Sisters Today - January 1968 Volume 39 Number 5 - To Explore the Role of the Religious Woman in the Church in Our Time

Sep 29, 2026

January 1968 issue of Sisters Today examining how religious women shape and influence the Church in contemporary life. The table of contents outlines featured essays and sections, including reflections on presence and the Church’s vocation, along with insights related to staying or leaving, contemplative renewal, and personal perspectives. The publication also includes a bulletin board, poem, letters to the editor, and book reviews, presented by editors and contributors from Saint John’s Abbey.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages68

Reading Time2 h 51 min

AccessFree to download

To Explore the Role of the Religious Woman in the Church in Our Time

On Being Present Where You Are

Bulletin Board

Poem

Letters to the Editor

Book Reviews

d比JANUARY 1968JCYis wot somelhungoe cam defanalyʒe.Oneenters iwto 0ymd wehawe nomeans of enteringithary,of mndersimqiexcptrongh theoneacriom which frrom thebeginring has been for tthechurch bo次e source andhe uamnentofJ0yKe veryramenty,the5ucharist. Atuonder Schmemann SISTERS TODAY # TO EXPLORE THE ROLE OF THE RELIGIOUS WOMANIN THE CHURCH IN OUR TIME JANUARY 1968 VOLUME 39 NUMBER 5 On Being Present Where You Are 199Douglas V.Steere The Church's Prophetic Vocation 211Rosemary Haughton Insights on Staying or Leaving 230Sister Mary De Sales Hoffmann,O.S.F. Contemplative Renewal 238Sister Mary Angela,O.SS.R. An Idea of a Good Time 244Sister Rose Agnes Maccauley,S.C. Bulletin Board 247 Poem 250 Letters to the Editor 251 Book Reviews 252 Published monthly by monks of Saint John's Abbey,Collegeville,Minnesota.Editor:Rev.Daniel Durken,O.S.B.Book Review Editor:Rev.Myron Kasprick,O.S.B.Cover Design:Sister Mary Charles McGough,O.S.B.Indexed in theCatholic Periodical Index. Address all correspondence to Sisters Today,Saint John's Abbey,Collegeville,Minnesota,56321.(Checks payable to Sisters Today.)All manuscripts shouldbe accompanied by a self-addressed envelope and postage. 1 year $2.50;2 years $4.00;single copy 25 cents.Sterling area(exceptAustralia):1 year 18s;2 years 29s;single copy 1s 11d.Australia:1 year23s;2 years 37s;single copy 2s3d.Agent for India:Asian Trading Cor-poration,Post Box No.1505,Bombay-1.Printed by Sentinel Publishing Com-pany,413 East St.Germain Street,Saint Cloud,Minnesota.(Do not sendmail to this address.)Second Class postage paid at Saint Cloud,Minnesota. # On Being Present Where You Are DOUGLAS V.STEERE The word "presence"has taken on a new assignment in our genera-tion.We have come to speak of the UN"presence"in Cyprus orin the Gaza strip or in the Congo,or the Quaker“presence”in Delhior in Lusaka.We assume that it means that the UN or the Quakersare there.We assume also,though this may be a gross exaggeration,that this presence is felt and acknowledged by those whom it touches,and that it is making a difference—we hope a favorable difference—to the situation.But are these assumptions correct?Is presence pos-sible when there is almost no physical representative on the scene?It has often seemed to me that slave-tortured Africa was more acutelypresent to Scotland and to Britain in David Livingstone’s day overa century ago when there were only a handful of widely scatteredmissionaries and consuls about,than today when tens of thousandsof her citizens are actively at work on this continent.What,then,does it mean to be present and what does genuine presence imply? If we return to our own childhood,do you recall sitting in aclassroom as a child while the teacher took the roll?When yourname was called out,you answered,"Present."You might have beenhalf asleep,or had your mind on what part of the stream you weregoing to fish on the next day,which was Saturday,or be worryingabout whether the teacher would call on you to put your solutionof the arithmetic problem on the board,but you still mustered upenough response to register that you were present. What does it really mean to be present in any given place or atany given time?Certainly when I answered the roll call,all that theteacher was recording was my physical presence:Douglas Steere'sbody is seated at this school desk today.But the teacher assumedmore than that when she heard my answer,"Present."Rightly orwrongly,she assumed that not only my body was present but thatmy mind was also available for the day's workout,and that shecould communicate with my mind,perhaps even influence it,if she 1This article is an excerpt from the author's pamphlet published lastyear by Pendle Hill Publications,Wallingford,Pennsylvania.Used withpermission. chose to put a question to me.And perhaps if I were too elsewhereor especially stubborn and preoccupied,she could stimulate my minda little by the application of a light nip from her willow poin

FAQs

What is the main focus of this Sisters Today issue?

It explores the role of the religious woman in the Church in our time and frames that theme through featured reflections and related articles.

What does the article “On Being Present Where You Are” question?

It questions whether “presence” is possible when there is little physical representation, and what genuine presence truly implies beyond mere location.

Which recurring content sections are included in the issue?

The issue includes a bulletin board, a poem, letters to the editor, and book reviews, alongside the main essays.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by A glass of water