“For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over, and it is gone. The flowers appear on the ground, the time has come for the birds to sing, and the voice of the turtle dove is heard in our land.” (Song of Songs 2: 11-12) The summer arrived in Ein Karem full of joy, with many colures in flowers, the clouds more timid, sometimes appear almost as transparent as a curtain opening a sky blue, navy, turquoise, all shades. In the balance of life, I always miss some sacred minutes looking at the changing colures of the sky. The day dawns yellow and goes to sleep with the red colour of the sunset. The other day I heard someone say that here is paradise, I do not know if it is. But I would say: Ein Karem is a piece of God in nature giving life to my life. The fruit trees are also giving the air of grace! Small clusters of grapefruit form like a fetus in the mothers’ womb. The pomegranates with …

“Search me, oh God, and know my heart!; test me and know my thoughts” Psalm 139 In the last week of April, we prepared the house to receive sister Maureen Cusick. She came to continuous sessions on formation with particular emphasis on Human, spiritual and biblical development which we began last November. The sessions started with the question from Genesis to Adam and Eve ‘where are you? Where are you in your self. Your identity; where are you with regard to your heart? Your emotions? With regard to your intellectual development. Your faith and your actions in life? We spent time reflecting on our inward journey. For me, this was a call to find myself; to recognize my gifts and the shadow areas of my life, and this for me is to know who I am. But, why is it important to ask this question not only once but constantly throughout our Lives. At different moments of our existence, we go through transitions, in which we find new beginnings that can help us redefine ourselves …

Dear Sisters and Brothers The month of April was filled with preparations for our Easter Celebrations. On Palm Sunday we walked with the Catholic Hebrew speaking community in the long procession from Bethpage to Jerusalem, in remembrance of Jesus to Jerusalem as the King riding on a donkey. From “Maundy” Thursday to Friday afternoon we stayed in Ecce Home where the sisters welcomed us and we were able to participate in the wonderfully well- prepared liturgies around our most solemn feast. Sr. Anne Catherine introduced us to the world of the Haggadah, the prayer book of Pesach with its meanings and traditions of lived Judaism in the world of today. From there we learned more about Easter, also called Pascha (Greek, Latin) or Resurrection Sunday and its meaning in our daily lives as Christians today with its many traditions and celebrations. Helen and Erika shared with us, what they had learned during this last month. They had prepared a Project on Community life, Ministry and Mission, our life of Prayer both personal and communal. During …

Holy Week passed and many people celebrated the most important period of the Christian liturgical year. Nothing compares to experiencing Holy Week in Jerusalem. Celebrating the great events in the history of salvation and the life of Jesus in the same places where they have traditionally occurred is an exciting and unforgettable experience of faith for all believers. Holy Week officially began with the celebration of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the procession gathered thousands of Christians from all over the world who joyfully walked from a place called Bethphage, praying and singing in every language, to the western slope from the Mount of Olives, through the Cedron/Kidron Valley and into the Old City. On Holy Thursday, the Mass of the Last Supper was celebrated with the Sisters of Sion at the Ecce Homo – Basilica in Jerusalem and it was a beautiful ceremony. Then we had dinner in the community and went, together with the participants of the Biblical program, to the Church of St. Peter in Gallicanto, traditionally believed to be …

Indeed, of Zion it will be said,“This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High Himself will establish her.”… As they make music they will sing, “All my fountains are in you.” Psalm 87 Undoubtedly the most visited place during these days is Jerusalem, since during Holy Week the spirituality on this land is palpable even for non-believers. Pilgrims from around the world come to the Holy City to prepare themselves for the most important date of the Christian liturgical calendar, Resurrection Sunday; this is why, right now, the number of visitors has increased considerably. How can this not be so? How can we not get excited over the next few days, in the very place where the great events of Salvation History took place? For our part, in the novitiate, we begin on Palm Sunday with the Mass at 8:00 am in the Church of San Juan Bautista, sharing with the community of the Franciscans and some other friends known here in Ein Karem. In the afternoon, we will first …

On Wednesday, April 3th, the novitiate community met a group of twelve people from Australia in Hadassah hospital. This group of four Christians, four Muslims and four Jews came to Jerusalem for ten days on a pilgrimage. They are all part of an association called JCMA (Jewish, Christian, Muslim Association of Australia) whose objective is to promote the prevention of emotional and physical abuse arising from religious intolerance and cultural discrimination. “The JCMA aims to create and provide a forum for interfaith dialogue and shared experience through meetings and discussions in a modern Australian and international context. Meeting and learning from Jews, Christians and Muslims together, leads to a fuller understanding of other faiths and perhaps in turn of our own. By fostering relationships between people of different faiths, JCMA aims to reduce racism, intolerance, bigotry and violence and the associated emotional harm.” (source:JCMA) For ten days they have visited Jewish, Christian and Muslim places in the Holy Land, sharing between their faith and traditions amongst themselves. This week they are going to celebrate together …

We, Andrea and Clara,two Sisters of Sion went to Guatemala with a group of students and chaperones from Kansas City to share life and work with the aboriginal people. We stayed from March 8th to 14th and each day we had a special job to do – building stoves, chicken coops, concrete floors… etc. We also had an activity with the women who are part of the project called, ‘Sharing the Change’ program. Their aim is to guide the external assistance towards the construction of development and solidarity communities in San Andres Itzapa and Parramos. They served us traditional foods and drinks and the evening ended with dancing. Some of the participating women we had met before, since we had gone to build their stoves and chicken coops. All the preparation was beautiful and done with much love and affection. Also part of our program was a visit to a school called, ‘Valle del Durazno’ which supports handicapped children. We had different activities and games with them which were done with great joy and love. …