GNSHappenings- Early Summer 2020

Written on: July 8, 2020

During the month of May, we continued to practice social distancing as Covid-19 continued it’s path of destruction. The U.S. has lost over 100K people to the virus at this writing. Although many states are seeing declining numbers of both infections and deaths, others are still in the path of this pandemic.

As we celebrated Pentecost, we were reminded that even when things are most bleak, God is still with us, and hope survives.

During June, we continued to practice social distancing even as some things have begun to open up. Our offices resumed in-person operation on June 17. Covid-19 continues its devastation. The U.S. has  now lost over 126K people to the virus at this writing. Many states who thought they were in the clear are seeing a resurgence of both infections and deaths. At the end of June there were 2.5 million infections counted in the U.S. We are grateful that we have mostly been spared from the effects of this virus and credit those around us with keeping us safe.

Peace Pole

The Peace Pole, which was erected on the grounds of the Motherhouse in 2008, was recently moved to Holy Redeemer Lafayette where many of our Sisters are in residence. According to Sr. Pat Connolly, GNSH (pictured here), Mr. Don Fox, VP at Holy Redeemer Health system brought the Peace Pole and a trunk he found on the Motherhouse grounds to HR Lafayette. The trunk was placed in the lobby and now blooms with flowers and a sign indicating that is from the GNSH. The Peace Pole  can be found outside of the building in a garden area. The languages on the pole represent  the history of the GNSH and various ministries: French Canadian (original foundation; Spanish (Peru); Tagalog (Alaskan Filipino’s) and English.

We are happy to have these touchstones of our history present at our new residence. For photos of the original planting ceremony, click here.

GNSHAssociates

The Associates have been making use of technology to meet over the past few weeks. The first Zoom gathering was on May 1 and they have been meeting every 2 weeks since then. The meeting consists of Prayer, reflection, contemplative dialogue and some time to catch up with each other.

The Associates continued their bi-weekly reflection and prayer by Zoom. The last one, on June 26 turned into a virtual Eco-Spirituality Retreat, which would have taken place that weekend. Different people contributed to the overall prayer which made it very enriching for all who were able to participate.

Feast Day Celebrations

This year, our celebrations for the Feast of the Sacred Heart were curtailed a bit from the usual. Prior to the day, a prayer service prepared by Sisters Barbara Schiavoni and Eileen White, along with a letter from Sr. Denise Roche, were distributed to the Sisters, Associates and our colleagues. Everyone was asked to join in prayer from wherever they were on Friday June 19, at 4:00pm so that we could pray together while apart. Hopefully, our celebration of St. Marguerite’s Feast Day will be able to be in person!

Potsdam– submitted by Mary Enslow, GNSHA

Rose Preston, Joe Tebo and I met for the Feast Day through speakerphone with Rose and facebook with Joe.  We had a late start but we met for about 30 minutes. It was certainly different since we last met on March 17.  We will get together later on when we won’t have to distance ourselves.  Happy Feast Day.

Buffalo

Two of the Buffalo Associates, Mary Jane Key and Vickie Christopher met in Vickie’s garage to pray together. The other Associates prayed from their homes as they were able.

Some fun during the Pandemic

The colleagues of the GNSH in the Philadelphia offices got together on Tuesday May  19 for a Car Parade to the Plaza, Holy Redeemer Lafayette and Artis to spread a little joy to our beloved Sisters. With some assistance, we put together a short video of the cars, vans and SUV’s that paraded around all decked out! View the video  and photos here!

Goodness of Friends-Submitted by Sr. Mary Elizabeth Looby

Sr. Anna Trang Mai from Vietnam, who worked at our Motherhouse a few summers ago, was concerned about the Coronavirus and our Sisters’ health. She was in touch with a friend of hers in California, Chi Trinh, who offered and  sent gloves to protect our sisters.

We are most grateful for Sr. Anna’s concern and for the generosity of Chi for her gift!

Photo: Unsplash. Becca Tarter

Happy Birthdays and Feast Days

Happy Birthday to our Sisters and employees who celebrate their special day in June: Sr. Jean Liston (9); Eileen Dickerson (10); Sr. Sally White (12); Sr. Jean O’Shaunecy (14); Sr. John Helen Main (15); Sr. Dolores Fitzpatrick (22); Sr. Donna Lord (22); Sr. Nora Friel (29) . Sister Marie Christi Drysdale celebrates her Feast Day on Corpus Christi (11).   May the year ahead hold many blessings for you!

Happy Birthday to our Sisters and employees who celebrate their special day in July: Sr. Barbara Schiavoni (3); Pat Cohen (4); Sr. Jo Patti (5); Sr. Mary O’Connell (15); Sr. Anne Boyer (17);  Bob Creely (18); Sr. Joan Marie McCann (22-FD); Sr. Dawn Gear (24) and  Sr. Bridget Connor (26) . May the year ahead hold many blessings for you!

This entry was posted in News and tagged: birthday, California, concern, Contemplative Dialogue, Coronavirus, Feast Day, Friends, generosity, gift, gloves, Holy Redeemer Lafayette, ministries, Pandemic, parade, Peace Pole, Pentecost, Prayer, Reflection, technology, Yardley, Yardley Motherhouse, Zoom