A Joy-filled Feastday to all of you, Sisters, from the Residents and staff of Margaretha Home, from the Kaisa ni Mother Pauline and from the both of us, the Sisters.

We had a very lively and grace-filled Eucharistic Liturgy this morning. Fr. Jim Ferry, MM, the Vicar for Religious of the Archdiocese of Manila, was the main celebrant. Seven other friend priests con-celebrated the Mass of Thanksgiving. Know that you were remembered during this time. We had about 150 guests, including benefactors, religious Sisters and Brothers, and friends.

After the Mass, we had a program, prepared by our blind residents themselves. All of them did very well. Everyone was impressed by their performance, especially by our youngest member, Trisha.

We are blessed to have Mother Pauline as our Mother and feel united with all of you. God bless us all.

Lovingly,

Karen, Pauline, Abi, Sharon, Daisy, Jane, Dana, Sheh, Rowena, Joanne, Arni, Maribel, Lynette, Lerma, Ruth and Trisha.
All the staff of Margaretha Home
The Kaisa ni Mother Pauline
Sister Theresia & Sister Maria Dolores

HE IS NOT HERE… HE IS IN OUR HEARTS
ALLELUIA

To our dear Friends and Benefactors,

Loving Easter greetings filled with joy to you.

It seemed so long, since I last wrote to you, but know that you are often remembered in our prayers. The Mass celebrated at Margaretha Home last March 6 was offered for you and your loved ones. On the feast of St. Joseph, patron saint of the Providers, on March 19, we prayed for all our benefactors and friends who help us in our mission and, of course, you were also remembered in a special way. Please, know that we are ever grateful for all your help extended to us.

I came home from an International meeting last early March, and then S. Theresia left for her home visit. Meanwhile, we have lots of paper work to catch up, especially documents and reports due to different government agencies. Then the Lenten season in between and now the Holy Week was over. Summer schedule for our blind residents will begin, and this will surely keep us busy again in another way.

And now, just a brief update of “our” (your and our) mission and blind residents of Margaretha Home.

We have a new member – Trisha Macuha, a 6 years old, totally blind girl from a very poor family. She could not do anything when we first got her. Now she is able to eat by herself and express by motion what she wants. Somehow, we cannot make her to talk. Not even a word. But she used to talk in her home. Anyway…

Here in the Philippines the school year ends this time. Dana, one of our college students, graduated this year at Isabela State University. Last March 24, she received the Governor’s Gold Medal Award (the first one given out) for being a model and an outstanding blind that always helps other blind.

Each of our six students at Batino Sped Elementary School received medals also for the different academic achievements and accomplishments. They were all so happy, and so were we. I was with them at the stage, since they had no family members present.

As mentioned before, now we will be busy with the different summer activities, programs and with the continuing summer education classes. Also, our College students are home with us now.

We would like to invite you to open our simple webpage, so you can see some pictures of our Lenten activities and also some updated pictures of our blind residents.

www.sccgen.org/phil-unit.html

Thank you again. With grateful hearts, you and your intentions were remembered in our Easter Sunday Liturgy held at Margaretha Home Chapel. Easter greetings to you again from all of us. Let us keep each others in prayers. God bless us all!

Lovingly,

Margaretha Home Residents & Staff
S. Theresia, SCC
S. Maria Dolores, SCC

We included another traditon or devotion this year in our Palm Sunday celebration.

In the province, when the procession is passing by the houses, the residents throw small pieces of cut bless paper. These pieces of papers are also blessed together with the palm.

To throw pieces of paper is also like welcoming and acknowledging the kingship of Jesus. Special Lenten Hymn is use during this time.

After the procession, all the pieces of blessed papers are collected and then put into the soil in the field for God's blessings on their harvest.

Yesterday (March 24) was the recognition day of the school and the awarding of the (only one given) Governor's medal. Dana received an award (big golden medal) from the Governor of Isabela as an outstanding blind student who is very caring and very helpful to other people, constantly helping her fellow blind people. She is a model of a good blind student. This is the first time this award was given by the Governor of Isabela.

	EMMANUEL, GOD WITH US!

Yes, God is with us! If Mary and Joseph would have been here in the Philippines, this is where He would have chosen to be with us! He was not born in a hotel or motel, since these places are only for transient people. He was born in a place like this, a permanent place, to be with us always.

… and they have Jesus! With open hearts, we, all of us, have Jesus

Our blind residents, staff and Sisters of Margaretha Home for the Blind would like to wish you and your family a very happy and grace-filled Christmas. You are all remembered in our Novena of Masses in our Generalate Chapel, Rome, from December 16 to December 24.

Thank you once again for all your love, care and help extended to us

	The German Club in Manila invited our blind girls to the traditional "Oktoberfest"

Dear Sisters,

Loving greetings to you from the Sisters and residents and staff of Margaretha Home.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for praying for the victims of our two typhoons. The country receives many local and foreign aids, but know, that your prayers are appreciated even more so. Please, keep them coming. Help us also thank our good God that no harm came to our Margaretha Home residents and also to our blind college students in Isabela.

Today, Sunday, the Germans in Manila celebrated their Oktoberfest. The German Club invited and sponsored all the blind residents, staff, housemothers of Margaretha Home and the Sisters. Our German friends wanted our residents to experience the Oktoberfest, and they surely enjoyed it.

The day was filled with German songs and music, German food and also German beer. Since we were in the German environment, our girls also tried a sip of beer to know how it tastes. But, of course, we all had coke. The music and songs were very alive and our girls danced to the music. It was so delightful to see how much our girls enjoyed the German festivities. The blind girls commented that now they know why Sister Theresia sings and dances with such energy. It is the German way…they say!

Because of many off days from school, we are not sure, if our blind college students will have their semestral break from their school. If ever, they might have only a week off. We are looking forward to have everyone home again.

Meantime, bye for now. Let us keep each others in prayers. God bless us all!

Lovingly,

S. Maria Dolores & Sisters
Residents & Staff of Margaretha Home for the Blind.

VERSE I:

CHORUS:

VERSE II:

VERSE III:

They Have Jesus – that is the Title of the book the painter wrote about it

With this painting we want to represent our Philippine Unit and the mission we feel to have in this overpopulated tropical country.

Jesus eats with 12 street children – we cannot count how many of these children we saw already in the streets of Metro Manila. Every day we can see the environment of the poor represented in this painting by the table, the dishes, the cat, the dresses of the children, the dark background, the dirty ground…

Nearly all our girls in Margaretha Home come from this background – also some of our candidates and employees.

In the Philippines the Church wants to be the Church of the Poor, and there are many efforts for it, but there are also many difficulties to go this way, because many influential people in the Church are rich themselves, and often there are more efforts to build beautiful Churches than to reach out to the poor. Very often other Christian groups show more concern than our Church. Therefore we see our Mission in reaching out to the poor and to uplift their situation.

We also realize a very poor knowledge of our faith among the people because of very minimal preparations for the Sacraments. Here is a real need of evangelization – even in this predominantly Catholic country.

Our Eucharistic life-style can empower us. They have Jesus in this painting. We want to bring Jesus to the poor, the blind. We want to be Jesus for them. The painter painted the table of hope – in this difficult time we want to bring hope to the blind, to those who are hopeless and in darkness.

The material with which we decorated the painting is called “Malong,” a local material from the very poor southern islands of the Philippines. It is used to sleep in, to dress and to decorate. It is also used as a shield to dress in public, to get some privacy even in a very populated place.

This Bamboo candleholder we use for the Profession of our Sisters and for the First Communion of our blind girls. Bamboo is a local basic good. It is often used instead of steel and wood. Our Tabernacle is made of it also. Even homes for the poor in the Provinces are often made of Bamboo.

Here the Bamboo holds the light. We want to bring light in its different meanings to our blind girls, to many blind people in the Philippines who are so often abused, neglected, abandoned in terrible ways. But in this overpopulated country there are so many people who have the same experience. Sometimes we feel very powerless, we can only help some of them, but we still can show the presence of Jesus even in this very often so lost world of the poor. Even the Church is very often helpless, and many representatives do not respond in a way we would expect.

If we do not want to get lost in all this misery we have to focus on the experience that we also have Jesus. And we have the support of the Congregation and live our Mission within the Congregation. We cannot save all these poor people, but He will show us where He wants us to show His presence and hope.

The Mission Statement of the SCC Philippine Unit, which we formulated during our Unit Chapter last year, expresses how we – as a small Community of two professed Sisters and a Novice – understand our Mission in the Philippines:

“Our Eucharistic life-style empowers and impels us to be Christ’s light in our “Church of the Poor.” As truly women of Christ-like love, we want to uplift and guide the blind and those who are in need in our wounded world with an undivided, happy heart.”

Sr. Theresia Barkey, Philippines