Prayers for Our 24th General Chapter

As we have been sharing with you since January, our 24th General Chapter is being held from July 1-22 in Paderborn, Germany.  If you would like to refresh your memory about the history of our General Chapters,  go to the blog (sccjpic.blogspot.com) and -- under 2019 -- click on "January."  Scrolling through January's posts will bring you to the posts about the General Chapter.  These posts continue through February 2019.

Please pray for all the members of the General Chapter, the facilitator, translators, assistants and everyone who makes these days possible.  Would you like to join us in the prayer for our General Chapter?

O Holy Spirit, direct and guide our Congregation so that every member thereof may labor in a spirit of faith, and that all things may tend only to the greater glory of God, the sanctification of each Sister and the welfare of our neighbor.  Holy Spirit, ever preserve a Spirit of profound humility in our Congregation and a lasting conformity of our will with your most holy Will.  Amen.

More SCC Volunteers at the Border

We are grateful to Sister Gabrielle and Sister Marie Jose for sharing these photos of their experiences at the Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, Texas. We continue to pray for them, for all the volunteers and staff, and especially for the refugees seeking help and comfort at the Center. 

Sister Marie Jose sets up a waiting room for the clinic.

Sister Gabrielle and other volunteers make lunch.

Sister Gabrielle and Sister Marie Jose join a youth group to sort through boxes of clothing.

Sister Marie Jose and another volunteer set up the clinic.

June 20: World Refugee Day

Resources for commemorating World Refugee Day 2019 are available at the Justice for Immigrants site (here).  Additionally, there is a prayer for refugees, "A Moment of Grace," on the Catholic Relief Services website (here). 

More from the Border

The women in formation of the Sisters of Christian Charity continue their work with Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley.  In this photo, they are seen with Executive Director, Sister Norma Pimentel, MJ.  God bless the work that is being done at the border, especially by those who are under the direction of Sister Norma.  We pray for the ministry and safety of our -- and all --  missionaries to the border.

SCC Volunteers at the Border

We ask for your prayers for our volunteers who are assisting at Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, Texas this month. The Respite Center receives refugees who have been released from the nearby ICE Detention Center by bus, about 400-500 each day.  According to the website, "We believe that human beings who have no food, no security, no access to shelter, etc., are people in crisis.  We will continue responding to the needs of these families in crisis as long as there is a need."  Donations are always welcome!  Click here for more information about how to donate.

Here are some photos of our women in initial formation and their formators at the border.  Thanks to Sr. Bernadette for sharing them!

Through the intercession of Blessed Pauline and the patron saints of refugees -- St. Alban and Saint Frances Cabrini -- may our brothers and sisters in crisis, and all who assist them, receive blessings in abundance. 

Mary, Mother of the Church

On this Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church (celebrated on the Monday following Pentecost -- liturgical resources available here), perhaps we could reflect with Pope Francis on a mosaic by Marko Rupnik, SJ, a Slovenian Jesuit based in Rome.

In a talk given to priests and seminarians in 2016, the Holy Father reflected on this mosaic:  "So let Our Lady take you by the hand, and cling to her mantle.  In my office I have a lovely image of the Synkatabasis that Father Rupnik gave me.  It shows Mary holding out her hands like a stairway on which Jesus descends.  What I like most about it is that Jesus holds in one hand the fullness of the Law and with the other hand he clings to her mantle.  In the Russian tradition, the old monks tell us that amid spiritual storms we need to take refuge under the mantle of Mary" (L'Osservatore Romano, June 10, 2016, p. 14).

Additionally, Pope Francis talks about this mosaic in the book-length interview with Fernando Prado, CMF, The Strength of a Vocation (see this post from our December 2018 blog posts for an introduction to that book):  "The Virgin is the frame, the human need that God had in order to come down; the hands of the Virgin serve Jesus as ladder.  It is the synkatabasis (condescendence) of Jesus.  God comes down, but needs the flesh of Mary and that is why she lowers her arms.  Jesus clings to her cloak.  Francis tells me [the interviewer] that this image could also be very 'eloquent' for consecrated life" (p. 38).

Today, we pray:

O God, Father of mercies,
whose Only Begotten Son, as he hung on the Cross,
chose the Blessed Virgin Mary, his Mother,
to be our Mother also,
grant, we pray, that with her loving help
your Church may be more fruitful day by day
and, exulting in the holiness of her children,
may draw to her embrace all the families of the peoples.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.  Amen

June Issue of Stop Trafficking Newsletter

The June issue of Stop Trafficking -- focusing on the issues affecting trafficked persons and what they see as helpful in their journey toward healing -- is available here.