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Edition No. 137 — September 11, 2020 
19th Anniversary of 911

Nineteen years ago today, 2,977 people died and another 6,000 people were injured. We pray for the victims, their families and the first responders who selflessly ran into danger without hesitation.

Click Here for our 911 Memorial video.


When sudden terror tears apart
the world we thought was ours,
we find how fragile strength can be,
how limited our powers.

As tow’r and fortress fall, we watch
with disbelieving stare
and numbly hear the anguished cries
that pierce the ash-filled air.

Yet most of all we are aware
of emptiness and void:
of lives cut short, of structures razed,
of confidence destroyed.

From this abyss of doubt and fear
we grope for words to pray,
and hear our stammering tongues embrace
a timeless Kyrie.

Have mercy, Lord,
give strength and peace
and make our courage great;
restrain our urge to seek revenge,
to turn our hurt to hate.

Help us to know your steadfast love,
your presence near as breath;
rekindle in our hearts the hope
of life that conquers death.

* Rev. Carl P. Daw, Jr. wrote this hymn to commemorate the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon September 11. (Hope Publishing Co.)
Laudato Sí Reflection for September 13, 2020

Sisters of Saint Joseph serving on the Chapter Implementation Subcommittee for Directive II, offer this excerpt from Laudato Sí and questions that you can use for your personal reflection, local community sharing, or whatever other creative way you can incorporate these into your life. Enjoy this reflection for September 13.
Looking for Inspiration?
You can find it by clicking on images below!
"With the help of God's grace and in fidelity to our founder's expressed wish, we live and work lovingly among all persons with a special preference for those who are poor, which calls us wherever we are to be in union with them."
                         — SSJ Constitutions #21
Editor, Sister Carole Pollock SSJ | 215.248.7269 | cpollock@ssjphila.org |http://ssjphila.org/home/