As we begin this holiest of weeks, let us pray together the Psalm for today’s liturgy.
The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
When evildoers come at me
to devour my flesh,
My foes and my enemies
themselves stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart will not fear;
Though war be waged upon me,
even then will I trust.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
We continue to pray for the many people who are suffering from this virus – our family and friends, our sisters, our colleagues, those who put their lives at risk to care for the afflicted. While many of us are not allowed to leave our houses, let us pray especially for those who have no home, who have no resources, who feel alone or abandoned.
As for our “RSCJ news,” we continue to have sisters and those in the Sacred Heart family who are ill from the virus. We have been asked to pray especially for some sisters who are ill in Austria, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Mexico and for alumnae, family and friends. We have had a few sisters join the Communion of Saints as a result of the virus in both Spain and Italy. Thankfully, many of our sisters who are infected by the virus are recovering.
Let us pray especially for the women and men who care for our sisters in care facilities, infirmaries, homes for the elderly. Many of them are making great sacrifices to continue their work with our sisters.
The four of us who were traveling in Latin America have completed our time of quarantine. We are grateful to our community who supported us during this time, and we look forward to celebrating Holy Week together face to face. We await Anne Corry’s return from Australia where she was attending their provincial Chapter.
The General Council will meet today (Monday) to debrief our time apart during the last two months and to begin to look together at the road ahead for the Society. Many of you, and we too, are pondering the best way forward for the preparation for the Special Chapter and the preparation in the provinces, including the Provincial Chapters. We anticipate beginning these conversations in a focused and serious way beginning in Easter Week. In the meantime, we are talking with our facilitators, with Mary Wright, our canon lawyer and with some people with expertise who are attempting to forecast the possible evolution of this pandemic. If provincials have any particular questions, please be in contact with your General Council link person.
Know that we keep each one of you in our hearts and minds. We look forward to praying the Triduum with you, with the help of the resources provided by the JPIC International Team, Anne Corry RSCJ, Sheila Smith RSCJ and Joy Luz RSCJ.
With love and prayer,
Barbara Dawson, RSCJ
Monica Esquivel, RSCJ
Isabella Lagneau, RSCJ
Daphne Sequeira, RSCJ
Marie-Jeanne Elonga, RSCJ
