| Name | Size | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Celebrating Fifty Years of Presence in Peru- Feb 2015 | 15 kb | ||
| Mission Talk -Eileen Egan 2023 | 46 kb |
Sr Eileen Egan, Missionary in Peru
Blessings for Christmas and the New Year 2023 from the Southern Andes of Peru
I'm sure you join me in rejoicing that the pandemic has lessened its effects on the world and that we're gradually adjusting to the new normal. In the midst of it all we lost our first Peruvian Sister, Tomasa, at the end of 2021. She was over 10 years younger than I, but had suffered from bronchial infections most of her life due to TB when she was a child. Tomasa always prayed for more Peruvian vocations, and a week after her death, a young kindergarten teacher from Lima contacted our Sister Norma about joining us. So, please pray for Ines Velasquez that she is able to follow up on that desire, and become an IHM Sister in the near future.
CHRISTMAS IS ABOUT CELEBRATING NEW LIFE ALL OVER THE PLACE
Each month we have a meeting of the parents whose children are preparing for First Communion and Confirmation. A while back, some of them asked if they could receive the sacraments with their children. Inquiring, I learned that most of them never had the opportunity to participate in the liturgies when they were young, either because they'd lived out in the mountains where there's mass only once a year for their patronal feast or because they were too poor to afford new clothes for First Communion. I modified the "Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults" (RCIA} and prepared them for first sacraments. It was a joyful celebration in mid November when 23 adults joined their children to receive the sacraments for the first time.
CHRISTMAS IS FOR WELCOMING EVERYONE TO THE TABLE
Just like the rest of the world, our little barrio is also suffering from violence. We suspect that a gang is defacing the outside of the church and throwing stones to break the windows. Thank God we had a good collection for the All Souls Day mass at the cemetery, so had enough funds to hire a carpenter to put up heavy wire screening on the windows and as an extra, he offered to repaint the church doors to cover the graffiti. May the souls of the faithful departed spook the vandals and bring them to conversion, just like Scrooge in "The Christmas Carol."
CHRISTMAS IS A TIME FOR OVERCOMING EVIL WITH GOOD
About a month after school started, Sister Ancilla informed us that many of the 3rd graders at our parish library were illiterate, probably due to virtual classes during the pandemic. Thanks to donations from family and friends, I was able to coordinate with the local education office and prepare student teachers for tutoring sessions after school. We were able to provide large alphabet charts, small white boards, markers and worksheets for the volunteers to use with the children. Unfortunately, some schools were indifferent to the project, but those who participated saw some improvement in literacy.
CHRISTMAS IS FOR RISING TO WHATEVER OCCASION PRESENTS ITSELF
The last bit of good news is that Victor and Michele are expecting their second child this spring, and Rufina's third son is finishing high school. Moises, who shares my birthday, is studying for the entrance exam for the University to study History next year.
At Thanksgiving, I was in a lot of pain due to arthritis in my left knee. My Sisters in Sicuani convinced me that I needed to get it checked in the States since it wasn't feasible to be a crippled in a foreign land. Please say a prayer that the Dr will be able to fix my knee. One never passes 80 alone, they say.......
As the whole world gets nervous and edgy thinking about asylum seekers, maybe we can remember the Holy Family's Flight into Egypt, reflecting on a quote from Thomas Merton:
"The shadows fall. The stars appear. The birds begin to sleep. Night embraces the silent half of the earth. A vagrant, a destitute wanderer with dusty feet, finds his way down a new road. A homeless God, lost in the night, without papers, without identification, without even a number, a frail expendable exile lies down in desolation under the sweet stars of the world and entrusts Himself to sleep."
Thank you for your love and care over the year. May you be well.
Love and God bless,
Eileen of the Andes
(Sister Eileen Egan, IHM)
Celebrating 50 Years in Peru (1965-2015)
Scranton Sisters of IHM are joined by Immaculata Sisters of IHM for the 50th anniversary celebration of Scranton IHM presence and ministry in Peru.
Sister Joel Marie Sheehe with Laura, the first lay director of Santíssimo Nombre de Jesús. Laura is 91 years old.
Lots of applause for Coletta (Jeanne Marie Kearney) who is serving in Peru for 45 years!
Musicians included Sisters Dora Vizcarra, Angela Cerna-Plata (M), and Norma Poma
Arpi along with Carmen Contreras, GabiBarron, IHM Associates, and Myriam Mendoza
from Sicuani.
Sister Tomasa Fernandez reading the petitions at Mass.
Sister Michael Marie Hartman and Sister Clare Mary (IHM Immaculata). Sister Michael Marie remarked, “Sister Clare Mary was one of the arrived in Peru. Sister Clare Mary received this symbolic gift from the Scranton IHMs,remembering all the Immaculata IHMs who figured so strongly in our early beginnings in Peru.”
Sister Eileen Egan poses with other women religious serving in Peru who were guests
at the celebration.
Sister Norma was one of the dancers to perform a traditional Peruvian dance during the reception.
If you would like to support our missions in Latin America, please contact
Sr. Ann Monica Bubser at 570-346-5431 or bubsera@sistersofihm.org
