ST PAUL S POST St Paul s Province Weekly Newsletter: September 2018

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1 ST PAUL S POST St Paul s Province Weekly Newsletter: September 2018 Our birthday girl this week is: Sheila McNally 13 September Con gran alegría, las hermanas de la provincia de San Pablo nos unamos con amor y en oración con las Hermanas Andrea y Florencia en su día tan especial. Les deseamos a las dos una abundancia de paz, alegría, coraje y compasión en su caminar en nuestra congregación pasionista en solidaridad con los crucificados de hoy. Que el Señor las acompañe y las bendiga, siempre. Con cariño y unidas en la oración, Therese y sus Hermanas de la Provincia de San Pablo. It is with great joy that we, the Sisters of St Paul s Province, unite with Sisters Andrea and Florencia in love and prayer on their special day. We wish you both an abundance of peace, joy, courage and compassion as you continue your journey in our Passionist congregation and in solidarity with the Crucified people of today. May the Lord accompany and bless you always. With love and united in prayer, Therese and your Sisters of St Paul s Province. Whilst in Dublin the other week Anne visited Micheline with Miriam and met Maire too!

2 Our Sisters: Olcan Watt Cephas Wearden Relatives/friends of Sisters: Marguerita s brother-in-law, Brendan and her brother, Pat; Damian s brother, Brendan and her sister, Betty; Anna Hainey s brother, Danny; Rose Donnelly s niece, Bridget Reid; Eily May s brothers, Tade & Jack, and her sister, Mary Philomena White; Lisa Greer, (not Green) daughter of Sue Rix; Francis niece-in-law, Val McCartan and Francis brother, Austin; Evelyn Wilson Margaret Collins Lorraine s Mum, Mary; Kathleen Doran s niece-in-law, Kerry; Carmel Gorman s sister-in-law, Mary; Gabrielle, Marcellina & Miriam s sister, Anne; Joanna Jackson, a former Sister; The father of Sr Mary Ann (USA), who is unwell; Mary Curtin s niece, Breed; Francine s sister, Rita; Please pray for Leonard McStay, brother to Rita and Margaret We will all be anxious today for Joanna Jackson, a former Sister. Her sister-in-law, Teresa Jackson has requested our prayers. prayer prayer on..those currently suffering in Syria;..UK and BREXIT negotiations pray for God s wisdom;..world peace, especially in view of the current political climate;

3 Some time back we read about the generous donation given by St Peter s Parish, Lytham to our mission in Villa El Salvador, Peru. Sister Maeve responded thus: The money from St. Peter s School ( 860) has been used for medicines. We are having a very cold and wet winter and the Taytacos (those of advanced age) are full of aches and pains, not to mention their bronchial problems. We ve had two nebulizers repaired and the rest has gone on medicines, antibiotics and analgesics, which we give them free of charge. The money from the Garden Sale ( 6,500) that Nicola Thompson donated will be used to provide food and transport for our 80 Taytacos. As you know for three days a week they are provided with a hot meal which the volunteers prepare. At the moment, because of the cold weather, we try to provide our Taytacos with hot soup and a full meal, which is very often the only meal they have in the day. Isn t that really good news? Thanks and blessings on all those involved. Eily May White Below are a selection of photos from Maire s recent visit to Botswana. They focus on Forest Hill where the Passionist Fathers community live. This is the Chapel at Passionist Centre, Forest Hill. Srs Botshelo & Pulane with Fr Ian Kalumba CP at Forest Hill. The Chapel extension One of the Stations of the Cross in the Chapel. The Memorial remembering all the Passionist Fathers, Brothers & Sisters who have lived in Botswana and have died. May they all Rest in Peace. Look out for more photos next week!

4 Passionist Companions September 2018 September is a month that can be rich in inspiration for our Passionist family. We are given the feast of the exaltation of the Holy Cross and the feast of Mary, Mother of Sorrows (who is also Mother of Holy Hope) to nourish our faith. The feast of the Cross of Jesus is the lasting reminder of how important we all are to God. If you are ever tempted to doubt yourself or to give up on yourself, look at the Cross. There we see reflected back to us Truth that can touch and heal and restore the deepest point of our souls. In Jesus, God held nothing back to make it possible for us to trust in LOVE. A fellow traveller has reassured us: I am convinced that, on some deep level, in that part of us that we call the soul, we recognize the power of Christ s Cross because we retain a memory of human love. Love remains. As a companion feast to encourage us Passionists, Mary stands before the Cross to help us make sense of the moments of pain and tragedy in our lives. Life can sometimes come at us with such force that we fear we will drown and be swept away. Pope Francis offers us this helpful thought as we look at the scene of Calvary: At the foot of the Cross, Mary is at the same time the woman of sorrow and of watchful expectation of a mystery far greater than sorrow, which is about to be fulfilled. It seemed that everything had come to an end; every hope could be said to have been extinguished. She too, at that moment, remembering the promises of the Annunciation, could have said: they did not come true, I was deceived. But she did not say this. And so she who was blessed because she believed, sees blossom from her faith a new future and awaits God s tomorrow with expectation. At times I think: do we know how to wait for God s tomorrow? Or do we want it today? For her, the tomorrow of God is the dawn of Easter morning. As we stand with Mary at the foot of the Cross of her Child, may she give us words of hope that can heal our own lives and offer help to our world. Reflection: 1. As Companions of Jesus, crucified and risen, how can the feast of Holy Cross help us in facing the crisis of sexual abuse in the church? 2. How can Mary be the Woman of Hope as well as Mother of Sorrows for us to strengthen us in this time of change and confusion in both the world and the church? Martin Joseph

5 Dear Sisters, I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to the PLT, Villa Pacis community, all the many sisters who sent me Mass cards, beautiful birthday cards, gifts, good wishes and prayers for my 80 th birthday. Thank you to the sisters in 78 for my pre-birthday celebration, gifts and beautiful cake. A good night was had by all. A special thank you to Sr Majella for the time and effort she put into the special Mass booklet for the occasions; to Fr Jim for celebrating the Eucharist with us. Majella also had the dining room festooned with balloons, bunting and congratulations. Birthday cards on display, plenty of colour to celebrate the day. We had a most beautiful meal cooked by Margaret, our Manager, and the kitchen staff. The meal topped off with a beautiful birthday cake (no hiding my age). My thanks also go to the staff of Villa Pacis for their cards, gifts and good wishes. Sr John Vianney