Sister Patricia “Patt” Smith, OP, died Sept. 2, 2020, at the Dominican motherhouse, Sinsinawa. Her religious name was Sister Charissa. The funeral Mass was held at the Dominican motherhouse, Sinsinawa, Sept. 15, followed by burial of the cremains in the Motherhouse Cemetery.
Tag: Smith
Diocese marks 50th anniversary of Humanae vitae
MADISON — On July 25, 1968, Blessed Pope Paul VI promulgated his encyclical Humanae vitae.
The document reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s teaching about the duty of married couples to collaborate freely and responsibly with God the Creator in the creation of new human life, and therefore, the rejection of artificial contraception.
Nearly 50 years later, on the evening of July 21, 2018, the Diocese of Madison marked the anniversary with a Mass of Thanksgiving, celebrated by Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison, and a talk by Dr. Janet Smith, noted writer and speaker on Humanae vitae and related topics.
The harmony of belonging
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| Morgan Smith |
The other day, I was watching an orchestra concert. I was moved by the beauty of the music, but even more struck by the intricate harmony of the instruments as the musicians played them in communion with one another.
I reflected upon the unity it takes to play in an orchestra. Every instrument is essential — individually beautiful — but essential to the sound and wholeness of a piece of music. Each instrument is different. Even among a group of the same instruments, say the violins, there are variations in the sounds and colors of each individual. (Marks of their creator.)
Finding my dignity in self-giving love
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| Morgan Smith |
I am reflecting now about how I felt on a weekend when I was facilitating a retreat that I had crafted from scratch (if you could imagine the stress this might cause). I feel like what happened to me sounds a bit crazy, the opposite of what “should” have happened.
I left the weekend at a physical deficit after I put in countless hours of work. What’s crazy is that I am more spiritually fulfilled than ever before. I left the weekend a changed person.
Encountering Christ and radiating Him to others
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| Morgan Smith |
As I go through each day, often monotony sets in, and I try to remember my conversion. I try to keep the memory of what happened to me — the event of meeting Christ and falling in love with Him — alive to let it permeate my being through the drudgery of everyday things.
This is so difficult for me! Why is it so easy to forget what has happened to us? Why do we allow the distractions of life to take hold of our hearts and minds until we forget the reason for life itself?
The awakening
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| Morgan Smith |
I am thinking now of my friend’s face. It is lit up with a mix of joy and surprise.
The other day, he was talking about his brother, whom he had seen the weekend before. His brother is in a program for recovering addicts which after years, he had finally wanted to enter. My friend was struck by his conversation with his changing brother. And so was I.
A new view of life
My friend said of his brother: “He shared in a way I’ve never witnessed him share before, about some changes in himself. He’s forming a new view on life; in particular he has an openness to being surprised, to novelty. He now takes his walks differently, open to beauty, and treats his interactions with people differently, wanting to learn about them and hear their story.”
Reflections on the dignity of the human person
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| Morgan Smith |
As I drove home from my friend Andrew’s funeral, I noticed in myself a deep sadness. This sadness was and is a tension that is related to a huge question: Why?
I was so moved. When I stood in line to enter the church, I was looking at all the faces — these faces from my past that I now only see at funerals. A sea of shock, dismay, and disbelief.
Andrew committed suicide recently. This was the furthest thing that anyone would have ever expected him to do, and it feels so strange to type those words.