Homily for Province 2026 Jubilee at Emmanuel College
June 28, 2026
Sister Pat gave this homily during the June 28, 2026 Eucharistic Liturgy of Thanksgiving to honor 10 Jubilarians, held at Emmanuel College.
Good afternoon, everyone. And welcome to all who are joining in today’s celebration. Special greetings to the Sister Jubilarians who are here today and to the dozen or so who are participating by Zoom.
Sister Pat O’Brien, SNDdeN at the Emmanuel Jubilee 2026
I want to begin by thanking the Jubilarians for granting me the honor and privilege of offering these reflections. However, I must confess to feeling a bit ill-equipped to do so, because when the youngest of the Jubilarians we celebrate today – those marking 70 years – entered Notre Dame in August 1956, I was only eight weeks old! But, relying on the grace of God, I will do my best.
Today’s second reading [Intro to Chapter Acts] reminds us that our good God never misses a graced moment. Let’s pause today to recall the “graced moments” in which each of these groups of Jubilarians heard and responded to God’s call. Those celebrating 80 years in religious life entered in 1946. The Second World War was barely over. Joy at the arrival of a long-awaited peace was tempered by families continuing to grieve the loss of loved ones in the conflict. Hiroshima and Nagasaki had been destroyed with nuclear weapons, and six million lives had been lost in the Holocaust. And our 80th Jubilarians, our sturdy oaks, said in response to God’s call, “I can open my heart to be as wide as that world. Send me.”
Five years later, the graced moment was characterized by optimism at the start of a new decade. The post-war baby boom was in full swing, and suburbs were springing up. But all that was tempered with the anxiety of the Cold War, a growing paranoia about communism on the part of some very vocal politicians, and yet another conflict, this time on the Korean peninsula. In that moment, our diamond Jubilarians said, “I can be the goodness of God. Send me.”
By mid-century, the conflict was over, and life was increasingly prosperous, at least for some. America was coming into a growing awareness of income disparity and racial discrimination. The Montgomery bus boycott, sparked by Rosa Parks’ courageous action, was underway, and school districts, in response to the Brown v. Board of Education decision, were moving to desegregate their schools “with all deliberate speed” (with emphasis on the “deliberate” rather than the “speed”). And in that graced moment, our platinum Jubilarians said, “I can teach them what they need to know for life. Send me.”
What inspired these women, in these moments, to respond to God’s call? For that, we turn to the Gospel they have chosen for today’s celebration [John 14:15-31]. A rich, complex reading that has enough material for several homilies! “My peace I give you but not as the world gives it … Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Reflecting on that could keep us here all day! But what struck me most, as I prayed with this beautiful passage, was the forthrightness of Jesus’s statements, the audacity of his promises.
As recounted by the evangelist John, Jesus doesn’t say “I will strive not to leave your orphans” or “The Father will take all reasonable measures to send you an Advocate who likely will be with you periodically” or “There’s a good chance you will see me.” No, he says, “I will not leave you orphans;” “The Father will give you an Advocate who will be with you forever;” “You will see me.” Those are statements you can take to the bank; those are promises you can bet your life on. And that’s exactly what our Sister Jubilarians did. Each committed her one and only life to serve God and God’s people.
And what does God ask in return for these amazing promises? Love. Nothing more, nothing less. In the words of today’s Gospel: “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me;” “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.” And love these women did.
For decades, these Sisters have revealed God’s love in classrooms – to first graders learning to read; second graders preparing for first Communion; middle school students coming into their own; high school students mystified by math, baffled by biology and confused by chemistry; students of all ages growing in an awareness of the beauty of literature and eager to unleash their inner artist or musician; immigrants seeking to become U.S. citizens.
They have manifested God’s love in school front offices and libraries; in parishes, religious education offices, campus ministry offices, pastoral centers, diocesan offices, and retreat houses; in juvenile detention centers; in sacred dance studios; in shelters, community centers, and refugee welcome centers. They have freely and joyfully shared their gifts through service on boards and national organizations and with their own Sisters in the ministries of nursing, cooking, vocation promotion, formation, treasurer, and province leadership.
Where in the world did they serve? Where didn’t they serve would be an easier question to answer, as throughout the past 7-8 decades, you could have found these women in all corners of Massachusetts and Connecticut, in New Hampshire, New York, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Georgia, North Carolina, West Virginia, Florida, Alabama, Ohio, Brazil, Peru, Kenya, Sudan and Japan. Some joined well-established ministries while others were pioneers in founding new schools and ministries. Some shared their gifts with many different people by responding to a call to move often from place to place, while others were present to multiple generations of students at the same school – 19 years at the same elementary school; 52 years at the same high school.
Even when times got difficult, our Jubilarians remained faithful. They were, in the words of Pope Leo in his recent encyclical, women who refused to give up, who persevered in doing good, who protected the vulnerable and who opened pathways to reconciliation.
And no matter where they went or how they served, these Sisters sang to God “with gratitude in their hearts,” as we hear in today’s first reading [Colossians 3:1-2, 12-15], and with their words and through their deeds, gave thanks to our good God. Saint Paul’s reading reminds us so powerfully of how each of us is called to live and how these Jubilarians have lived their lives: with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, peace, unity and, over all – love.
As I bring these reflections to a close, I invite you to bring to mind the Jubilarians we celebrate today and to recall a time when one of them blessed you with one of the gifts of which Saint Paul writes – a time when she bore with you or treated you gently; when she treated you with compassion or kindness; when she modeled humility; when she forgave you; when she brought peace or unity; when you felt her love, even if it was tough love. Hold that moment in your heart, give thanks for the encounter and for the woman who brought it to you, and pray for the grace to give that gift to someone in your life.
And in gratitude together we proclaim that God is good … all the time. And all the time … God is good. Thank you, Jubilarians, and God bless you today and every day.
