August Newsletter

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A mosaic of Mary from the facade of Orvieto Cathedral in Italy. The Feast of the Assumption is Aug. 15.

AUGUST NEWS Pope's Prayer the church - Let us pray for the Church, that she Intention may receive from the Holy Spirit the grace and for August

strength to reform herself in the light of the Gospel.

“Watch how you live.

Your lives may be the only gospel your sisters and brothers will ever read.”

Don Helder Camara

C r e p e M y r t l e t r e e a t t h e V i l l a d e M a t e l . P h o t o b y S r . N ă m T r ầ n T h ị H o à i

Pope Francis’ Midday Angelus Prayer in Rome’s St. Peter’s Square, Aug. 15, 2020, Feast of Mary’s Assumption

Dear brothers and sisters, good day! When man set foot on the moon, he said a phrase that became famous: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. In essence, humanity had reached a historical goal. But today, in Mary’s Assumption into Heaven, we celebrate an infinitely greater conquest. The Madonna has set foot in paradise: she went there not only in spirit, but with her body as well, with all of herself. This step of the lowly Virgin of Nazareth was the huge leap forward for humanity. Going to the moon serves us little if we do not live as brothers and sisters on Earth. But that one of us dwells in the flesh in Heaven gives us hope: we understand that we are precious, destined to rise again. God does not allow our bodies to vanish into nothing. With God, nothing is lost! In Mary, the goal has been reached and we have before our eyes the reasons why we journey: not to gain the things here below, which vanish, but to achieve the homeland above, which is forever.

And Our Lady is the star that guides us. She went there first. She, as the Council teaches, shines “as a sign of sure hope and solace to the People of God during its sojourn on earth” (Lumen gentium, 68).

What does our Mother advise us? Today in the Gospel the first thing she says is: “My soul magnifies the Lord” (Lk 1:46). We, accustomed to hearing these words, perhaps we no longer pay attention to their meaning. To “magnify” literally means “to make great”, to enlarge. Mary “aggrandises the Lord”: not problems, which she did not lack at the time, but the Lord. How often, instead, we let ourselves be overwhelmed by difficulties and absorbed by fears! Our Lady does not, because she puts God as the first greatness of life. From here the Magnificat springs forth, from here joy is born: not from the absence of problems, which come sooner or later, but joy is born from the presence of God who helps us, who is near us. Because God is great. And, above all, God looks on the lowly ones. We are His weakness of love: God looks on and loves the lowly.”

NEWS & NOTES

A Sign from Above Photo by Sr. Madeleva Manzanares, CCVI

"We didn’t see the seagull shadow in this picture until later. We thought it was very unusual.

It was taken on a trip to Galveston to show Sr. Caterina our heritage sites. The monument is on the Seawall at the site of St. Mary's orphanage. " - Sr. Rosanne Popp, CCVI

NEW BEAN FARM & STORE CREATED ON CCVI HARDY PROPERTY IN NAIROBI

BY SR. MAURINE CHEMNUNG PANGALE, CCVI

Sr. Maureen Pangale and Sr. Elizabeth Ann Hayes discuss progress at the Hardy property where a small house was built and a beans planted

The Hardy piece of land, with an approximate measurement of 2.071 hectares, is the property of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, Houston Texas. It is located in the southern part of the City of Nairobi, and is approximately a 10-minute drive from St. Catherine Community.

The Sisters have been exploring possibilities for the use of the property, especially during ARCs. The property has enhanced security, and it is distanced from busy roads and crowded areas. Other benefits include: good infrastructure like electricity connectivity, good roads, and in close proximity to St. John the Evangelist Parish, where many of the Final Professions of our Sisters were held. It is also close to a number of retreat centres including Mwngaza Retreat Centre, where most of our Sisters go for their retreats. It is also close to the town of Rongai and Galleria Mall. Important social amenities are also available in the area. Karen Hospital is close by and has served the Sister for a number of years. There are many learning institutions nearby like the Kenya School of Law, Tangaza University College, Marist International College, The Catholic University of Eastern Africa, The Nazarene University, and Chemichemi ya Uzima.

NEWS & NOTES

MAKING A PLACE FOR BEAN ROWS AND A SMALL BUILDING

As the Congregation continued to discern the most suitable purpose of the property, the Leadership Team recently requested some Sisters to identify purposes for long-term use of the property. After consultations and deliberations, approval was given to plant beans on three acres and build a simple two-room house with a pit latrine and bathroom. One room will be for the person working on the farm and the other one will serve as a store. The work began on May 28, 2021; first plowing for planting was done and then the foundation for the house and pit latrine was completed. Since a borehole was not drilled on the property, a 10,000 litre water tank was purchased for construction purposes. After construction, the tank will be installed to collect the rain water.

We are very grateful to the Leadership Team for allowing us to make use of the property, especially due to the fact that the act of “land grabbing” is increasing in Nairobi and in the country at large. We also thank, in a special way, our Regional General Councilor, Sr. Ricca Dimalibot, for her immense support during this process. We also thank our Sisters from the region for their input on the use of the property. We are also grateful to our collaborators in this regard including the current contractors for their contributions. May the good Lord bless you!

NEWS & NOTES

PAGE 15

Sr. Kim-Phuong Tran Visits Carrigoran House

BY SR. MARY PATRICIA DRISCOLL, CCVI

Sr. Kim left for Ireland on May 23th, 2021 and returned to Villa de Matel on July 8th, 2021. This allowed her to spent 6 weeks at St. Michael's Convent; the first ten days were in quarantine at the Gate Lodge House. The purpose of her visit was to relieve Sr. Maureen Costello so she could take time for retreat and vacation. During her stay, Sr. Kim enjoyed her time in the community sharing with the Sisters. At Carrigoran House she visited the residents, prayed with them and helped organize the liturgies.

“Helping out at Carrigoran House I learned so much about Irish baking and Irish Culture”. She was invited to the baking classes taught by the lady in charge of activities for the residents, and learned how to make Irish scones. See attached photo of Sr. Kim saving the hay in order to feel the cattle during the winter months.

Sr. Kim "saves the hay" for Carrigoran cattle.

NEWS & NOTES

"Thank You." On Friday, July 2nd Villa de Matel had an Associate Appreciation Day event. The Associates were invited to come enjoy an ice cream bar at the Dubuis Conference Center at 1:30 pm. There were several different flavors of ice cream for the Associates to choose from and everyone seemed to enjoy the cold treat on a hot day. - Toni Stanford, Director of Human Resources, Villa de Matel

CHRISTUS MOBILE CLINICS & MEXICAN CONSULATE COLLAB FLOURISHES

CHRISTUS Healthy Living Mobile Clinics started a very successful collaboration with the Consulate General of Mexico in Houston through their outreach program “Ventanilla De Salud” at their facility. The Mobile Clinics provided preventive services that include Health Screenings, Vaccines for Children, Flu Shots, Well-Woman Exams (currently postponed), and COVID-19 vaccines. This collaboration allowed Mobile Clinics to reach a large segment of the population that otherwise would not have access to health services, as well as to bridge the gap by providing referrals to CHRISTUS Foundation for HealthCare’s two medical homes, CHRISTUS St. Mary’s Clinic and CHRISTUS Point of Light Clinic. This new partnership also allowed the Mobile Clinics to build other collaborations with Consulate of El Salvador and Guatemala. “We are humbled and honored to have received this recognition and look forward to furthering our program’s mission,” Nancy Bocanegra, CHRISTUS Healthy Living Mobile Clinics Administrator, said.

NEWS & NOTES

Congratulations

Recently, Sr. Hellen Chepkurui Koskei earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with honours.

Congratulations, Sr. Hellen!

Seagulls Ahoy!

Photo by Sr. Margaret Bulmer, Galveston, TX. Summer '21.