(page 16 of Vol. 30-5)

Early Autumn, 2001

Soundings, Volume 24, Number 1

From Our President

Soundings, Technology, and our CSJ Mission

By Joan Duffy, CSJ

“As women entrusted with the mission of reconciliation, we devote our life and our work to realizing the prayer of Christ: that all may be one with God and with one another.”

CSJ Constitution

How do we come to an understanding of our CSJ Mission as we experience the world of today, participate in it, and respond to it?

Globalization permeates U.S. society and the world, has been made possible by technological advancement, and is driven by economics. Telecommunications not only offers new possibilities for mission but also represents a risk of increasing the gap between the haves and have-nots in our world. In today’s world, this technology shapes our understandings of community, the living of our vowed life, and the pursuit of our Gospel mission.

Words! How full of power they are! What a source of healing, joy, hope, and encouragement they can be for others. The human story is continually being told through literature, religion, history, psychology, and science.

As we continue to tell the CSJ Story, our human story, we need to direct our attention to the ways we can use technology – both media and electronic communication – to enhance our mission and impact our identity. Besides using the Web and E-Mail, our printed communications will continue. The first step is the “new look” of Soundings.

Sisters Joanne Gallagher, Carol Ann Powers, and Helen Power invite you to become part of their visioning circle as they explore new ways for us to communicate with each other and our “publics.”

Let us “speak” a community language that enlivens us, that generates a positive life-giving attitude. The type of language in which we communicate needs to generate hope and stir the imagination.