Roots and Wings

Roots…

A devout Catholic mother and my piano playing skills led to my first ministry as a teenage church organist in Montego Bay, then folk Mass at college in Miami. As a young adult, I drifted from religion until a friend asked about Catholicism. I devoured books by Jesuit writers and found community in a multicultural parish where attending young adult retreats and leading children’s liturgies rekindled my spirit.

Wings…

To Seattle and St. Therese where soulful preaching and spirited gospel music said, “Welcome!” The choir led to marriage and children, then a new call to serve as Lay Presider; what a privilege to nurture gifts of listening, discernment, and hospitality in this ministry. I yearned for more time to discover and recover God in all things, but as a busy working mother, was limited to a presentation here, a day of reflection there, then ISC-sponsored (silent) retreats, the Examen, and Jesuit prayer apps.

Some months into the pandemic, I finally accepted Carla’s gentle, insistent invitation to consider spiritual companionship with other women of color. Our monthly learning sessions enrich and encourage, opening my heart to receive and offer, question and listen, observe and support. The highlight so far: co-facilitating an Advent retreat with whole-body prayer, and reflection on the Visitation story and our own of pregnancy and parenting. On that snowy morning, we embraced each other as the sun warmed our faces and hearts. And as we journey into this new year, I am filled with hope for the precious encounters in spiritual companionship that lie ahead.

Sharon Spence-Wilcox (she/her) Black, Caribbean immigrant, woman | cradle Catholic | (grand)daughter, sister, niece, wife, mother, godparent, aunt, friend | lifelong learner, librarian, educator, flawed/faithful lay minister | lover of sun, sea, sand | seeker of peace, love, joy | motto: Humankind, be both.