“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”
(Luke 1: 30)
March 24, 2020
A Message From Our Provincial Leader, Sister Charmaine Krohe
Dear Sisters, Associates, and Colleagues,
During his recent walks through the abandoned streets of Italy, Pope Francis paused before an icon of Mary to pray for a world that has fallen under the threat of the coronavirus. In his prayer, Pope Francis calls Mary, “Health of the Sick” and prays for healing from this pandemic.
Tomorrow, March 25, the church celebrates the Feast of the Solemnity of the Annunciation. Mary was a woman who knew what it meant to be strong. Our scripture for the day tells us that she was a woman who was strong enough to utter her “yes” to God not fully understanding what God was asking of her. She was a woman who was strong enough not to be afraid. As School Sisters of Notre Dame, devoted to Mary, let us too call upon this woman of strong faith and pray for the strength to trust and dare in these challenging times without fear.
Tomorrow at 7:00 am Eastern time (noon in Rome), Pope Francis calls all Christians around the world to pray the Lord’s Prayer, as a response to the threat of this virus. “We want to respond to the pandemic of the virus with the universality of prayer, of compassion, of tenderness. Let us remain united.”
Let us be of one mind and one heart as we join our prayers on this feast day with the rest of the world to our Father in heaven. In “communion”, let us pray with and for each other and our world during these unforgettable Lenten days.
May God bless us and keep us and our world safe from all harm.
