Convention is the Perfect Time to Celebrate Ritual

Sarah Elliott, Delta Omega (Murray State U), Rituals, Traditions, and Jewelry Committee

I LOVE AOII International Convention! Let me shout it loud enough for those seated in the back! Hundreds of sisters gathered in one beautiful location with incredible speakers, wonderful meals celebrating sisters, our beautiful Service for Candle Lighting, Opening and Closing Ritual and our Memorial Service. Few things can compete with the wonderful experience and sisterhood time you will enjoy at Convention.

If you are a Chapter President, you will have the opportunity to participate in our Service for Candle Lighting and our Closing Ritual. The Service for Candle Lighting is a meaningful event for many as we celebrate each chapter that has been installed. All 214 chapter names and submottos will be read and honored. Following this service, Alumnae Presidents will participate in our Opening Ritual and it is beautiful to see. This year, we will be initiating alumnae on Friday and following that Ritual, we will be conducting a workshop walking through each step and discussing the different parts of Ritual.

My favorite part of Convention is getting to reunite with the sisters I rarely get to see except for at international events. What a reunion! It is great to have time together to catch up, celebrate our friendships and spend several days focusing on all things AOII. And meeting new sistersI can only imagine the number of incredible friendships that have begun because of connections made at AOII events. Meals throughout the week and free time at the pool on Friday are just a couple of the great opportunities to meet new sisters. Make sure you find out what chapter they are from, if they hold an office, or if they volunteer for the Fraternity. Take time to hear their AOII story and share your own. This is such a great way to support and celebrate each other! Maybe you hold the same office and you can share ideas or if you are needing more advisors and they live near your area, you might find a great volunteer match. You may think you do not have much in common with this person who lives across the country, has a different major, comes from a much smaller/larger chapter, but one thing will connect you, our Ritual. Start each greeting with the grip, let the connection start with our Ritual and know you share something special with every sister you will meet.

I hope you are as excited as I am to attend this year’s AOII International Convention in Palm Desert, CA, and to get to connect with so many sisters and celebrate what makes us AOII. It is a great time to get inspired, connect to our Ritual, and with each other. Be engaged, be open to learning and meeting new people, celebrate each other and just have fun. I promise you will walk away feeling an even stronger connection to our sisterhood.

You may contact the Rituals, Traditions, and Jewelry Committee (RT&J) about anything Ritual-related at RT&J@alphaomicronpi.org