Sisters of St. Joseph and friends together in common prayer
Two thousand years ago, the disciples gathered in the Upper Room. They were waiting in prayer for the coming of the Spirit, which Jesus promised. Today, more than 2000 years later, we are like those disciples locked down in our own homes, anxiously waiting for a permanent solution/cure, a complete healing from this pandemic. On May 30, a day before the feast of Pentecost, Our General Team went live on Facebook through the platform of Zoom videoconference uniting all of us together as a family in prayer. It was organized at 3.00 pm Italian time, which suits all the sisters of St. Joseph and friends from North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. It was a joint venture of the General Council and the International Communication Commission of the Congregation. Amidst fear and anxiety, we as one body in Christ, the Sisters of St. Joseph and friends across the globe, prayed for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This was our second initiative. The first one was on April 08, during the Holy Week.
As the General Council took the name of each continent/country and prayed for the real-time need, it was a solemn gesture of unity and solidarity with the rest of the world. It was indeed a blessed moment when Sr. Sally, our Superior General convoked the General Chapter 2021. Yes, together, we continue to seek the guidance of the spirit, to find concrete ways to offer our services to our dear neighbor. As Sr. Sally in her opening speech rightly said, “May we open our hearts and minds to allow the Spirit to move us as one Congregation, as one BODY of faithful disciples who desire to listen and then to offer loving service to all our dear neighbors.”
During the prayer, we prayed for our church, for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, and for our planet earth. We dedicated our prayers for the whole world, as humanity goes through the physical, emotional, social, and economic impact of Covid-19 pandemic. We prayed for our national leaders to come up with policies to restore life and dignity. We prayed for harmony and peace for those countries, where constant war and the massacre is up at hand. We prayed for those migrant workers who struggle to reach their homes and die with hunger and thirst.
Oneness, interconnected, one family, united in one body and spirit
While reading through the comments, some of them had emphasized the words like ‘oneness, interconnected, one family, united in one body and spirit, we feel blessed, thank you for having this prayer.’ Indeed, it was a moment of interconnectedness, a moment the different parts of the body deeply feel united. While chatting with some sisters, immediately after prayer, most of them expressed that taking the name of the country and praying for the real concern was the touching moment while the others felt that convoking the General Chapter was a moment of God’s grace. Some felt that having prayer sheets beforehand in their languages helped them to pray well. Indeed, the entire hour was filled with God’s grace that led us to experience our oneness as Sisters of St. Joseph, associates, and friends across the globe. We thank God for technology and the vivid platforms of media and communications. Being in closed doors, we were able to join as one family and pray together for the outpouring of the spirit.
S. Laveena D’Souza
