“That very same day a group of them were on their way into a common future - which lay just ahead, beyond what they could see. As they walked into the future, they talked about all the happenings among them. As they talked with one another, GOD joined them and moved with them.” These words have spoken to me many times as we journey from what was, to what is, and what will be.
We continue to live in the era of COVID-19. Our sisters, wherever we are, are being careful, so we can stay healthy. We are grateful that sisters in our health care facilities have had the opportunity to receive the vaccine. More and more of our sisters in other areas have received the vaccine or are in the process of being vaccinated. We, like you, have waited until the vaccine came to our area and are following local guidelines. Our health care facilities continue to follow the CDC guidelines, while the provincial council, sisters, staff and associates work toward the best for our aging sisters. We have wonderful staff in each place that help us care for one another.
In the midst of COVID-19, we are continuing to look at our future in each part of our province in accordance with the 2018 Assembly of the Whole. We have sold what was St. Mary of the Pines in Chatawa, Mississippi, to a Catholic group who will continue its use as a retreat center. The sisters at Notre Dame of Elm Grove, Elm Grove, Wisconsin, will be moving to a new facility, Trinity Woods, which is being built next to Mount Mary University in Milwaukee. Trinity Woods will be an intergenerational housing facility where senior sisters and lay people along with single mothers will live.
At Our Lady of Good Counsel in Mankato, Minnesota, and Sancta Maria in Ripa in St. Louis, we continue to be in dialogue with developers who desire to purchase our land and develop the properties. Our sisters in Japan prayerfully weighed the need to sell our retreat center to the Kyoto Diocese and this sale was finalized in April 2021. In Guam, our sisters continue the mission of the education of children of all ages, while also searching for health care options for the sisters.
Our province has seen many changes over the last 10 years. On June 12, we celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the coming together of our Central Pacific Province. Please visit our resource page, Gratitude for 10 years, to read the stories, prayers, reflections and songs for the celebration of the province.
We believe that God is with us in our common journey. There are many uncertainties, yet we know our sisters are being cared for and our ministries will carry on the vision and mission of SSND for which our foundress, Blessed Theresa of Jesus Gerhardinger, was called by God. We know that God is still calling us to trust in this vision.
We are grateful for all of you who are in our lives and that the legacy of SSND to care for others and for all creation will continue into the future.
“God and the people gathered. The people recognized the mystery at work among them, and they grew more confident and able to share it with others who needed to know if God’s love could be counted on. They moved into their lives, trusting that what God has in store will be created together and will include more than the people could ever ask or imagine”
Footnote:
- The Emmaus Moment - Bing video by the Salesians of Ireland