Retreat: Pictures and a Prayer/Poem

In celebration of our 175th anniversary of our the founding of the Marianites of Holy Cross, women from both of the other Holy Cross congregations as well as a priest and a brother gathered in Louisiana for a special retreat.  A brother of Holy Cross presented during the retreat which centered around the first General Superior, Mother Mary of the Seven Dolors (that was her religious name; her first name at birth was Leocaide; the house where I live in Haiti is named for her.)  I am very grateful that I was able to make the journey to Lousiana and participate in this prayerful experience.  I am happy to share with you some pictures I took and a prayer/poem I wrote during retreat. 

Mary At The Foot of The Cross

You could not stop the suffering

still you stayed, 

You could not cease the crucifixion

yet you remained,

Appearing and feeling painfully powerless

Prophetic and profound was your powerful presence,

After years of active mothering

there was nothing to do but stand, 

but, you were no passive on-looker, 

 much energy is required to actively love

even as the events shattered your previously pierced heart,

You stayed standing through the suffering

somehow, simply trusting

what you could not have yet known.

  

Help me, that I may continually choose to stand with you, 

confident that you stand with me, too.  Amen.  

On Sunday afternoon, I returned to Haiti. On Monday morning as I approached the gate of the orphanage, most of the children were exiting to head to school for the day.  My heart was happy to see them.  I smiled as I greeted them.

Take care.  Many blessings!    

A Week After the Storm

Yesterday the children returned to school after a full week of closures due to Hurricane Matthew, even though we did not experience real hurricane conditions in our immediate area.  As typical routines  quickly resumed,  images on the internet and comments made by those who watch the television news remind me of the terrible suffering people are experiencing on the southern side of this country.   Some sisters have family members in places hard hit by the storm.  Ther are so many sad stories. Silmatenesoly the devastation seems both very far away and close by.  In places with fewer resources and greater poverty, there are fewer protections from such storms and so greater suffering results.  It is an injustice.  What can we do to change this?  How do we prevent such unnecessary death and loss?  How am I (are we) called to respond to the current situation? As usual, I have more questions than answers.

I try to keep up with what is going on in elections on both sides of the water; I don't always do a good job.  The Haitian presidential primary elections which were scheduled to take place last Sunday have been postponed because of the hurricane.  There is a tentative date for the end of the month.    I was able to watch the American presidential debate on Sunday night since we actually get CNN here.  I only recently learned that we get CNN and I've lived here over a year.  The other American sister who lives here and I tried to watch the first debate but missed most of it due to poor television reception.

Next week, I will not be updating this blog because I will be on retreat.  It will be great to connect with and pray with Marianites and other members of the Holy Cross congregations as we prayerfully  reflect and give thanks in celebration of 175 years since the Marianites of Holy Cross were founded.

I've been touched by the generosity of so many people all over the world recently. Some of my cousins in Ireland are planning a Quiz Night as a fundraiser for the orphanage.  A Sunday school group of children at a parish in Ohio are also planning a fundraiser for us as well.  It is encouraging that there are so many people willing to enable us to care for the children.  Although I said this last week, it is worth repeating, I felt supported by many people who contacted me to make sure I was okay when they heard of the  hurricane in Haiti.  Thank you,  everyone!  

Take care.  Many blessings!

Hurricane Matthew

a hibiscus/ (choublak )flower in the rain

You have probably heard that Hurricane Matthew has caused a lot of devastation in Haiti today.  The storm hit the southern part of the country and did a lot of damage there.  I am living on the opposite end of the country and so far we have not experienced anything that could be considered hurricane conditions.  All day, it has been damp and cloudy, with light intermittent rain.  There is almost no wind, not even the typical tropical breeze that lightly blows through on most days.    It seems now that the storm is passing to the west of us, although weather reports indicate that there is still a possibility that we may experience some hurricane conditions. If we get anything at all, in all likelihood it will not be anything like people experienced in other parts of the country.   

 As the storm approached, in general, my family members, community members and many friends in the United States seemed to me to be more concerned about the possible approaching storm than did many of the people here in the potential path of the storm.  It is interesting to observe individual and cultural differences in how people respond to such situations.  It worked out well, that today (Tuesday) is my day off and that I have had a relatively good internet connection most of the day so that I could easily respond to emails, phone calls and messages reassuring everyone that I am fine and all is well here.  You remind me of how fortunate I am to have loving community members, family, and friends.  Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, concern, and well wishes.   My heart goes out to all of those who have been affected by the storm; they are the ones who most need our  prayers, thoughts, compassion and concern. 

Schools were closed yesterday and today throughout the country because of the storm.  I suspect they will be closed tomorrow too, maybe for several days.  Elections are supposed to take place here on Sunday; I am wondering if and how the storm will impact people’s ability to vote especially in areas most affected by the hurricane.  It does not take a lot of rainfall to make travel difficult in Haiti.  Most of the roads are not paved.  Muddy flooded roads, and puddles the size of ponds can make it impossible for people to get to school, work, medical treatment or polling places.  

A flower (whose name I do not know)  in the rain.  ( Give me a break; I know the name of the flower at the top in both English and Creole) so if you know the name of this flower (in any language) please share it; leave a comment.  Thank you!    

Have a good week!   Many blessings!