By Sr. Kristen Forgotch, ASC
In the last paragraph of Dr. Connie Zweig’s interview “Shifting from Rolee to Soul” in the winter 2024 Occasional Papers, she addresses younger sisters and says, “Cultivate practices that help you stay connected to yourself, your deeper needs, and your gifts.”
One organization that has helped me stay connected to myself is called Giving Voice. Giving Voice is for women under 50 and includes members across the U.S. and some members missioned across the globe.
Zweig’s statement fits well with the Giving Voice purpose statement which reads, “We seek to live our vocations rooted in our congregational charisms and grounded in God’s hope for the future of religious life. We seek to connect with one another to strengthen our commitment, deepen our fidelity to religious life, foster connections that sustain our vocations, and create ways to live religious life in the present and into the future.”
I find a lot of life within the group, and I have become more active within the group with participation in local gatherings and joining the core team this past year. We are an international group that eats, prays, plays, and finds life together. In St. Louis, we try to gather once a month and often see each other at Masses or local vocation events.
The core team continues to help me grow as an Adorer and younger religious to find my voice and challenge us to grow and bring as many voices to the table as we can. We continue to find hope and joy in religious life and support each other in the daily happenings of life. Giving Voice helps me to take some words of Conne Zweig, find attunement with myself and help me keep uncovering what is next for me.