2014 IHM Chapter Underway - Congregation of the Sisters, Servants ...

IHM Newsletter - March 2013 page 4North Beach Retreat Day Held for Young WomenThe IHM sisters in Maryland and Washington, DC, invited youngwomen to a day of shared prayer and conversation at St. Anthony’sConvent in North Beach, MD. The first of two scheduled events, thismini retreat day called “Come to the Water” was an effort to connect withcollege age women who seek opportunities for shared prayer and wantto learn about deepening their spiritual lives. The schedule of the dayincluded the viewing of the IHM DVD and conversation about the IHMCore Values, an input session on prayer followed by sharing, lunch, sometime for adoration or a quiet walk. The day ended with more sharing and aclosing prayer. Questions like, “How do you like to pray?” and “How doyou experience God’s call in your life?” were posed to the sisters and theparticipants alike which lead to lively and enriching conversation for all.These young women were invited to this retreat day by sisters whoknew them from their ministry. The sisters who planned the retreat dayfound that the most effective way to invite young women was by sendingan e-mail with the flyer attached and then following up with a phone call.Many of those invited expressed a desire to come and hoped there wouldbe another retreat day scheduled soon. The next event in North Beach is aretreat day with a focus on service on Saturday, March 23, from 8:00 a.m.to 2:00 p.m.Pictures Missing from March 2 Chapter ProcessHaiti - continued from page 3But, challenges remain dauntingas 80 percent of the populationstill exists below the poverty lineand the unemployment rate hoversat 40 percent. And sadly, morethan 350,000 Haitians are stillrelegated to living in the 496 tentcamps throughout their country.Many pledges for earthquake aidremain unfulfilled and more andmore the Haitian people have beenleft out of the decision making andactual rebuilding efforts in theirown country.Fittingly we begin this Lentenseason in prayerful solidarity withour Haitian brothers and sisters.We hear the invitation to rememberthe journey to resurrection,to return to God with our wholehearts, to slow down and notice themovements of our hearts and thechoices of our lives. This eveningwe choose to be present to thesuffering of the Haitian people, anenduring suffering that may feellike God’s betrayal, God’s silence,God’s absence. We hold onto ourfaith, faith in a God who desiresgood, who lives in this world inour pain, in our sorrow and in ourjoys. Christ shows us that mercy ismore than compassion or justice.Mercy requires us to become onewith the poor and hurting, to livetheir misery as though it were ourown. In Jesus, we see a God sogenerous he gives himself away outof love. In this Lenten season, mayJesus show us how to love, how tolove unconditionally and withoutlimits.Attention sisters who attended the Chapter meeting March 2-3! Several pictures from the Saturday session aremissing. If sisters found one or more of them among their belongings when they arrived home, please keep themin a safe place and bring them to the next Chapter meeting April 27-28. These pictures belong to the facilitator,Sister Mary Jo Nelson, and are part of an expensive and professionally designed set. Please return. Thank you!