Canonization of Mother Marie Eugenie
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St. Marie Eugenie
Foundress
Religious of the Assumption
News
Easter Message from Sr. Diana, April 18, 2011
The Assumption Sisters wish you and all your loved ones a blessed Easter!
Our Superior General, Sr. Diana Wauters, speaks for all of us through her Easter message:
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April 18, 2011
In our struggles and weakness,
Jesus offers us the joy of salvation
And the hope of Resurrection.
Very dear sisters and friends,
As I was preparing to write an Easter greeting, so many tragic situations kept coming to mind: Japan, Ivory Coast, Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, Syria and more recently Burkina Faso, to name a few very public ones that are making the headlines. There are certainly also personal sorrows to add to the list: the serious illness or death of a loved one, the loss of a job and so forth. The traditional words: Happy Easter, Alleluia, “Let us rejoice and be glad” had a hard time finding a space in my heart. And then I read the words in the heading of this letter: Jesus offers us the Hope of Resurrection.
Yes, for me it is the hope of Resurrection that can bring to the world all the necessary courage, generosity, perseverance and steadfast love necessary for today. This Easter Sunday with its songs of joy and cries of Alleluia is like a template for a future that the world is still in the process of bringing forth!
I’m sure you have been following the events in Japan and Ivory Coast in a special way. The sisters of Japan have been keeping us up to date with articles on our web site. S. Makoto tells me that our sisters are contributing to relief and reconstruction efforts according to their means and are so grateful for all of your prayers and messages of solidarity. Our sisters in Abidjan are hoping to return to our convent this Wednesday, April 20th, so as to be able to live Holy Week with their neighbors and the parishioners. The sisters in Daloa continue to offer comfort and solace in a situation where great insecurity also reigns. May the grace of the Resurrection sustain the people of Japan and Cote d’Ivoire as they come to NEW LIFE!
Since the end of the CGP we have been hard at work on the writing of the preparatory document for the General Chapter 2012. We have had so many drafts that the title for the General Chapter has almost become a “mantra” for me! Hopefully this document will appear before June 1st.
The house is again full with the arrival of the sisters for the Third Year. These sisters in the age range 40-55 are a vital force in our apostolates and communities. The vitality of our charism and its future rests with them.
Nature is also giving us another “template” for the Resurrection: tender green tips on the tree branches and colorful tulips surrounding the house remind us of how beauty springs forth from the grain sown in the earth.
Let us then celebrate the Resurrection in the mode of Hope. St. Paul proclaims that by hope we are saved. (Rm 8:24) A trustworthy hope allows us to face our present times even if painful. (1) The light that comes from the Risen Christ does not follow the night. It takes hold of, invades and transfigures it. (2) It is this Faith that allows me to wish you all a very joyous Easter!
With affection and prayer,
S. Diana
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(1) Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi
(2) Alexandra Nègre, Blessing of the Fire, Pascal Vigil, S. Merri Church
