NOTE FOR THE FEAST OF PHILIPPINE AND NOV 21

NOTE FOR THE FEAST OF PHILIPPINE AND NOV 21

With her consent, we publish the note that Sr. Barbara Dawson just sent to her sisters for the Feast of Philippine Duchesne and the anniversary of the first commitment of Sophie Barat, November 21, 1800, in Paris, in which she mentions the difficult situation of RSCJs in some countries. We pray for them.

Dear Sisters,

As we prepare to celebrate for the feast of our sister, Philippine, and the day Sophie and her companions made their first commitment as vowed religious, let us pray for our blessed and broken world – especially the growing tension in Latin America, in Chile and Bolivia as well as the continued conflict in Haiti. We have heard from our sisters in Chile and Haiti and all are safe right now. In both Chile and Haiti, the communities are staying in their houses for the most part. We heard from the interprovincial novitiate in Chile where we have novices from Spain and Mexico as well as sisters from Puerto Rico, Spain and Chile. Edith Opazo, the provincial of Chile wrote, “things are very complex and there seems to be no way out. We don’t know what this is going to end in. The repression is horrible and violence does not seem to end. Thank you for having us in prayer”. We have also heard from our sisters in Haiti that the tension in the country continues. Our sister, Matilde (ESP), is in Port au Prince staying with the Jesuits because she can’t go back to Balan, and our other four sisters, Valle from Spain, Bibiane from Congo, Josefa from Puerto Rico and Marta from Chile, are at home in Balan. Neither the school nor the clinic is functioning and the roads are quite dangerous. The Central Team and the community of Haiti decided together to postpone our visit to Haiti for the safety of everyone. We will meet with them by videoconference from Puerto Rico. Let us pray to Sophie and Philippine. women who responded to the call of God in the midst of revolution, that we too are women of courage and confidence, wherever we are, entering fully into the reality of each day and each person we meet along the way. Let us place in the heart of Jesus in these days Chile and Haiti and all those places and situations where people are most suffering and in need. This brings you much love and prayer,

Barbara, rscj