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Mary T. Burns, CP - Thoughts upon Retiring

June 1, 2008

today we turn the calendar to the month of june. when we think of june we think of summer time. one of the things that comes to mind, at least in the minds of children and teachers, IS SCHOOL is over.

another thing we think about in summer time is the beach -swimming, sailing, surfing and so on and so on.

when i think about sailing i think about a cruise. some of you may know that a good friend of mine treated me to a cruise a few weeks ago. we started in ft. lauderdale and cruised north along the atlantic coast up to halifax and into the st. lawrence river ending at montreal. in spite OF SOME high seas it was a great cruise.

as i reflected on it, one of my thoughts was that life is somewhat like a cruise or the story of a ship. the captain has plotted the route and we trust that he has our safety and well being IN MIND and that he will bring us safely to our destination.

Along the way we hope that we have MOSTLY CALM days and smooth sailing. but we may also encounter some rough days and we get tossed about a bit. on those days we especially trust that the captain will keep his hand on the wheel and guide the ship along the best route.

the captain of our ship of life of course is our god who loves us and has carefully plotted the course for us.

In the book of deuteronomy, we read about moses, who has just come down from mount sinai where he received the ten commandments, TELLING the people to take the commandments into their hearts and souls, to place them on their wrists, on their foreheads and on their doorposts. in other words keep them always in mind. the commandments, laid out by our captain god, ARE THE PLOTTED course we are to follow as we sail through life.

Perhaps the bracelets that some of our younger people wear today with the letters wwjd, MEANING “what would jesus do?” written on the bracelet is the 21ST CENTURY version of the tefillin or phylacteries worn BY JEWISH people. asking ourselves what would jesus do is A WAY of keeping the commandments in mind.

many of you have heard of the famous ship the queen mary which is now anchored in the long beach, ca. harbor where she serves as a floating restaurant attracting thousands of tourists every year.

the queen mary was launched as a luxury liner in 1934. In 1940 when World War II broke out she became a transport ship for our troops. in 1947 She resumed her Transatlantic pleasure trips which she continued until 1967 when she was retired to her long beach CA. berth.

the history of the queen mary reminds me somewhat of our own life story. We are launched from OUR MOTHER’S womb AND SET forth on the sea of life. for most of us we sail through our first years rather smoothly. But then comes a time when we need to change course or direction as did the queen mary. our placid everday routines may be drastically turned upside down. the unexpected comes along and we MUST MAKE adaptations. for example we didn’t bargain for our personal wars- sickness, financial setbacks, non-acceptance to the college of our choice, loss of family and friends, ravages of aging etc. etc. but there they are.

we are suddently faced with making a choice. we CAN choose to be angry and rebel that things have changed in our lives OR LIKE the queen mary, we adapt to new circumstances, new challenges, to new stages in our lives. we ask, “what is god calling me to do now?”

over and above our jobs, over and above our fashion statements, OVER and above our place on the ladder of accomplishments a larger truth endures. every person in this world was put here by god to do some special task. that task need not be a task that is great as the world uses the word great. it may be TAKING CARE OF OUR FAMILY, REACHING OUT TO make someone else happy, to teach someone’s mind, to cure someone’s body, to bring sunshine into the lives of others in the super market, in the office, at home. to make a difference!

The Queen Mary never dreamed it would be anything but a playground for the rich and famour. but when war broke out and courage was called for and service demanded, it camE THROUGH AND so must we respond to new chapters in our lives.

WE ALL HAVE OUR OWN STORY TO TELL ABOUT HOW WE HAVE DONE THIS.

TODAY I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE A LITTLE OF MY STORY.

I began my cruise in Providence, RI. The crew members WERE LOVING parents and a Sister. Later another female crew member was added.

Like most children i began school at the age of six. I attended I ATTENDED ASSUMPTION SCHOOL WHERE I RECEIVED AN EXCELLENT EDUCATION FROM THE SISTERS OF THE CROSS AND PASSION, A RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY FOUNDED IN ENGLAND IN 1852 BY AN ENGLISH CONVERT TO CATHOLICISM. THIS WOMAN’S NAME WAS ELIZABETH PROUT FOR WHOM PROUT HIGH SCHOOL IN WAKEFIELD IS NAMED.

FOLLOWING GRADUATION FROM THE 9TH GRADE AT THE ASSUMPTION I ATTENDED ST. XAVIER ACADEMY, STAFFED BY DEDICATED SISTERS OF MERCY. IT WAS AT THAT TIME THAT I WAS FACED WITH MAKING my FIRST BIG CHOICE. WHAT WOULD I DO AFTER HIGH SCHOOL, WHAT DID JESUS WANT ME TO DO?

AFTER PRAYING AND LISTENING TO SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO LOVED ME, I FELT THAT JESUS WAS ASKING ME TO follow in the footsteps of elizabeth prout and to BECOME A SISTER OF THE CROSS AND PASSION. AFTER WORKING FOR A YEAR AT THE NARRAGANSETT ELECTRIC COMPANY I ENTERED THE COMMUNITY.

My first assignment was to teach at my alma mater, assumption school. Six years later I was assigned to st. francis school in wakefield and from there to corpus christi school in wethersfield, ct. my next assingment was as principal st. luke school in barrington, ri where i remained for 20 years AND THOUGHT I WOULD NEVER MINISTER THAT LONG IN ANY OTHER PLACE.

in 1986 my captain chose a route that brought me to st. lucy’s harbor in middletown, ri. while docked here i have met many wonderful and inspriring people who have made my stay most pleasant and rewarding. thanks to all the young people with whom i have spent many hours and thanks to their parents who supported my sometimes seemingly strict requirements and thanks to all those from nineteen year olds to ninety year olds who helped me in trying to lead our young people to love and trust and to follow their captain on the voyage of life.

thanks to the crew, the parish staff, who have made the trip a very pleasant one. special thanks the captain’s first hand mate, father gene, who taught me much about keeping a ship afloat in spite of some turbulent seas. E.G. Diagnosis with cancer 11 years ago and the on and off chemo treatments since then.

But now my captain is telling me it is time to pull anchor and sail on. so once again, though i don’t know the route, i trust my captain knows the way. and since i want to be numbered among the wise that st. matthew speaks about in his gospel story, i put myself in my captain’s hands and heed his words to move on. i trust that he knows the best route for me to take and WILL CONTINUE to LOVINGLY LEAD Me THROUGH THE CALM SEAS AND THE ROUGH SEAS.

and while this next phase of my cruise will bring new challenges, i trust that i will eventually, though not too soon i hope, land safely in home port-heaven.

as i prepare to weigh anchor i pray:

god, captain of our life’s voyage,

i ask your blessing on the members of st. lucy faith community as they prepare to receive a new co-captain.

help them to rejoice in their faithfulness to your commandments.

guide them on the journey that LIES ahead of them as they prepare to encounter new and exciting opportunities.

bless them with humility in times of smooTh sailing and strength in times of rough seas.

help them to know that they are truly loved and cherished.

i give thanks for the gift that each of them has been to me and i rejoice in knowing that they will be a blessing to all those they encounter as they continue their cruise through life.

it is in the name of your son, jesus christ, i pray. amen.

Mary T. Burns, CP

June 1, 2008

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