Rome, August 1, 2010
Dear Sisters and Friends,
Before I de part for the United States on Monday, I want to send one more update letter from Rome. It has been a hot, humid and busy summer. I have had to put a towel under my hand that controls the mouse of my computer, so that there wouldn’t be a puddle of water.
Despite the heat, our bougainvillea and oleander have blossomed abundantly this year. This gives a beautiful picture as one approaches the front of our house. However, our pine tree that was in the middle of our yard, right outside my office died and we had to take it down. It was also very dangerous because of the way it leaned. So now both of our pine trees and one of our palm trees are gone. Some flowers are blooming now in the garden, but most will come back to life when the heat leaves and it rains again.
Since January we have opened our Chapel for anyone who would like to attend our 7 a.m. Mass with us, since that Mass was cancelled in the parish. Everyday some people join us, but this summer some days the Chapel has been packed – sometimes 24 people in all. So we have a nice little community now. One group of Sisters who live near also joins us on some days. The challenge is to have enough materials prepared since we never know how many will actually be at Mass.
From July 4 to 11 I made my annual retreat. It was a hot and humid week, but very peaceful and renewing. One day I went to the Shrine of Divine Love (Divino Amore) on the outskirts of Rome. This is a favorite pilgrimage place for the Roman people. On the way, and fortunately only a little more than two bus stops away from the shrine, the bus was in an accident. There were about 10 of us on the bus at the time and we were thrown about. I had been standing, looking out the side, so I had no idea of what was happening until the bus crashed and came to a complete stop. A car had pulled out of a side street and the bus didn’t have enough time to stop, is what I think may have happened. Fortunately I escaped with only some bruises. Since I hadn’t seen exactly what had happened and therefore could not be a witness and didn’t need medical attention, I left the bus and walked the rest of the way to the Shrine.
Our three tertianship Sisters arrived on July 13 after a wonderful first part in Paderborn with Sister Adalberta. Sister Joann Marie arrived the day before. Both in Germany and for the first part of their stay here they had to endure very hot, humid weather. But although it is still hot, the humidity has broken and life is bearable. We have some fans, but no air conditioning. Sister Joann Marie was with the tertians most of the time, but Sister Adalberta and the three councilors each took a day and a certain theme with them. On my day we explored how social justice is an integral part of our lives by first looking at our charism and then how Jesus and Mother Pauline each gave us a marvelous example. Finally we discovered how in each chapter of our Constitutions we are encouraged to live according to the principles of social justice, where we recognize each person as an image of God and deserving of love, respect and other inalienable rights. This helped us to understand that Social Justice is not something extra that in recent years has become important, but that it is an integral part of our Christian and religious lives.
You know the saying: “When it rains, it pours.” As I am trying to get everything ready before I leave for three months, it seems one thing after another is happening. The first concerned our solar panels. One of the water boilers sprung a leak – of course, shortly after the conclusion of the warranty period and towards the end of July (Rome virtually closes down during August). Fortunately the company that installed them was able to repair the leak, but we must be attentive that the reparation holds. If not, we will need to replace the boiler.
Then one Friday evening some Sisters were going to Evening Prayer with the Community of St. Egidio. When they went out the gate by the garage, they noticed that one of the columns attached to the “cancello” or gate the car uses was badly damaged and the cancello was not secure. Sister Clarentia and I were the only ones home that evening, so we called the police. They said they would send someone and we waited, first outside then in the dining room for two hours and no one came. The next morning I showed Sister Cecilia and she and Sister Maria Immacolata called the police again. This time they told us to call another number. The police came and took pictures, but didn’t think it was a “hit and run.” After they left, we were standing there looking at the way things were and a lady who lives in an apartment across the street came out to do an errand. She stopped to talk with us and told us that she saw a truck that was cleaning the street at our cancello and could give us the exact time. So Sister Cecilia and Sister Maria Immacolata went to the office of AMA, the company that collects the garbage and cleans the streets, and told them of the incident. They said it couldn’t be, so the Sisters came back to get the woman and go again. In that time span AMA did some investigating and acknowledged that one of their drivers had done it. So our car is a prisoner of the garage. No one can enter or leave by that gate. We will probably have to wait till September until something can be done. The pillar has been reinforced with scaffolding so it will not fall and hurt someone and the entire area is blocked off. The one good thing is that AMA’s insurance will take care of it.
That same day Sister Cecilia showed me that one of the windows in the small parlor could not be closed properly – a strip of metal was not in its proper place. Hopefully a repairman will come this week to try to fix that. And finally, the “machine” that softens the water was leaking water, so we have to replace that. And all of this since the middle of July! But God and good St. Joseph will provide. There are some other smaller things also, but this is enough for now. I’m grateful that Sister Cecilia will be here to take care of all while I’m away.
On another note, our Sisters in Bolivia have finally moved into their new home. We have just received some pictures of their ministry in this poor country. Sister Adalberta uploaded them to our website. You can view them by selecting the “Extras” tab on the left column and then “Album 2.” Here you can find many pictures. For each set chose “diashow” and they will go from one to another. You will also find pictures of our tertianship Sisters in this section. Enjoy!
Sister Adalberta and I leave at 9 a.m. on August 2. We fly first to Munich where Sister Irmhild will join us for our flight to Newark. We should arrive in Newark around 6 p.m. your time (midnight Rome time) ready to spend some time with you. Please keep our travels in your prayers.
Looking forward to seeing all of you soon, I remain in love and prayer, your
