January 5, 2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR May God bless you and continue to care for you all through 2011. The old year ended with 8/10s inch of rain last Thursday and 1 ½ inches of snow on Friday. A high temperature of 35 degrees on Thursday turned to very cold on Friday and Saturday. Roads and sidewalks are icy, so walking very mindfully is a very good idea.

I am most grateful for my walker, but always I have to sweep off my wheels when I go inside.

The old year went out with a 24-hour time of prayer for peace and a holy-hour on December 31st, Blessed are the Peacemakers Prayer service. “It was a time to reflect upon the gift and power of peace: its place in the heart of Jesus’ message and its importance in the world we live in.” The prayer service was based on the Beatitudes and the words of St. Francis. My prayer for us is: “O God as we begin a new year, help us to be bringers of peace to all those with whom we are called to share life, whether at home, at work, in our relationships or in brief encounters. Fill us with the renewed conviction that we CAN make a difference in our world and through our efforts to live peacefully.”

And the day after New Year’s Day was the Feast of Epiphany, the Feast of the Three Kings. Here is a picture of a crib set with the Kings in attendance (one below also).

On January 2nd we had our Sisters’ Christmas celebration. We had evening prayer followed by a social hour and special dinner. Sister Julien carved the roast. After the meal we had a sing-along. Sr. Maurita played guitar. It was a relaxing and fun evening.

The line of walkers is a common sight in the dining room or chapel or wherever we are gathered.

On Friday we will again have another Bilingual Eucharist. This time we are honoring Felipe and Maria Barreda, a couple martyred for their Catholic Faith, on January 7, 1983. They were an ordinary couple, devoted to God, who raised a family of six children and who worked hard at their trade. While picking coffee beans they were attacked on December 28th and endured unbelievable torture. Throughout their cruel treatment they continued to respond with prayer and refusals to betray their Christian Faith. God bless them for their example of fidelity to the Faith.

God bless you and keep you safe.

Sister Mary Lou