Thursday, August 7, 2008

Annette Covatta Turns 80

If you don't know Annette, you are poorer for it. There is a wealth to her life that enriches those around her. I went to Google just to see what would come up and there was a richness to the references there too. After 5 pages I was still getting amazing stories of her work in Music, drama, as a leader in her order, and as a superb teacher of enlightenment through her workshops that open and heal. She is a Catholic nun with a twist. She embraces deep spirituality in the many forms that she finds from Hindu wisdom of India where she visited, to mystics of her own faith such as Hildegard of Bingen and contemporary Matthew Fox, a priest who was dismissed from his Dominican Order in 1992 for his major work in Creations Spirituality.

For me, though, it is her warm, loving but very real presence here and now that makes me feel whole and embraced just being near her. If we have a saint among us, it is Annette and yet she is so much more than a canonized relic, she is a vibrant, gifted living reflection of the divine here with us. Don't get me wrong, Annette does not carry some garb of sacred aloofness. She is just Annette, with her humanity intact. Sister, we love you.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jude, it is now 8 years later and I know Sister Annette. I totally agree with you! Thank you for capturing her essence.

Karen Pinzolo said...

Annette was my first boss. I interviewed with her and knew immediately I wanted to move from D.C. to New York to have the opportunity to work with her. She was 52 and I was 21. She was the most spiritual person I ever met without mentioning God. Ok, maybe she mentioned St. Anthony when looking for a parking space! She was always introspective but at the same time loved people and exuded joy in living. I shared her love for classical music and talking about music was when she was the happiest. I am now 61 and think of her often. I am still in the same field. I was so blessed to have her as my teacher and friend.