Participants in St. Elizabeth Parish, Aiea’s, first Woman’s Retreat pose for a group photo March 10 in the parish church. The retreat’s organizer, Sister Maristella Umdor of the Missionary Sisters Mary Help of Christians is in the white habit, front row, center right.
By Wendy Ford
Special to the Herald
On a breezy but nice Saturday morning in March, considering the worrisome weather earlier in the week, a hundred women gathered at St. Elizabeth Church in Aiea, to attend the parish’s first Women’s Retreat.
To say it was a happy day for Sister Maristella Umdor would have been an understatement. This petite nun from the Missionary Sisters Mary Help of Christians had been dreaming of this day since her arrival in the parish five years ago from India. As she performed her many duties around the parish, she noticed the “lack of a spiritual enrichment just for women.”
“Sure, women are involved in many ministries, often as the leads, but there wasn’t anything specifically for them,” she would say. “The men have the Knights of Columbus and That Man is You (TMIY) ministry, but what about the women?”
Then, with male encouragement from Jared Zick of TMIY, and an all-important pastoral nod from the pastor Father Arnold Ortiz, her dream, a retreat for women, was put into motion and a date set, March 10.
Although the retreat was scheduled to start at 9 a.m., many arrived much earlier in anticipation of the day and, as women are prone to do, made new friends, visited with dear ones, laughed and just engaged in fellowship.
And we should have known that, when Deacon Kin Borja gets involved, the simple continental breakfast became an unexpected spread that included fruits and breads provided by him and his family. It was all so good and enjoyed tremendously by the ladies, especially all the early birdies! Then, it was off into church for the reason we came.
Sister Stella, as she is lovingly called, had worked diligently to gather the right speakers for this event. Father Ortiz gave a warm welcome filled with encouragement and blessed the women gathered in faith, to receive and be nourished. Father John Molina of the Somascan Order, Sister Celeste Cabral from the Community of Mary Spouse of the Holy Spirit Monastery in Waialua and laywoman Maile Domingo were the guest speakers. Each one left us with insights and food for thought.
I loved Father Molina’s image likening a woman to a house, a place where you come for safety, comfort, rest, nourishment, love and just about everything else. He made me think of how St. Joseph took Mary into his dwelling, Mary who had become home for the Son of God as well.
Sister Celeste, aka Sister Cece — what a powerhouse! She held us spellbound, speaking of her career prior to becoming a nun, her call and desire to do more and of course, her own personal sharing. She spoke about depression and abuse so that others experiencing them would know that there was help and did not have to go through it alone. Sister Cece clung to her Bible through most of her spontaneous delivery, and one saw, heard and felt her great reliance on the Word and love of God. She was amazing. We all fell in love with her because she was one of us, a friend and a sister.
After lunch, a tough time to speak, Maile gave it her best in spite of a head cold. She led us through the thoughts of two scriptural women, embracing the roles of the Samaritan woman at the well and the very young Mary. The first encountered the adult Christ; the other carried him in her womb and give him life. Maile wanted us to be present at those scenes and make us aware of how God moves in our own lives. It was very contemplative and moving. Thank you, Maile, for your gentle goodness.
Our day closed with parochial vicar Father Sammy Loterte offering us thoughts on Jesus and the faith of the woman who believed if she could but touch the fringe of his cloak, she would be healed. He led us in eucharistic adoration, the Divine Mercy Chaplet and songs of praise. Sister Stella closed by offering her gratitude to all the women who attended and all her worker bees.
Because it was a day for women, several parish men came forward to provide support. For lunch outdoors, they set up the tent, hauled tables and chairs, handled the food and then came back to clean up. Us gals are truly fortunate to have willing men like Jerry Angle, James Fong, Chris Kaiser, Gary Okino and Jared Zick who not only opened their wallets but spent their day in service to us.
Without a doubt, God has blessed us abundantly! We cannot thank Sister Stella enough for putting this day together with the help of Sister Kiren, Liz, Norma and Mollye. But you must know, our dear Sister Stella has a gleam in her eye and is already thinking of making it an annual event.
By the way, the theme was “God’s Women! Hang on to His Hem.” Ladies, we are on our way!
Wendy Ford is a parishioner of St. Elizabeth Parish, Aiea.
