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Collegian founded spirituality group In the summer of 2006, Traci Salisbury initiated a women's spirituality group at Holy Spirit parish in East Greenbush. The 21-year-old told The Evangelist that becoming a member of a similar group at Marist College, where she majors in international business, gave her the inspiration. "I wanted to re-create the great energy of our group at Marist," she said. "There is a certain energy present when women gather. I noticed it in our college group. I felt called to duplicate that at home because I wanted to pass on this feeling with women from my parish." All ages Members range in age from 18 to 60, "from the young women to the wisest of women," said Ms. Salisbury, who attends meetings when she is home from college. "We have young moms, college students, retired ladies, moms with empty nests, working ladies and young married women. Our topics relate to all these roles. "We gather for round-table discussions of topics relating to women. We also read Scripture before our meeting on a given subject and then talk about how it affects us in our everyday lives. "We've started to do community activities; this summer, a few of our members helped to lead a youth retreat in the parish." Fellowship Evelyn Schultz attends the meeting with her daughter, 26. "I joined mainly for the fellowship," she said. "I asked my daughter if she'd like to come, and she agreed. We've found that it's a good way to spend quality time with each other as well as with other women. My daughter especially enjoys spending time with young women her own age. "We usually talk about the Lord, Scripture and many issues that concern Catholics today." Conversation Ms. Salisbury noted that some of the issues the women talk about are where and in what daily activities they find God, forgiving those in their families, how to "slow down" their daily lives, how to keep young adults engaged in Church activities, and growing in the dark moments when one can't seem to find God. "Basically, we all feel very comfortable with each other," she said. "Sharing with each other is a big part of what we do." The group also serves as support for anyone "having a bad day. We all just lend an ear and help her out if we can. It's like a sisterhood." Bible study Mrs. Schultz said that "we all get a lot out of sharing our faith with each other. We're studying women in the Old Testament. We read several passages and discuss what we've read. It's very interesting because each person seems to get something different from the passages, depending on what is going on in her life. We all benefit from that." She noted that, over time, the women have bonded as a group and become friends. "We are part of a network of friends," she noted. "I've developed a deeper spiritual understanding of my faith since I've been part of this group. I've also learned who God is and how God is active in my life. I read the Bible more often than ever before, and I feel comfortable praying with others and praying out loud. "Traci's energy and enthusiasm are inspirational. I'm so glad she started this group." 10/18/07) |