From September 14 to 19, more than sixty Sisters gathered in Dominican Convent in Sparkill to participate in a retreat led by Br. Jack Rathschmidt, OFMCap, a Capuchin friar for 64 years and a priest for 55 years. The retreat was centered around the celebration of the Jubilee Year of Hope (December 24, 2024 – January 6, 2026). When announcing the Jubilee Year, Pope Francis challenged us to counter the negative spirit in the world by working together to restore hope and trust among all nations, recover a sense of universal fraternity, and deepen our care for the environment. The retreat was a welcome pause to embrace that challenge.
Through quiet prayer, reflection, and conversation, the Sisters explored the ways that they could open the “Holy Doors” of hope for themselves and for all the people they know and serve.
In response to Pope Francis’s request for the faithful refamiliarize themselves with the four Vatican II constitutions as preparation for the Jubilee Year of Hope, Brother Jack shared powerful insights from the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy ("Sacrosanctum Concilium"); the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church ("Lumen Gentium"); Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation ("Dei Verbum"); and Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World ("Gaudium et Spes").
The Sisters appreciated the contemplative atmosphere of the retreat as well as Brother Jack’s easy presence and attentiveness to their needs and ideas. Using prayer, reflection on Scripture and themes from the Council documents, and lively, interactive meditations on sacred art, he emphasized the themes of dignity of the human person, ordinary holiness, the common good of our world, solidarity with those suffering from poverty, hunger, and war, and oppressed, and our responsibility for our common home, Earth.
Brother Jack clearly enjoyed spending time with the Sisters at meals and visiting the infirm Sisters who reside in Siena Hall. He mentioned how impressed he was by the kindness and joy of our Sisters and nursing staff, especially the care that the Sisters showed to each other.
It was obvious that the Sisters appreciated both his challenging words and his kind, joyful, and compassionate demeanor. As Sister Nora McCarthy put it, “Brother Jack was a great storyteller who believed in getting everyone actively involved. He encouraged us to continue to be people filled with hope, gratitude, and joy—despite our world situation.”