruments in some way, to communicate its message and mission to the world. Noted historian, Therese Vacher, SSJ writes that Marguerite was not able to circulate the Letter much in her day (1660). That one copy, found in the archives in Lyon, is part of our spiritual patrimony. From our years of exploration, I believe the way of Little Design is enjoying a rebirth in the 21st Century and holds much possibility and promise for the church and the world.

Wendy:  Rosemary, in your view of our call to “the more”, you recognize also a call for, what you so aptly describe as “widening the space of our tent” (Is 54:2).

Rosemary:  That’s true. In fact, some CSJ federations are starting to speak of Sisters, associates, companions, agrégées, volunteers, and workers, all belonging to “the Joseph family!” This expresses the larger all-encompassing character of our charism and mission. After our twenty years working with Little Design communities and witnessing the global interest and attraction, Evelyn and I discerned that there was possibly a larger story unfolding. It would be good to listen to more voices within our own sisterhood. So in 2017, I spoke with our CLC, and with their encouragement, we arranged for a discernment weekend in Hamilton.   

Discernment weekend: October 26-29, 2017

Wendy:  Rosemary, what was your guiding question, and what was for you, most memorable about that weekend?

Rosemary:  Our focus was this question:

            “Is God calling us to welcome Little Design Communities as an expression of our charism?”

Wendy, it was so heartwarming and comfortable to be with these twelve Sisters. I am so grateful for the insights, lively conversations, and profound reflections we shared over that weekend. This was very important and meaningful for me and it awakened a desire to deepen our own living of The Eucharistic Letter. It was such a grace for me to hear them, unanimously, express the very important place the Little Design Communities have in our Joseph family. Then the question was, “How can we foster and welcome these Little Design Communities?”

Wendy:  What were the ways mentioned for fostering these Communities?

Rosemary: We thought the first way was to simply take advantage of opportunities to just tell others about Little Design. Introduce them to the website and The Eucharistic Letter. We discovered that the way of Little Design matched what we had been hearing from some members of our parish and/or centering prayer groups and from some of our directees seeking a supportive spiritual community. We sensed they would be interested and attracted to hearing about these small communities. Go gently with our next steps… be welcoming and supportive. Father Médaille wrote: “…take care to attract, instruct, and lead them (3 persons) to the profession of high sanctity” (par. 34).

Wendy:  Rosemary this has been such an interesting conversation with you. At this point, I know that you want to give some help to those who might find themselves ready to encourage a Little Design group. When anyone asks you how to start a Little Design Community, what do you suggest are good steps?

Rosemary: Wendy, I’m really glad you asked. On our Little Design Communities website[ii] we have prepared a guide for anyone wanting to start their own Little Design Community anywhere around the world! We suggest these five steps:

• Discern a few persons with whom you already feel some spiritual attraction. (You share a similar spiritual path; want to explore a more contemplative way of life; have a resonance with the spirituality of Father Médaille; are looking for a kind of community that will support and enhance growth in your spiritual life.)  

• Invite them to discern coming to an introductory Little Design Community gathering at your home (or Zoom). Skim through the website, especially the FAQ.   

• Pray with The Eucharistic Letter. Listen for an inner resonance.  

• Set a date for ‘come and see’ at your home (or Zoom). Share hearts. Discuss how you plan to go forward. We suggest monthly meetings sharing on The Eucharistic Letter. Enjoy simple refreshments.

• Resources: The book: Little Design Communities: A Way of Life for All Persons will be published and sold on Amazon later this year.  

Wendy: Rosemary, these WORDS FOR LIFE[iv] books that you wrote provide such a wonderful guide for members of the Little Design Communities!

Words for Life, published November 2019. Mini books published 2020 and 2021.

Rosemary:  Throughout our Chapter year, we have been speaking of legacy and generativity in our wisdom years. I hope these books, containing the research and reflection of many scholars and historians, as well as the beauty and creativity of several artists and poets, will be a much-loved and well-read companion on the journey for spiritual seekers for years to come.     

Wendy: What is your hope for these Little Design Communities?

Rosemary: Gratefully, Little Design Communities are already part of our now. I echo Father Médaille who wrote: “In a word, it (Little Design) will never appear to be anything in the world, or it will be in the eyes of God whatever that same good God, in His infinite mercy, will deign to make of his Institute” (par.2). And with that same spark of hope and aliveness, I believe, like Father Médaille, that we are already circling the world with Love: “I already envision our association established in a great number of places… God grant that it may be established throughout the whole Church” (par. 3).  

Wendy:  Thank you Rosemary for sharing these conversations with all of us.

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[i] Mary Southard, CSJ, LaGrange, Illinois, USA. Gratefully, Mary gave us permission to use Beams of Love for our Little Design Communities website logo in 2012 and for all printed LDC materials.

[ii] Monica Hartnett, SSJ, London, UK, A Message from Marguerite Burdier, 2017. View PDF slideshow.  

[iii] Little Design Communities: Circling the World with Love. Visit our website.

[iv] Rosemary O’Toole, CSJ, Words for Life, 2019 can be purchased on amazon.ca.